Production of alkylate from light alkanes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10414701-B2
Application number	US-201715839926-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2017
Priority date	Dec 14, 2016
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for forming alkylate from an isoparaffin-containing feed. Olefins for the alkylation reaction can be generated from a portion of the isoparaffin-containing feed. This can be achieved, for example, by using selective oxidation to convert a portion of isoparaffins into alcohol, such as conversion of isobutane to t-butyl alcohol. The alcohol can then be converted to an alkene, such as conversion of t-butyl alcohol to isobutene, in the alkylation reaction environment in the presence of a solid acid catalyst. The solid acid catalyst can then facilitate alkylation of isoparaffin using the in-situ formed alkenes. A catalyst having an MWW framework is an example of a suitable solid acid catalyst.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing alkylate, comprising:
exposing an isoparaffin-containing feed to oxidation conditions in the presence of oxygen to form an oxidation effluent comprising tertiary alcohol, water, methanol, acetone, and unreacted isoparaffins, at least 0.5 wt % of the isoparaffins in the isoparaffin-containing feed being converted under the oxidation conditions; and
directly exposing at least a portion of the oxidation effluent to a solid acid catalyst under alkylation conditions to form an alkylation effluent, the at least a portion of the oxidation effluent comprising a molar ratio of isoparaffin to tertiary alcohol of about 5:1 to about 200:1.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the isoparaffin-containing feed comprises at least 80 wt % C 4+ isoparaffins relative to a weight of the isoparaffin-containing feed.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the isoparaffin-containing feed comprises at least 80 wt % C 4 -C 6 isoparaffins relative to a weight of the isoparaffin-containing feed.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the isoparaffin-containing feed comprises at least 80 wt % isobutane relative to a weight of the isoparaffin-containing feed.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the oxidation effluent comprises a molar ratio of isoparaffin to tertiary alcohol of about 10:1 to about 100:1, or wherein the at least a portion of the oxidation effluent comprises at least 1.0 mol % t-butyl alcohol, or a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alkylation effluent comprises a naphtha boiling range portion having an octane rating, as determined by (RON+MON)/2, of at least 85.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the isoparaffin-containing feed comprises a recycled portion of the alkylation effluent.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid acid catalyst comprises a zeolite, a mixed metal oxide, a crystalline microporous material of the MWW framework topology, or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid acid catalyst comprises a crystalline microporous material of the MWW framework topology selected from the group consisting of MCM-22, PSH-3, SSZ-25, ERB-1, ITQ-1, ITQ-2, MCM-36, MCM-49, MCM-56, EMM-10, EMM-12, EMM-13, UZM-8, UZM-8HS, UZM-37, MIT-1, and mixtures thereof.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the MWW framework topology material contains up to 10% by weight of impurities of other framework structures.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid acid catalyst comprises a mixed metal oxide based on oxides of Fe/W/Zr, W/Zr, Ce/W/Zr, Cu/W/Zr, Mn/W/Zr, or a combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid acid catalyst further comprises an inorganic oxide binder.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the inorganic oxide binder comprises alumina, or wherein the inorganic oxide binder is substantially free of amorphous alumina.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the inorganic oxide binder comprises silica.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alkylation conditions comprise a temperature of at least about 130° C.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the alkylation effluent comprises a C 8 fraction comprising at least 50 wt % of 2,3,4, 2,3,3 and 2,2,4-trimethylpentane relative to a weight of the C 8 fraction.

Assignees

• Exxonmobil Res & Eng Co
• Exxonmoble Res And Engineering Company

Inventors

• Dakka Jihad M
• Cao Guang
• Hanks Patrick L
• Bielenberg James R
• Omilian Cynthia F
• Wittmann Jessica M

Classifications

• C10G69/126

  polymerisation, e.g. oligomerisation · CPC title

• C10G45/58

  to change the structural skeleton of some of the hydrocarbon content without cracking the other hydrocarbons present, e.g. lowering pour point; Selective hydrocracking of normal paraffins (C10G32/00 takes precedence; improving or increasing the octane number or aromatic content of naphtha C10G35/00) · CPC title

• C10G3/49

  containing crystalline aluminosilicates, e.g. molecular sieves · CPC title

• C07C2523/889

  Manganese, technetium or rhenium · CPC title

• C07C2523/34

  Manganese · CPC title