Lubricants from mixed alpha-olefin feeds

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9593288-B2
Application number	US-201414546654-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2014
Priority date	Jul 19, 2005
Publication date	Mar 14, 2017
Grant date	Mar 14, 2017

Abstract

This invention discloses an improved process which employs mixed alpha-olefins as feed over activated metallocene catalyst systems to provide essentially random liquid polymers particularly useful in lubricant components or as functional fluids.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process comprising contacting a metallocene compound, an activator, optionally a co-activator, and a feed having an average carbon number of at least 4.1 and comprising at least two different alpha-olefin monomers selected from C 3 to C 30 alpha-olefins under conditions suitable to obtain an essentially random liquid polymer comprising said at least two feed alpha-olefins, with the proviso that any one of ethylene and propylene, if present in said feed, is present in the amount of less than 50 wt % individually, and hydrogen, if present in the reaction atmosphere, has a partial pressure of less than 5 psi, wherein said random liquid polymer is characterized by a χ value (degree of randomness) ranging from 0.7 to 1.4, wherein said metallocene compound is characterized by the formula 1:

wherein M is selected from Zr, Hf, Ti; each X is independently selected from the group consisting of halide and hydrogen, branched or unbranched C 1 to C 20 hydrocarbyls, L 1 and L 2 are independently selected from tetrahydroindenyl, fluorenyl, and their alkyl substituted analogs, and A can be present or absent and when present is selected from R 1 R 2 Si, R 1 R 2 C, (R 1 R 2 C) 2 , (R 1 R 2 Si) 2 ; wherein R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from hydrogen, branched or unbranched C 1 to C 20 hydrocarbyl radicals, phenyl, and substituted phenyl, and when A is bridged, the catalyst represented can be racemic or meso form.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein said at least two different alpha-olefin monomers are selected from the group consisting of linear alpha-olefins, alpha-olefins characterized by alkyl or aryl substitution at least two carbons away from the double bond, and mixtures thereof.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein said at least two different alpha-olefins are selected from the group consisting of C 4 -C 8 linear alpha-olefins, C 12 -C 24 linear alpha-olefins, 4-methyl-1-pentene, 5-methyl-1-hexene, 4-ethyl-1-hexene, 4-phenyl-1-pentene, and 5-phenyl-1-pentene.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein said at least two different alpha-olefins are provided directly, without separation of individual alpha-olefins, from an alpha-olefin-producing process selected from an ethylene growth process, an olefin metathesis process, a wax-cracking process, a syn gas synthesis process, and mixtures thereof.

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the composition of said random liquid polymer is characterized by an incorporation of each alpha-olefin monomer within said product of within at least 20 wt % of the distribution of said alpha-olefin monomer within said feed.

6. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the composition of the random liquid polymer is characterized by the ratio of the incorporated monomer mole % to the feed monomer mole % ranging from 0.5 to 5.

7. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said random liquid polymer is characterized by a stereo-arrangement of each monomer that is isotactic, atactic, syndiotactic or a combination of these tacticities.

8. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said activator is selected from among Lewis acid activators and ionic activators.

9. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said contacting further comprises contacting a promoter or co-activator selected from the group consisting of alkylaluminum compounds having the formula R 3 Al and alkylboron compounds having the formula R 3 B, where each R is independently selected from C 1 to C 20 alkyl group or H.

10. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said contacting further comprises contacting in the presence of H 2 .

11. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said contacting is further characterized by contacting in the absence of H 2 .

12. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said random liquid polymer is characterized by a bromine number of greater than 2 and said process further comprises contacting said product with hydrogen to obtain a second polymer product characterized by a bromine number of less than 2.

13. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said feed comprises at least two alpha-olefins selected from C 3 to C 24 alpha-olefins.

14. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said feed comprises at least two different alpha-olefins selected from C 4 to C 18 alpha-olefins.

15. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said feed comprises at least three different alpha-olefins.

16. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said feed comprises at least four different alpha-olefins.

17. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said feed comprises less than 80 wt % of alpha-olefins selected from C 8 to C 12 alpha-olefins, based on the combined weight of alpha-olefins in said feed.

18. The process according to claim 1 , wherein no alpha-olefin is present in said feed in an amount greater than 33 wt %, based on the combined weight of alpha-olefins in said feed.

19. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the feed is selected from at least one alpha-olefin selected from 1-butene and 1-hexene and at least one alpha-olefin selected from C 12 -C 18 alpha-olefins, and wherein the combined amount of 1-decene and 1-octene is less than 40 wt %.

20. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said feed is characterized by an average carbon number of between 4.1 and 14.

21. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said feed is characterized by an average carbon number between 5.5 and 11 and further characterized by the presence of C 8 to C 12 alpha-olefins in the combined amount of less than 50 wt %, based on the combined weight of alpha-olefins in said feed.

22. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said feed is characterized by an average carbon number between 5.5 and 11 and further characterized by the presence of C 8 to C 12 alpha-olefins in the combined amount of less than 10 wt %, based on the combined weight of alpha-olefins in said feed.

23. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said feed is obtained and used for said contacting without separation or isolation of alpha-olefins from an ethylene growth process.

24. The process of claim 1 , wherein said product is further characterized by at least one of the parameters selected from: (a) M n =200-50,000; (b) M w =200-80,000; (c) MWD=1 to 5; (d) Pour Point less than 10° C.; (e) KV at 40° C. of 4 to 80,000 cSt; (f) KV at 100° C. of 1.5 to 5,000 cSt; (g) a Viscosity Index (VI) greater than or equal to 100.

25. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said product is further characterized by a Viscosity Index (VI) of at least 120.

26. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said feed comprises from 1 wt % to 95 wt % C4 to C8 alpha-olefins, based on the combined weight of alpha-olefins in said feed.

27. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said feed comprises from 5 wt % to 85 wt % C4 to C8 alpha-olefins, based on the combined weight of alpha-olefins in said feed.

28. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said feed comprises from 5 wt % to 85 wt % C 4 to C 8 alpha-olefins, 15 wt % to 95 wt % C 12 -C 18 alpha-olefins, and less than 80 wt % C 8 -C 10 alpha-olefins, based on the combined weight of alpha-olefins in said feed.

29. The process according to claim 1 , wherein said feed comprises from 5 wt

Assignees

• Exxonmobil Chemical Patents Inc

Inventors

• Wu Margaret M
• Yang Norman
• Surana Phil
• Patil Anura
• Rucker Steven P
• Qian Kuangnan
• Tirmizi Shakeel
• Hagemeister Mark P

Classifications

• C10N2030/02

  Pour-point; Viscosity index · CPC title

• C10N2020/04

  Molecular weight; Molecular weight distribution · CPC title

• C10N2020/02

  Viscosity; Viscosity index · CPC title

• C08F210/00

  Copolymers of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond · CPC title

• C08F4/65912

  in combination with an organoaluminium compound · CPC title