Fouling protection for an oligomerization reactor inlet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10493422-B2
Application number	US-201916262164-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2019
Priority date	Jun 6, 2017
Publication date	Dec 3, 2019
Grant date	Dec 3, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems and processes which prevent fouling of a reactor inlet of an oligomerization reactor. The systems and processes involve placement of an inlet sleeve around at least a portion of a reactor inlet such that a curtain of inert material flows through an annular space coaxially with respect to an outer surface of the end of the reactor inlet and into the reactor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process for introducing reactants into an oligomerization reactor inlet, the process comprising:
flowing ethylene into an oligomerization reactor via the oligomerization reactor inlet such that the ethylene is introduced to an interior of the oligomerization reactor via an end of the oligomerization reactor inlet; and
flowing a saturated hydrocarbon into the oligomerization reactor coaxially with respect to an outer surface of the end of the oligomerization reactor inlet; and

wherein the saturated hydrocarbon flows coaxially with respect to the outer surface of the end of the oligomerization reactor inlet via an annular space formed between an inner surface of an inlet sleeve and the outer surface of the oligomerization reactor inlet.

2. The process of claim 1 , further comprising feeding a catalyst system to the oligomerization reactor via a catalyst inlet or via the oligomerization reactor inlet, the catalyst system comprising
1) a chromium component comprising a chromium compound, a heteroatomic ligand, and an aluminoxane; or
2) a chromium component comprising a heteroatomic ligand chromium compound complex, and an aluminoxane.

3. The process of claim 1 , further comprising feeding a catalyst system to the oligomerization reactor via a catalyst inlet or via the oligomerization reactor inlet, the catalyst system comprising:
1) i) a chromium component comprising an N 2 -phosphinyl formamidine chromium compound complex, an N 2 -phosphinyl amidine chromium compound complex, an N 2 -phosphinyl guanidine chromium compound complex, or any combination thereof, and
ii) an aluminoxane;

2) i) a chromium component comprising a chromium compound having the formula CrX p ,
ii) a heteroatomic ligand having the formula
(R 1s ) m X 1s (L 1s )X 2s (R 2s ) n or

and
iii) an aluminoxane; or

3) i) a chromium component comprising a heteroatomic ligand chromium compound complex having the formula

and
ii) an aluminoxane;

wherein each X 1s and each X 2s is independently selected from the group consisting of N, P, O, and S,
wherein each L 1s is an independent linking group between the respective X 1s s and X 2s s and independently are an organylene group, an amin-di-yl group, or a phosphin-di-yl group,
wherein each R 1s and each R 2s are independently hydrogen, an organyl group or a heterohydrocarbyl group, where when there are two or more R 1s s and/or two R 2s s, each R 1s can be the same or different and/or each R 2s can be the same or different,
wherein each m and each n are independently 1 or 2, and
wherein X represents a monoanionic ligand selected from a halide, a carboxylate, a β-diketonate, a hydrocarboxide, a nitrate, or a chlorate, and p can be from 2 to 4.

4. The process of claim 3 , wherein the catalyst system comprises
i) an N 2 -phosphinyl formamidine chromium compound complex having structure

