Ionic liquid reactor with heat exchanger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016167012-A1
Application number	US-201514755446-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 30, 2015
Priority date	Dec 12, 2014
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An ionic liquid reactor unit and a process for controlling heat generation from an ionic liquid reactor unit. The ionic liquid reactor unit may include an external heat exchanger. The effluent from the reactor is separated in a separation zone allowing the hydrocarbon phase to transfer heat to a cooling fluid. The heat exchanger may be a tube-in-shell, a spiral plate heat exchanger, a hair pin heat exchanger. The heat exchanger accommodates the separation of the ionic liquid from the hydrocarbon phase, and may allow for the ion liquid to be drained.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An ionic liquid catalyst reactor unit comprising:
a first reaction zone having an inlet for ionic liquid, an inlet for a hydrocarbon stream, and an outlet for an effluent stream; a separation zone configured to receive the effluent stream and separate the effluent stream into a hydrocarbon phase and an ionic liquid phase; and, a first heat exchange zone configured to receive at least a portion of the effluent stream from the first reaction zone and comprising: an outlet for a cooled effluent stream, and an outlet for ionic liquid.

2 . The ionic liquid catalyst reactor unit of claim 1 wherein the first heat exchange zone comprises a heat exchanger with a shell and wherein the separation zone is disposed within the shell.

3 . The ionic liquid catalyst reactor unit of claim 2 wherein the shell includes an inlet for the effluent stream disposed below the outlet for the cooled effluent stream.

4 . The ionic liquid catalyst reactor unit of claim 1 , wherein the first heat exchange zone comprises a heat exchanger comprising a shell and at least one baffle in the shell.

5 . The ionic liquid catalyst reactor unit of claim 4 wherein the at least one baffle comprises a baffle selected from the group consisting of: a helical baffle; a rod baffle; a grid baffle; an expanded metal baffle; and, a segmental baffle.

6 . The ionic liquid catalyst reactor unit of claim 4 wherein the heat exchanger is configured to receive the effluent stream in a direction countercurrent to a direction of cooling fluid through the heat exchanger.

7 . The ionic liquid catalyst reactor unit of claim 1 , wherein the first heat exchange zone comprises a spiral plate heat exchanger having a first flow path configured to receive the effluent stream and a second flow path configured to receive a cooling fluid.

8 . The ionic liquid catalyst reactor unit of claim 7 , wherein the spiral plate heat exchanger comprises a collection pan and at least one flow path includes one or more openings to allow ionic liquid to drain from the at least one flow path to the collection pan.

9 . The ionic liquid catalyst reactor unit of claim 1 wherein the first heat exchange zone comprises at least one hair pin heat exchanger.

10 . The ionic liquid catalyst reactor unit of claim 9 wherein the at least one hair pin heat exchanger includes a boot configured to allow ionic liquid to be drained from the at least one hair pin heat exchanger.

11 . The ionic liquid catalyst reactor unit of claim 1 wherein first heat exchange zone comprises at least one tube-in-shell heat exchanger having a horizontal orientation and comprising tubes inside of a shell with an inlet for an effluent stream on a top of the shell, and an outlet for a cooled effluent stream on a bottom of the shell.

12 . The ionic liquid catalyst reactor unit of claim 11 wherein the shell further comprises a boot configured to allow ionic liquid to be drained from the at least one tube-in-shell heat exchanger.

13 . The ionic liquid catalyst reactor unit of claim 11 wherein the at least one tube-in-shell heat exchanger further comprises at least one grid baffle disposed within the shell.

14 . The ionic liquid catalyst reactor unit of claim 1 further comprising:
a second reaction zone having an inlet for ionic liquid, an inlet for a hydrocarbon stream, and an outlet for an effluent stream;
a second heat exchange zone configured to receive at least a portion of the effluent stream from the second reaction zone and comprising an outlet for a cooled effluent stream and an outlet for ionic liquid, and
wherein the first heat exchange zone is disposed between the first reaction zone and the second reaction.

15 . The ionic liquid catalyst reactor unit of claim 1 further comprising:
a plurality of reaction zone each having an inlet for ionic liquid, an inlet for a hydrocarbon stream, and an outlet for an effluent stream, the reaction zones arranged in series; and,
a plurality of heat exchange zones, at least one heat exchange zone being disposed between successive reaction zones.

16 . A process for controlling the temperature of a reaction performed in the presence of an ionic liquid catalyst, the process comprising:
performing a reaction in the presence of an ionic liquid catalyst to form an effluent, wherein the reaction is performed in a reaction zone; removing heat from at least a portion of the effluent from the reaction zone in a heat exchange zone with a cooling fluid to provide a cooled effluent; and, separating the effluent in a separation zone into a hydrocarbon phase and an ionic liquid phase.

17 . The process of claim 16 further comprising:
separating ionic liquid from the effluent from the reaction zone within the heat exchange zone.

18 . The process of claim 17 further comprising:
passing the ionic liquid separated from the effluent in the heat exchange zone to a second reaction zone.

19 . The process of claim 18 further comprising:
performing a reaction in the presence of an ionic liquid catalyst to form a second effluent, wherein the reaction is performed in the second reaction zone; and,
passing the second effluent from the second reaction zone to a second heat exchange zone.

20 . The process of claim 17 further comprising:
separating ionic liquid from the second effluent in the second heat exchange zone; and,
removing heat from the second effluent from the second reaction zone in the second heat exchange zone with a cooling fluid to provide a second cooled effluent.

Assignees

• Uop Llc

Inventors

• Xu Zhanping
• Hagen James
• Victor Sanford A
• Daly Phillip F
• Detrick Kurt

Classifications

• B01J2219/24

  Stationary reactors without moving elements inside · CPC title

• B01J19/24 Primary

  Stationary reactors without moving elements inside (B01J19/08, B01J19/26 take precedence; with stationary particles B01J8/02) · CPC title

• B01J2219/00103

  in a heat exchanger separate from the reactor · CPC title

• B01J19/006 Primary

  Baffles · CPC title

• B01J19/245

  placed in series · CPC title