Processes for dimerizing or isomerizing olefins

PATENT
Processes for dimerizing or isomerizing olefins
Patent number: 7902415
Issue date: Mar 8, 2011
Application number: 11/963,252
Inventor: Brooke L. Small
Original Assignee: Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
A process for dimerizing alpha olefins comprising contacting (i) an alpha olefin having at least 3 carbon atoms, (ii) a hexadentate bimetallic catalyst, and (iii) a cocatalyst, and dimerizing the alpha olefin in a reaction zone at conditions effective to dimerize an alpha olefin to form a reaction zone effluent comprising alpha olefin oligomers including alpha olefin dimers. A process for dimerizing olefins comprising contacting (i) an alpha olefin having at least 3 carbon atoms, (ii) a hexadentate bimetallic complex comprising a cobalt compound, and (iii) a cocatalyst, and dimerizing the alpha olefin in a reaction zone at conditions effective to dimerize an alpha olefin to form a reaction zone effluent comprising oligomers including dimmers, wherein greater than 20 weight percent of the alpha olefin has been converted to oligomers, greater than 30 weight percent of the oligomers are dimers, and greater than 85 mole percent of the dimers are linear.
TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to catalysts and catalyst systems for producing olefin dimers or for isomerizing olefins.

BACKGROUND

Olefins are important items of commerce. Their many applications include employment as intermediates in the 25 manufacture of detergents, as more environmentally friendly replacements where refined oils might otherwise be used, as monomers, and as intermediates for many other types of products.

The dimerization and/or the isomerization of olefins by 30 transition metal complexes represents an important class of industrially relevant chemistry. The major types of commercially used catalysts for these reactions are alkylaluminum compounds, certain nickel-phosphine complexes, and a titanium halide with a Lewis acid such as diethylaluminum chlo- 35 ride (DEAC). Thus, it would be desirable to develop other catalyst systems and methods of using same for the production of linear dimers and/or the isomers of olefins.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 40

Disclosed herein is a process for dimerizing alpha olefins comprising contacting (i) an alpha olefin having at least 3 carbon atoms, (ii) a hexadentate bimetallic catalyst, and (iii) a cocataly st, and dimerizing the alpha olefin in a reaction zone 45 at conditions effective to dimerize an alpha olefin to form a reaction zone effluent comprising alpha olefin oligomers including alpha olefin dimers.

Also disclosed herein is a process for dimerizing olefins comprising contacting (i) an alpha olefin having at least 3 50 carbon atoms, (ii) a hexadentate bimetallic complex comprising a cobalt compound, and (iii) a cocatalyst, and dimerizing the alpha olefin in a reaction zone at conditions effective to dimerize an alpha olefin to form a reaction zone effluent comprising oligomers including dimmers, wherein greater 55 than 20 weight percent of the alpha olefin has been converted to oligomers, greater than 30 weight percent of the oligomers are dimers, and greater than 85 mole percent of the dimers are linear.

Further disclosed herein is a process to isomerize alpha 60 olefins comprising contacting (i) an alpha olefin having at least 6 carbon atoms, (ii) a hexadentate bimetallic complex comprising two cobalt compounds complexed to a hexadentate ligand, and (iii) a cocatalyst, and isomerizing the alpha olefin in a reaction zone at conditions effective to isomerize 65 the alpha olefin to form a reaction zone effluent comprising isomerized alpha olefins.
Free Full Text Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7902415?dq=olefins+petroleum+OR+hydrocarbon

Petroleum Science and Technology, Volume 29, Issue 24, 2011, pages 2601-2612
A New Downstream Process Design for a Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit to Raise Propylene Yield and Decrease Gasoline Olefin Content
X. Li^ab, G. Li^a, Z. Xu^c & H. Sui^ab
Abstract
Authors determined that the root cause of high gasoline olefin content and low propylene yield was low C₅ and C₆ olefin content of crude light gasoline.
Their findings were based on the paraffins, olefins, naphthenes, aromatics (PONA) composition of crude light gasoline, crude heavy gasoline, stabilized gasoline, and wet gas of a pilot plant fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit, They presented a new design for the main fractionater and absorber–stripper–stabilizer to obtain stabilized light gasoline that contains more C₅ and C₆ olefins recracked in the secondary riser. Industrial studies on the revamped unit revealed a dramatic decrease in gasoline olefin content. At the same time, octane number (RON) was preserved.
Full Text Source (Subscription or Fee): http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10916466.2010.521786