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US 5,491,277 AGranted
Mixed-phase solid bed hydrocarbon alkylation process
AssigneeUop LLC
InventorsLaurence O. Stine, Harold U. Hammershaimb, Joseph A. Kocal
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Paraffins and other hydrocarbons are alkylated using a solid bed catalyst in a process featuring a reaction zone operated at mixed-phase conditions which allow the heat of reaction to vaporize a portion of the liquid phase feed hydrocarbon passing downward through it thus facilitating recycling of the feed hydrocarbon. The feed hydrocarbon recovered from the reaction zone effluent is recycled as a liquid, preferably admixed with hydrogen, with the feed olefin being preferably introduced near the top of the reactor as a vapor. The catalyst preferably contains a metal hydrogenation function effective to selectively hydrogenate C.sub.6 -plus olefins produced as by-products.
Claims13
A process for the alkylation of a feed hydrocarbon which comprises the steps:
- (a) passing a first feed stream comprising a paraffinic feed hydrocarbon and a second feed stream comprising an alkylating agent into a reaction zone containing a fixed bed of solid alkylation catalyst and operated at alkylation-promoting conditions which include an inlet pressure and temperature which result in mixed-phase conditions at which at least a portion of the alkylating agent and the feed hydrocarbon are present as a vapor and reacting the feed hydrocarbon and the alkylating agent to produce a product hydrocarbon in an exothermic reaction which causes the vaporization of liquid phase hydrocarbons present in the reaction zone;
- (b) passing a mixed-phase effluent stream comprising said feed hydrocarbon and said product hydrocarbon, and which is withdrawn from the reaction zone, into a separation zone in which the effluent stream is separated into a liquid phase process stream, which comprises the product hydrocarbon, and a vapor phase process stream, which comprises the feed hydrocarbon;
- (c) passing a first portion of the liquid phase process stream into a product recovery zone, and recovering the product hydrocarbon;
- (d) recovering at least a portion of the feed hydrocarbon from the vapor phase process stream and passing the thus recovered feed hydrocarbon into the reaction zone.
1 more element
A process for the alkylation of a feed hydrocarbon which comprises the steps:
- (a) passing a first feed stream comprising isobutane or isopentane as a feed hydrocarbon and a second feed stream comprising a C.sub.3 -C.sub.5 olefinic hydrocarbon into a reaction zone containing a fixed bed of solid liquid coated alkylation catalyst and operated at alkylation-promoting conditions which include an inlet pressure and temperature which result in mixed-phase conditions in which at least a portion of the olefinic hydrocarbon is present as a vapor and reacting the feed hydrocarbon and the olefinic hydrocarbon to produce a branched paraffinic product hydrocarbon in an exothermic reaction which causes the vaporization of liquid phase hydrocarbons present in the reaction zone;
- (b) passing a mixed-phase effluent stream comprising said feed hydrocarbon and said product hydrocarbon, and which is withdrawn from the reaction zone, into a vapor-liquid separation zone in which the effluent stream is separated into a liquid phase process stream, which comprises the product hydrocarbon, and a vapor phase process stream, which is rich in the feed hydrocarbon;
- (c) passing at least a portion of the liquid phase process stream into a product recovery zone, and recovering the product hydrocarbon;
- (d) partially condensing the vapor-phase process stream and thereby producing a second liquid phase stream, which is rich in the feed hydrocarbon, and a second vapor phase stream;
- and,
- (e) passing a least a major portion of the second liquid phase process stream into the reaction zone.
3 more elements
A process for the alkylation of a feed isoparaffin which comprises the steps:
- (a) passing a liquid phase first feed stream comprising a C.sub.3 -C.sub.5 feed isoparaffinic hydrocarbon and a vapor phase second feed stream comprising a C.sub.3 -C.sub.5 olefinic hydrocarbon downward through a first reaction zone containing a bed of a solid alkylation catalyst and operated at alkylation-promoting conditions which include the presence of hydrogen at a concentration greater than 0.5 mole percent and an inlet pressure and temperature which result in mixed-phase conditions and reacting the feed hydrocarbon and the olefinic hydrocarbon to produce a branched paraffinic product hydrocarbon in an exothermic reaction which causes the vaporization of liquid phase hydrocarbons present in the first reaction zone;
- (b) removing a mixed phase effluent stream comprising vapor phase hydrogen, said feed hydrocarbon and said product hydrocarbon from the first reaction zone, and passing the effluent stream into a vapor-liquid separation zone in which the effluent stream is separated into a first liquid phase process stream, which comprises the product hydrocarbon, and a first vapor phase process stream comprising hydrogen and the feed isoparaffinic hydrocarbon;
- (c) passing at least a major portion of the first liquid phase process stream into a product recovery zone, and recovering the product hydrocarbon;
- (d) partially condensing the first vapor phase process stream and thereby producing a second vapor phase process stream, which is rich in hydrogen, and a second liquid phase process stream, which is rich in the feed hydrocarbon, and recycling at least a first portion of the second liquid phase process stream to the first reaction zone and passing at least a second portion of the second liquid phase reaction zone into a second reaction zone which is undergoing a catalyst regeneration procedure;
- (e) passing a minor portion of the second vapor-phase process stream into the first reaction zone and passing a major portion of the vapor-phase process stream into the second reaction zone;
- and
- (f) passing an effluent stream removed from the second reaction zone into the vapor-liquid separation zone in which the effluent of the first reaction zone is separated.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.