Processes for preparing low viscosity lubricants

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10005972-B2
Application number	US-201715462962-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2017
Priority date	Mar 13, 2013
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

Disclosed are processes for forming an oligomer product by contacting a feedstock olefin containing trisubstituted olefins with a solid acid catalyst. The oligomer product can be formed at an oligomerization temperature in a range from −20° C. to 40° C. Polyalphaolefins produced from the oligomer product can have reduced viscosities at low temperatures.

First claim

We claim:

1. A process comprising:
(a) contacting a feedstock olefin with a solid acid catalyst to form an oligomer product at an oligomerization temperature in a range from −20° C. to 35° C., wherein the feedstock olefin comprises at least 75 wt. % trisubstituted olefins and less than 7.5 wt. % normal alpha olefins;
(b) removing at least a portion of the oligomer product from the feedstock olefin and the solid acid catalyst; and
(c) hydrogenating the portion of the oligomer product to form a polyalphaolefin, wherein the polyalphaolefin has a kinematic viscosity at −40° C. in a range from 4,500 to 9,500 cSt; and
wherein the solid acid catalyst comprises a functionalized styrene-divinylbenzene polymer, a 4-vinylpyridine divinylbenzene polymer, a tetrafluoroethylene polymer modified with perfluorovinyl ether groups terminated with sulfonate groups, or a combination thereof.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the solid acid catalyst comprises an AMBERLYST resin, a NAFION resin, or a combination thereof, or a combination thereof.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the solid acid catalyst comprises AMBERLYST 15 resin.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein:
the oligomerization temperature is in a range from 15° C. to 35° C.; and
the feedstock olefin comprises at least 75 wt. % C 16 to C 24 trisubstituted olefins.

5. The process of claim 4 , wherein the feedstock olefin comprises at least 75 wt. % C 20 trisubstituted olefins.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the feedstock olefin is produced by a process comprising isomerizing a vinylidene composition comprising a C 12 to C 48 vinylidene.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the feedstock olefin is produced by a process comprising contacting a monomer comprising a C 6 to C 24 normal alpha olefin with a catalyst system comprising a metallocene compound, a chemically-treated solid oxide, and a co-catalyst.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the feedstock olefin comprises a compound having the structure:

or any combination thereof.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the polyalphaolefin comprises:
at least 80 wt. % C 40 branched hydrocarbons; and
a maximum of 5 wt. %<C 40 hydrocarbons.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the polyalphaolefin has:
a kinematic viscosity at −40° C. in a range from 5,000 to 9,000 cSt;
a kinematic viscosity at 40° C. in a range from 25 to 50 cSt;
a kinematic viscosity at 100° C. in a range from 4 to 10 cSt;
a viscosity index in a range from 120 to 150;
a pour point in a range from −45 to −85° C.; or
any combination thereof.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein a conversion of the feedstock olefin to the oligomer product is in a range from 40 to 95 wt. %.

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein the polyalphaolefin has a kinematic viscosity at −40° C. in a range from 6,500 to 9,000 cSt.

13. A process for forming a polyalphaolefin, the process comprising:
(1) contacting a monomer comprising a C 6 to C 24 normal alpha olefin with a catalyst system to form a dimer composition comprising trisubstituted dimers, the catalyst system comprising a metallocene compound, a chemically-treated solid oxide, and a co-catalyst;
(2) removing at least a portion of the monomer and/or at least a portion of higher oligomers from the dimer composition to form a trisubstituted olefin composition comprising trisubstituted dimers;
(3) contacting a feedstock olefin comprising the trisubstituted olefin composition with a solid acid catalyst to form an oligomer product comprising olefin tetramers at an oligomerization temperature in a range from −20° C. to 35° C., wherein the feedstock olefin comprises at least 75 wt. % trisubstituted dimers and less than 7.5 wt. % normal alpha olefins;
(4) removing at least a portion of the oligomer product from the trisubstituted dimers and the solid acid catalyst to form a tetramer composition comprising olefin tetramers; and
(5) hydrogenating the tetramer composition to form the polyalphaolefin;
wherein the polyalphaolefin has a kinematic viscosity at −40° C. in a range from 4,500 to 9,500 cSt; and
wherein the solid acid catalyst comprises a functionalized styrene-divinylbenzene polymer, a 4-vinylpyridine divinylbenzene polymer, a tetrafluoroethylene polymer modified with perfluorovinyl ether groups terminated with sulfonate groups, or a combination thereof.

14. The process of claim 13 , wherein:
the chemically-treated solid oxide comprises a solid oxide treated with an electron withdrawing anion; and
the co-catalyst comprises an organoaluminum compound, an organozinc compound, an organomagnesium compound, an organolithium compound, or a combination thereof.

15. The process of claim 13 , wherein:
the monomer comprises a C 8 to C 12 normal alpha olefin;
the chemically-treated solid oxide comprises fluorided alumina, chlorided alumina, bromided alumina, sulfated alumina, fluorided silica-alumina, chlorided silica-alumina, bromided silica-alumina, sulfated silica-alumina, fluorided silica-zirconia, chlorided silica-zirconia, bromided silica-zirconia, sulfated silica-zirconia, fluorided silica-titania, fluorided silica-coated alumina, sulfated silica-coated alumina, phosphated silica-coated alumina, or any combination thereof; and
the co-catalyst comprises trimethylaluminum, triethylaluminum, tri-n-propylaluminum, tri-n-butylaluminum, triisobutylaluminum, tri-n-hexylaluminum, tri-n-octylaluminum, diisobutylaluminum hydride, diethylaluminum ethoxide, diethylaluminum chloride, or any combination thereof.

16. The process of claim 13 , wherein the oligomerization temperature is in a range from 15° C. to 35° C.

17. The process of claim 16 , wherein the monomer comprises a C 10 normal alpha olefin.

18. The process of claim 13 , wherein the polyalphaolefin comprises:
from 82 to 99 wt. % C 40 branched hydrocarbons; and
a maximum of 5 wt. %<C 40 hydrocarbons.

19. The process of claim 13 , wherein the polyalphaolefin has:
a kinematic viscosity at −40° C. in a range from 5,000 to 9,000 cSt;
a kinematic viscosity at 40° C. in a range from 25 to 50 cSt;
a kinematic viscosity at 100° C. in a range from 4 to 10 cSt;
a viscosity index in a range from 120 to 150;
a pour point in a range from −45 to −85° C.; or
any combination thereof.

Assignees

• Chevron Phillips Chemical Co Lp
• Chevron Phillips Chemical Company

Inventors

• Yang Hu
• Hope Kenneth D
• Gee Jeff C

Classifications

• B01J2231/20

  Olefin oligomerisation or telomerisation · CPC title

• C10G45/00

  Refining of hydrocarbon oils using hydrogen or hydrogen-generating compounds · CPC title

• C10M107/10

  containing aliphatic monomer having more than 4 carbon atoms · CPC title

• C10G50/00

  Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from lower carbon number hydrocarbons, e.g. by oligomerisation · CPC title

• B01J2531/48

  Zirconium · CPC title