Process for ethylbenzene production
AssigneeFina Technology, Inc.
InventorJames R. Butler
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Abstract
A method of producing an alkylaromatic by the alkylation of an aromatic with an alkylating agent, such as producing ethylbenzene by an alkylation reaction of benzene, is disclosed. The method includes using an H-beta catalyst to minimize process upsets due to alkylation catalyst deactivation and the resulting catalyst regeneration or replacement. The H-beta catalyst can be used in a preliminary alkylation reactor that is located upstream of the primary alkylation reactor. The H-beta catalyst used in a preliminary alkylation reactor can reduce the deactivation of the catalyst in the primary alkylation reactor.
Claims31
A method of producing an alkylaromatic by the alkylation of an aromatic with an alkylating agent, the method comprising:
- providing at least one reaction zone containing a regenerated H-beta zeolite catalyst;
- introducing a feed stream to the reaction zone, wherein the feed stream comprises an aromatic, an alkylating agent, and catalyst poisons averaging at least 5 ppb;
- reacting at least a portion of the aromatic under alkylation conditions to produce an alkylaromatic;
- wherein the regenerated H-beta zeolite catalyst is produced by heating an at least partially deactivated H-beta zeolite catalyst to a series of temperatures ranging from about 200° C. to about 500° C., said heating comprising:
- heating the at least partially deactivated H-beta zeolite catalyst to a first temperature with a gas containing nitrogen and 2 mol % or less oxygen for a period of time for a time sufficient to provide an output stream having an oxygen content of about 0.1 mol %;
- heating up the at least partially deactivated H-beta zeolite catalyst at a second temperature higher than the first temperature for a period of time sufficient to provide an output stream having a certain oxygen content.
A method of producing an alkylaromatic by the alkylation of an aromatic with an alkylating agent, the method comprising:
- providing a reaction zone comprising a preliminary alkylation system containing an H-beta zeolite catalyst and an alkylation reactor containing an alkylation catalyst, wherein the alkylation reactor is in fluid communication with the preliminary alkylation system, and wherein the alkylation catalyst is a catalyst other than H-beta zeolite;
- introducing a feed stream to the reaction zone, wherein the feed stream comprises an aromatic, an alkylating agent, and catalyst poisons averaging at least 5 ppb;
- reacting at least a portion of the aromatic under alkylation conditions to produce an alkylaromatic;
- wherein at least one of the H-beta zeolite and the alkylation catalyst is regenerated by heating an at least partially deactivated catalyst to a series of temperatures ranging from about 200° C. to about 500° C., said heating comprising:
- heating the at least partially deactivated H-beta zeolite catalyst to a first temperature with a gas containing nitrogen and 2 mol % or less oxygen for a period of time for a time sufficient to provide an output stream having an oxygen content of about 0.1 mol %;
- heating up the at least partially deactivated H-beta zeolite catalyst at a second temperature higher than the first temperature for a period of time sufficient to provide an output stream having a certain oxygen content.
A method of producing an alkylaromatic by the alkylation of an aromatic with an alkylating agent, the method comprising:
- providing a reaction zone comprising a preliminary alkylation system containing an H-beta zeolite catalyst, an alkylation reactor containing an alkylation catalyst, wherein the alkylation reactor is in fluid communication with the preliminary alkylation system, and wherein the alkylation catalyst is a catalyst other than H-beta zeolite and a transalkylation system in fluid communication with the alkylation reactor, wherein the transalkylation system comprises a transalkylation catalyst;
- introducing a feed stream to the reaction zone, wherein the feed stream comprises an aromatic, an alkylating agent, and catalyst poisons averaging at least 5 ppb;
- and
- reacting at least a portion of the aromatic under alkylation conditions to produce an alkylaromatic;
- wherein at least one of the H-beta zeolite, the alkylation catalyst, and the transalkylation catalyst is regenerated by heating an at least partially deactivated catalyst to a series of temperatures ranging from about 200° C. to about 500° C., said heating comprising:
- heating the at least partially deactivated H-beta zeolite catalyst to a first temperature with a gas containing nitrogen and 2 mol % or less oxygen for a period of time for a time sufficient to provide an output stream having an oxygen content of about 0.1 mol %;
- and
- heating up the at least partially deactivated H-beta zeolite catalyst at a second temperature higher than the first temperature for a period of time sufficient to provide an output stream having a certain oxygen content.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.