Manufacturing polymers of thiophene, benzothiophene, and their alkylated derivatives

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11248073-B2
Application number	US-202016865201-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2020
Priority date	Jun 4, 2012
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

The present invention relates to apparatuses and processes for manufacturing polymers of thiophene, benzothiophene, and their alkylated derivatives. A process for manufacturing polymers that includes isolating a sulfur-containing heterocyclic hydrocarbon from cracked naphtha and reacting the sulfur-containing heterocyclic hydrocarbon with a super acid to produce a polymer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for manufacturing polymers of sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds, the apparatus comprising:
a primary distillation column fluidly connected to an FCC unit, the primary distillation column adapted to isolate cracked naphtha from a reaction product gas stream of a fluid catalytic cracking unit:
a secondary distillation column fluidly connected to the primary distillation column, the secondary distillation column adapted to isolate a sulfur-containing heterocyclic compound from the cracked naphtha in one or more side-cut streams, wherein the side-cut streams are separated according to a boiling point of the sulfur-containing heterocyclic compound;
a solvent extraction tank fluidly connected to the secondary distillation column, the solvent extraction tank adapted to perform a solvent extraction using an aprotic solvent to further purify the sulfur-containing heterocyclic compound, wherein the aprotic solvent is acetonitrile or methylene chloride; and
a reactor fluidly connected to the solvent extraction tank, the reactor reacts the sulfur-containing heterocyclic compound with a super acid to produce a polymer of the sulfur-containing heterocyclic compound.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a tertiary distillation column adapted to further isolate the sulfur-containing heterocyclic compound from other compounds of the cracked naphtha.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a membrane separator adapted to further isolate the sulfur-containing heterocyclic compound as permeate from other compounds of the cracked naphtha, wherein the membrane separator permeates the sulfur-containing heterocyclic compound using a cross-linked fluorinated polyolefin membrane, a polyester-imide membrane, a polyuria membrane, or a urethane membrane.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the boiling point of one side-cut stream is in the range from 82° C. to 86° C. and the sulfur-containing heterocyclic compound comprises thiophene.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the boiling point of one side-cut stream is in the range from 218° C. to 224° C. and the sulfur-containing heterocyclic compound comprises benzothiophene.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the boiling point of one side-cut stream is in the range from 82° C. to 86° C. and the one side-cut stream comprises thiophene, and wherein the boiling point of a second side-cut stream is in the range from 218° C. to 224° C. and the second side-cut stream comprises benzothiophene.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Al-Malki Abdullah R

Classifications

• C08G61/126 Primary

  with a five-membered ring containing one sulfur atom in the ring · CPC title

• B01J2219/24

  Stationary reactors without moving elements inside · CPC title

• C08F128/06 Primary

  by a heterocyclic ring containing sulfur · CPC title

• C08G2261/3223

  containing one or more sulfur atoms as the only heteroatom, e.g. thiophene · CPC title

• C08G75/06

  from cyclic thioethers · CPC title