Two-step process for production of RON-enhanced mixed butanols and diisobutenes
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorsKareemuddin M. Shaik, Wei Xu, Thamer Mohammed, Hassan Babiker, Gautam Tavanappa Kalghatgi
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Abstract
A two-step process for the oligomerization and hydration of a mixed butenes feed is provided and is implemented in a two-stage system. The two-step process yields a product consisting of diisobutenes (DIBs) and mixed butanols. The DIBs are produced via the selective oligomerization of isobutene in a first stage and the mixed butanols are produced via the hydration, in a second stage, of mixed butenes that remain unreacted in the first stage.
Claims23
A two-stage process for oligomerizing and hydrating a hydrocarbon feed comprising mixed olefins including mixed butenes including isobutene and n-butenes, the process comprising the steps of:
- introducing the hydrocarbon feed into a first reactor vessel under reaction conditions that are operable to oligomerize the isobutene into diisobutenes;
- contacting the mixed hydrocarbon feed with an oligomerization catalyst within the first reactor vessel, the oligomerization catalyst being of a type that selectively oligomerizes the isobutene into diisobutenes;
- separating the diisobutenes from unreacted butenes to form a diisobutene stream;
- introducing the unreacted butenes into a second reactor vessel in the presence of water and under reaction conditions that operable to hydrate the unreacted butenes including the unreacted n-butenes and any unreacted isobutene;
- contacting the unreacted butenes with a hydration catalyst within the second reactor vessel to hydrate the unreacted butenes to form a mixed butanols stream;
- and
- combining the diisobutene stream and mixed butanols stream to form a product stream.
A two-stage process for oligomerizing and hydrating a hydrocarbon feed comprising mixed olefins including mixed butenes including isobutene and n-butenes, the process comprising the steps of:
- introducing the hydrocarbon feed into a first reactor vessel under reaction conditions that are operable to oligomerize the butenes;
- contacting the mixed hydrocarbon feed with an oligomerization catalyst within the first reactor vessel, the oligomerization catalyst being of a type that selectively oligomerizes isobutene into diisobutenes;
- separating the diisobutenes from unreacted butenes to form a diisobutene stream, wherein the step of separating the diisobutenes from the unreacted butenes comprises the step of:
- introducing the diisobutenes and the unreacted butenes from the first reactor vessel into a low pressure separator that is configured to separate the diisobutenes from the unreacted butenes including unreacted n-butenes and any unreacted isobutene;
- introducing the unreacted butenes into a second reactor vessel in the presence of water and under reaction conditions that operable to hydrate the unreacted butenes including the unreacted n-butenes and any unreacted isobutene;
- contacting the unreacted butenes with a hydration catalyst within the second reactor vessel to hydrate the unreacted butenes to form a mixed butanols stream;
- and
- combining the diisobutene stream and mixed butanols stream to form a product stream.
A two-stage process for oligomerizing and hydrating a hydrocarbon feed comprising mixed olefins including mixed butenes including isobutene and n-butenes, the process comprising the steps of:
- introducing the hydrocarbon feed into a first reactor vessel under reaction conditions that are operable to oligomerize the butenes;
- contacting the mixed hydrocarbon feed with an oligomerization catalyst within the first reactor vessel, the oligomerization catalyst being of a type that selectively oligomerizes butenes into oligomers;
- separating the oligomers from unreacted butenes, to form an oligomer stream;
- introducing the unreacted butenes into a second reactor vessel in the presence of water and under reaction conditions that operable to hydrate the unreacted butenes including the unreacted n-butenes and any unreacted isobutene;
- contacting the unreacted butenes with a hydration catalyst within the second reactor vessel to hydrate the unreacted butenes to form a mixed butanols stream;
- passing the mixed butanols stream from the second reaction vessel through a high pressure separator which is configured to separate an organic phase containing unreacted mixed butenes along with extracted mixed butanols from an aqueous phase that is saturated with mixed butanols;
- passing the separated organic phase through a debutenizer column in which the organic phase is separated and unreacted mixed butenes are removed;
- passing the separated aqueous phase to an azeotropic distillation column in which alcohol-water azeotrope is distilled out of the aqueous phase;
- and
- combining the oligomer stream and mixed butanols from the debutenizer to form a product stream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.