Oligomerization method using a reaction device comprising a dispersion means

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11207657-B2
Application number	US-201816629865-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2018
Priority date	Jul 10, 2017
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

The present invention relates to an oligomerization process using a reaction device comprising a dispersion means. In particular, the process relates to the oligomerization of ethylene to give linear α-olefins, such as 1-butene, 1-hexene or 1-octene, or a mixture of linear alpha-olefins.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gas/liquid oligomerization reaction device, comprising:
a reaction chamber i), of elongated shape along the vertical axis, comprising a liquid phase comprising products of the reaction, dissolved ethylene, a catalytic system and an optional solvent, and a gas phase located above said liquid phase, comprising unreacted ethylene and also non-condensable gases, and
a an ethylene introducer ii), located in the lateral lower part of said reaction chamber, employing an ethylene distributor within said liquid phase of the reaction chamber,
a catalytic system introducer iii), said catalytic system comprising a metal catalyst, and at least one activating agent, said catalytic system introducer located in the lower part of the reaction chamber,
a recirculation loop iv) comprising a device at the base of the reaction chamber withdrawing a liquid fraction toward a heat exchanger enabling the cooling of said liquid, and an introducer of resulting cooled liquid, introduction being carried out in gas phase at the top of the reaction chamber,
wherein
said introduction into gas headspace v) is carried out via a disperser of the liquid cooled in the recirculation loop iv) in the gas headspace of the reaction chamber.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the disperser of the cooled liquid fraction is a distributor network, a perforated plate or a perforated distributor, having an open fraction of between 0.5% and 40%.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the disperser of the cooled liquid fraction is a packing having a large surface area with respect to the volume thereof and also a small pressure drop.

4. An oligomerization process employing a device as claimed in claim 1 , said process is carried out at a pressure between 0.1 and 10 MPa, at a temperature between 30° C. and 200° C., comprising:
a) introducing the catalytic system comprising the metal catalyst and activating agent into the reaction chamber i), said catalytic system comprising a liquid phase and a gas phase,
b) bringing said catalytic system into contact with ethylene by introducing said ethylene into the lower part of the reaction chamber i),
c) withdrawing a liquid fraction,
d) cooling the liquid fraction drawn off in c) by passing said liquid fraction into a heat exchanger,
e) introducing the liquid fraction cooled in d) at the top of the reaction chamber i),
f) dispersing the liquid fraction introduced in e) in the gas phase in the upper part of the reaction chamber i),
wherein c) to e) constitute a recirculation loop.

5. The process as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the device comprises a reaction chamber comprising a liquid phase and a gas phase, a loop for recirculating a liquid fraction toward a heat exchanger and a disperser dispersing the liquid fraction within the gas phase of said reaction chamber.

6. The process as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the catalytic system introduced in a) comprises at least one metal catalyst based on nickel, titanium or chromium, at least one activating agent, optionally in the presence of at least one additive and optionally in the presence of at least one solvent.

7. The process as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the ethylene is introduced in b) at a flow rate between 1 and 250 t/h.

8. The process as claimed in claim 4 , wherein a stream of hydrogen gas is introduced in b) into the reaction chamber, with a flow rate representing 0.2 to 1% by weight of the flow rate of incoming ethylene.

9. The process as claimed in claim 4 , wherein d) makes it possible to reduce the temperature of the liquid fraction by 2° C. to 10° C.

10. The process as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the cooled liquid fraction is introduced in e) at a flow rate between 500 and 10 000 t/h.

11. The process as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the surface area of exchange with the gas headspace of the liquid fraction introduced in f) is increased between 1.1 and 500 times with respect to the free surface area of the liquid volume introduced without dispersion.

12. The process as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the dispersion f) is carried out by a perforated dispersion means.

13. The process as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the liquid fraction dispersed in f) is dispersed in the form of droplets with a diameter of between 1 and 5 mm.

14. The process as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the liquid fraction dispersed in f) is dispersed in the form of a thin film.

15. The process as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the perforated dispersion means is a perforated plate or a perforated distributor.

16. The device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the ratio of the surface area with respect to the volume is between 40 and 2500 m 2 /m 3 .

17. The process as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the thin film is less than 8 mm in thickness.

18. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the liquid phase consists of products of the reaction, dissolved ethylene, a catalytic system and an optional solvent.

Assignees

• Ifp Energies Now

Inventors

• Augier Frederic
• Vonner Alexandre
• Raynal Ludovic

Classifications

• B01J2219/00103

  in a heat exchanger separate from the reactor · CPC title

• C07C2/08

  Catalytic processes · CPC title

• B01J4/004

  Sparger-type elements · CPC title

• B01J19/1881 Primary

  externally, i.e. the mixture leaving the vessel and subsequently re-entering it · CPC title

• B01J4/001

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