an N 2 -phosphinyl amidine chromium compound complex having structure

an N 2 -phosphinyl guanidine chromium compound complex having the structure

and
wherein
R 1 is a C 1 to C 20 alkyl group, a C 1 to C 20 substituted alkyl group, a C 4 to C 20 cycloalkyl group, a C 4 to C 20 substituted cycloalkyl group, a C 6 to C 20 aryl group, a C 6 to C 20 substituted aryl group, a C 7 to C 20 aralkyl group, or a C 7 to C 20 substituted aralkyl group,
R 2 is a C 1 to C 20 alkyl group, a C 1 to C 20 substituted alkyl group, a C 4 to C 20 cycloalkyl group, a C 4 to C 20 substituted cycloalkyl group, a C 6 to C 20 aryl group, a C 6 to C 20 substituted aryl group, a C 7 to C 20 aralkyl group, or a C 7 to C 20 substituted aralkyl group,
R 2a and R 2b independently are C 1 to C 20 alkyl group, a C 1 to C 20 substituted alkyl group, a C 4 to C 20 cycloalkyl group, a C 4 to C 20 substituted cycloalkyl group, a C 6 to C 20 aryl group, a C 6 to C 20 substituted aryl group, a C 7 to C 20 aralkyl group, or a C 7 to C 20 substituted aralkyl group,
L 12 and L 23 independently are a C 2 to C 20 organylene group consisting of inert functional groups,
L 22 is a C 3 to C 20 organylene group consisting of inert functional groups,
R 3 is hydrogen, a C 1 to C 20 alkyl group, a phenyl group, or a C 6 to C 20 substituted phenyl group,
R 4 and R 5 are each independently a C 1 to C 20 alkyl group, a C 1 to C 20 substituted alkyl group, a C 4 to C 20 cycloalkyl group, a C 4 to C 20 substituted cycloalkyl group, a C 6 to C 20 aryl group, a C 6 to C 20 substituted aryl group, a C 7 to C 20 aralkyl group, or a C 7 to C 20 substituted aralkyl group,
CrX p represents the chromium salt where X is a C 1 to C 20 carboxylate, a C 1 to C 20 β-diketonate, or a halide, and p ranges from 2 to 3,
Q is a neutral ligand and each neutral ligand independently is a C 2 to C 20 nitrile or a C 2 to C 40 ether,
a ranges from 0 to 6, and
wherein each substituent independently can be a halide, a hydrocarbyl group, or a hydrocarboxy group, and
ii) an aluminoxane comprising methylaluminoxane, modified methylaluminoxane, ethylaluminoxane, n-propylaluminoxane, iso-propylaluminoxane, n-butylaluminoxane, sec-butylaluminoxane, iso-butylaluminoxane, t-butyl aluminoxane, 1-pentylaluminoxane, 2-pentylaluminoxane, 3-pentylaluminoxane, iso-pentylaluminoxane, neopentylaluminoxane, and mixtures thereof.

5. The process of claim 4 , wherein
R 1 is a phenyl group or a C 6 to C 10 substituted phenyl group,
R 2 is a C 6 to C 10 aryl group, a C 6 to C 10 substituted aryl group, a C 7 to C 10 aralkyl group, or a C 7 to C 10 substituted aralkyl group,
R 2a and R 2b independently are a C 1 to C 5 alkyl group, a C 4 to C 10 cycloalkyl group, a phenyl group, or a C 6 to C 10 substituted phenyl group,
L 12 and L 23 independently are C 2 to C 10 hydrocarbylene group,
L 22 is a C 4 to C 10 hydrocarbylene group,
R 3 is hydrogen,
R 4 and R 5 are each independently a C 1 to C 10 alkyl group, a C 4 to C 10 cycloalkyl group, a phenyl group, or a C 6 to C 20 substituted phenyl group.

6. The process of claim 3 , wherein the catalyst system comprises
1) i) a chromium component comprising a chromium compound having the formula CrX p ,
ii) a heteroatomic ligand having the formula R 1s S(L 1s )SR 2s , (R 1s ) 2 P(L 1s )P(R 2s ) 2 , or (R 1s ) 2 N(L 1s )N(R 2s ) 2 , and
iii) an aluminoxane; or

2) i) a chromium component comprising a heteroatomic ligand chromium compound complex having the formula

and
ii) an aluminoxane;

wherein L 1s has the -(L 3s )NR 5s (L 4s )-, -(L 3s )PR 5s (L 4s )-, —N(R 5s )—, or —P(R 5s )— where L 3s and L 4s independently are a C 1 to C 20 organylene group consisting of inert functional groups and R 5s is a C 1 to C 20 alkyl group, a substituted C 1 to C 20 alkyl group, a C 4 to C 20 cycloalkyl group, a substituted C 4 to C 20 cycloalkyl group, a C 6 to C 20 aryl group, a substituted C 6 to C 20 aryl group, a C 7 to C 20 aralkyl group, or a C 7 to C 20 substituted aralkyl group where each substituent of the substituted alk

Assignees

• Chevron Phillips Chemical Co Lp

Inventors

• Bischof Steven M
• Sydora Orson L
• Fern Jared T
• Kilgore Uriah J

Classifications

• B01J2219/00254

  Formation of unwanted polymer, such as "pop-corn" · CPC title

• B01J2219/00247

  Fouling of the reactor or the process equipment · CPC title

• B01J2219/00252

  Formation of deposits other than coke · CPC title

• B01J2208/00902

  Nozzle-type feeding elements · CPC title

• B01J4/001

  Feed or outlet devices as such, e.g. feeding tubes · CPC title