Production of alkylaromatic compounds

A process for producing a monoalkylated aromatic product in a combined reactor zone having a plurality of sequential catalyst beds, said process comprising the following process steps:

• (a) introducing into a first catalyst bed of the combined reaction zone a first reaction mixture comprising fresh and recycle aromatics, effluent recycle, and recycle polyalkylaromatics but not an olefin feed;
• (b) introducing into a second catalyst bed of the combined reaction zone by three or more individual component feeds or one or more at least partly combined feeds, a reaction mixture comprising fresh and recycle aromatics, fresh olefin, and recycled polyalkylated aromatics, wherein the overall molar ratio of aromatics to olefin in the mixture is between 1:1 to 20:1, and the weight ratio of aromatics to recycled polyalkylated aromatics is in excess of 0.2:1, and also wherein the first and second catalyst beds of the combined reaction zone include a suitable catalyst or catalyst mixture capable of catalyzing both alkylation and transalkylation;
• (c) contacting the reaction mixtures with the catalyst(s) under sufficient reaction conditions to react essentially all the olefins in the reaction mixture to monoalkylated aromatics and polyalkylated aromatics, and to react the aromatics and the recycled polyalkylated aromatics in the reaction mixture to produce additional monoalkylaromatics, to produce an effluent from the combined reaction zone comprising monoalkylated aromatics, polyalkylated aromatics and the unreacted aromatics, and,
• (d) introducing the reaction zone effluent into a separation zone wherein the desired monoalkylated aromatics product is isolated and recovered and the unreacted aromatics and polyalkylated aromatics are recovered and recycled.