Propylene oligomerization processes with enhanced olefinic yields

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12435014-B1
Application number	US-202519061498-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Feb 24, 2025
Priority date	Feb 24, 2025
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

In one embodiment the application pertains to a process which provides longer chain and less isomerized (more linear molecules). A propylene-derived olefin mixture is reacted under suitable conditions to form a mixture of oligomers in the presence of a catalyst comprising alkyl aluminum halide complex. A suitable alkyl aluminum halide complex comprises ethyl aluminum dichloride bis(2-chloroethyl) ether complex which may be used with a tert-butyl chloride or other initiator.

First claim

We claim:

1. A process comprising:
providing a propylene-derived olefin mixture to a reactor; and
reacting the propylene-derived olefin mixture under suitable conditions to form a mixture of oligomers in the presence of a catalyst comprising alkyl aluminum halide complex;
wherein the propylene-derived olefin mixture comprises propylene dimer, propylene trimer, propylene tetramer, or any mixture thereof and wherein at least about 60% by weight of the total amount of propylene dimer, propylene trimer, and propylene tetramer in the propylene-derived olefin mixture is reacted to form the mixture of oligomers and wherein the formed mixture of oligomers comprises propylene oligomers comprising at least 15 carbons atoms.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the propylene oligomers comprising at least 15 carbons atoms comprise propylene pentamers, propylene hexamers, propylene heptamers, propylene octamers, propylene nonamers, propylene decamers, or any mixture thereof.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the alkyl aluminum halide complex comprises a C 1 -C 8 alkyl group.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the alkyl aluminum halide complex comprises an alkyl aluminum dihalide-bis-haloalkyl ether complex.

5. The process of claim 4 wherein the alkyl aluminum dihalide-bis-haloalkyl ether complex comprises ethyl aluminum dichloride bis(2-chloroethyl) ether complex.

6. The process of claim 1 which further comprises employing an oligomerization initiator.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein the oligomerization initiator comprises t-butyl chloride.

8. The process of claim 1 wherein the suitable conditions comprise a catalyst concentration of at least about 0.005 M up to about 0.05 M based on aluminum concentration, the presence of an oligomerization initiator, and a temperature of at least about 0° C.

9. The process of claim 8 wherein the temperature is at least about 10° C. and the catalyst concentration is at least about 0.02 M based on aluminum concentration, and the oligomerization initiator is tert-butyl chloride.

10. A process comprising:
providing a propylene-derived olefin mixture to a reactor; and
reacting the propylene-derived olefin mixture under suitable conditions to form a mixture of oligomers in the presence of a catalyst comprising an ethyl aluminum dichloride bis(2-chloroethyl) ether complex and a tert-butyl chloride initiator;
wherein the propylene-derived olefin mixture comprises propylene dimer, propylene trimer, propylene tetramer, or any mixture thereof and wherein at least about 60% by weight of the total amount of propylene dimer, propylene trimer, and propylene tetramer in the propylene-derived olefin mixture is reacted to form the mixture of oligomers and wherein the formed mixture of oligomers comprises propylene oligomers comprising at least 15 carbons atoms; and
wherein the suitable conditions comprise a temperature of at least about 15° C. and a catalyst concentration of at least about 0.02 M based on aluminum concentration.

11. The process of claim 10 wherein the formed mixture of oligomers comprises propylene pentamers, propylene hexamers, propylene heptamers, propylene octamers, propylene nonamers, propylene decamers, or any mixture thereof.

12. The process of claim 10 wherein at least about 65% by weight of the total amount of propylene dimer, propylene trimer, and propylene tetramer in the propylene-derived olefin mixture is reacted to form the mixture of oligomers.

Assignees

• Chevron Usa Inc

Inventors

• Mironov Oleg A
• Hommeltoft Sven Ivar

Classifications

• C07C2531/14

  of aluminium or boron · CPC title

• C07C2/30 Primary

  containing metal-to-carbon bond; Metal hydrides · CPC title

• C07C2/58

  Catalytic processes · CPC title

• C07C2/56

  Addition to acyclic hydrocarbons · CPC title

• C07C2/60

  with halides · CPC title