Process for the production of gasoline stocks

A process for the production of gasoline components comprising the steps of:

• (a) feeding a hydrocarbon stream containing C3-C5 olefins to a single pass downflow fixed bed reactor containing a cationic acidic resin catalyst under oligomerization conditions within the range of 120° F. to 300° F. wherein the temperature in said reactor maintains a boiling mixture in said reactor thereby reacting at least a portion of said C3-C5 olefins with each other or themselves to form oligomers;
• (b) feeding the effluent from said single pass downflow fixed bed reactor and hydrogen to a distillation column reactor containing hydrogenation catalyst consisting essentially of Pd on an alumina support in a distillation reaction zone;
• (c) concurrently in said distillation reaction zone under conditions of concurrent hydrogenation and distillation:
• (i) contacting said oligomers with said hydrogen in the presence of said hydrogenation catalyst at a temperature of 150° F.-350° F., at 10 to 150 psig to hydrogenate a portion of said oligomers to the corresponding alkanes;
• and
• (ii) separating the corresponding alkanes from other hydrocarbons and hydrogen by fractional distillation;
• (d) removing said corresponding alkanes from said distillation column reactor at a point below said distillation zone;
• (e) removing said other hydrocarbons and hydrogen from said distillation column as overheads;
• (f) cooling said overheads to separate said other hydrocarbons from said hydrogen;
• and
• (g) recycling a portion of said other hydrocarbons to said distillation column reactor as reflux.