Process for manufacturing olefins

Abstract

A catalyst and an improved process for producing olefins by catalytic naphtha cracking are described. The process provides relatively higher yields over a commercially important range of naphtha conversion, while providing about the same or lower yields of aromatics and methane over the range. In the process, a hydrocarbon naphtha feedstock including a hydrocarbon having about three to about twenty carbon atoms per molecule is passed into a reactor containing a pentasil zeolite catalyst. The catalyst includes about 0.1 to about 10 weight percent phosphorus and about 0.1 to about 10 weight percent of a promoter metal selected from the group consisting of gallium, germanium, tin and mixtures thereof. The hydrocarbon may be passed into the reactor together with a diluent selected from the group consisting of steam, nitrogen, methane, and ethane and mixtures thereof. Alternatively, the hydrocarbon may be passed into the reactor together with additional propane.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.