Process for production of an ether-rich additive
AssigneeIntevep, S.A.
InventorsMarco A. Marquez, Jose C. Gonzalez, Victor J. Degouveia, Francisco Yanez
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Abstract
A process for the production of an ether-rich additive for gasoline, and more particularly, the production of MTBE, TAME and mixtures thereof from light hydrocarbon streams comprising passing the light hydrocarbon stream, preferably from an FCC feedstock, through a superactivated alumina medium so as to remove nitrogen compounds, mercaptan and water prior to contacting the feedstock with a catalyst under etherification process conditions. The present invention further includes a process for regenerating the spent superactivated alumina mediums used for purifying the feedstock employed in the process for the production of ether-rich additives for gasoline.
Claims19
A process for the production of an ether-rich additive comprising:
- (a) providing a liquid hydrocarbon feedstock containing isoalkenes, diolefins, nitrogen compounds, mercaptan and water;
- (b) forming a superactivated alumina medium from commercial porous alumina particles by the following steps;
- (1) drying said alumina particles by passing an inert gas through said alumina particles at a temperature of not greater than 122.degree. F;
- (2) washing said porous alumina particles with an organic solvent at a temperature of less than 122.degree. F. so as to flush polymer precursors from said alumina while avoiding the formation of polymers within the porous alumina;
- (3) sensing when the porous alumina is substantially free of said polymer precursors;
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- (4) thereafter further flushing said porous alumina particles with an organic solvent at a temperature of about between 140.degree. to 250.degree. F. so as to dissolve polymers within said porous alumina while maintaining said solvent in a liquid phase;
- (c) passing said liquid hydrocarbon feedstock through said superactivated alumina medium so as to remove nitrogen compounds, mercaptan and water so as to form a purified feedstock substantially free of nitrogen compounds, mercaptan and water;
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- (d) treating said purified feedstock with a catalyst under etherification process conditions so as to produce an ether-rich additive.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.