U.S. patent application number 14/228980 was filed with the patent office on 2014-07-31 for phosphonium-based ionic liquids.
This patent application is currently assigned to CYTEC INDUSTRIES INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is UOP LLC. Invention is credited to Alakananda Bhattacharyya, Susie C. Martins, Douglas A. Nafis.
Application Number | 20140213435 14/228980 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49774970 |
Filed Date | 2014-07-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140213435 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Martins; Susie C. ; et
al. |
July 31, 2014 |
PHOSPHONIUM-BASED IONIC LIQUIDS
Abstract
Quaternary phosphonium haloaluminate compounds according to
Formula (I): ##STR00001## wherein R.sup.1-R.sup.3 are the same
alkyl group; R.sup.4 is different than R.sup.1-R.sup.3 and is
chosen from a C.sub.4-C.sub.12 alkyl; and X is a halogen, are
provided herein for use as an ionic liquid catalyst for reacting
olefins and isoparaffins to generate an alkylate.
Inventors: |
Martins; Susie C.; (Carol
Stream, IL) ; Nafis; Douglas A.; (Mount Prospect,
IL) ; Bhattacharyya; Alakananda; (Glen Ellyn,
IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
UOP LLC |
Des Plaines |
IL |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
CYTEC INDUSTRIES INC.
Woodland Park
NJ
|
Family ID: |
49774970 |
Appl. No.: |
14/228980 |
Filed: |
March 28, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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13796646 |
Mar 12, 2013 |
|
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|
14228980 |
|
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|
61664385 |
Jun 26, 2012 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
502/164 ;
568/9 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B01J 2231/44 20130101;
C10G 2400/02 20130101; C07C 2/56 20130101; C07C 2527/125 20130101;
C07C 2531/02 20130101; C10G 29/205 20130101; C07C 9/16 20130101;
C10G 2300/1092 20130101; C07C 2/60 20130101; B01J 31/0288 20130101;
B01J 31/0298 20130101; C10G 2300/1081 20130101; C07C 2/60
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
502/164 ;
568/9 |
International
Class: |
B01J 31/02 20060101
B01J031/02 |
Claims
1. A quaternary phosphonium haloaluminate compound according to
Formula (I): ##STR00002## wherein R.sup.1-R.sup.3 are the same
alkyl group; R.sup.4 is different than R.sup.1-R.sup.3 and is
chosen from a C.sub.4-C.sub.12 alkyl; and X is a halogen.
2. A compound according to Formula (I) of claim 1, wherein each of
R.sup.1-R.sup.3 is a C.sub.3-C.sub.6 alkyl.
3. A compound according to Formula (I) of claim 2, wherein each of
R.sup.1-R.sup.3 contain 4 carbon atoms.
4. A compound according to Formula (I) of claim 1, wherein R.sup.4
contains from 5 to 8 carbon atoms.
5. A compound according to Formula (I) of claim 4, wherein R.sup.4
is hexyl.
6. A compound according to Formula (I) of claim 1, wherein X is
selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, and I.
7. A compound according to Formula (I) of claim 6, wherein X is
Cl.
8. A compound according to Formula (I) of claim 1, wherein the
quaternary phosphonium haloaluminate is selected from the group
consisting of tripropylhexylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7;
tributylpentylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7;
tributylhexylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7;
tributylheptylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7;
tributyloctylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7;
tributylnonylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7;
tributyldecylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7;
tributylundecylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7; and
tributyldodecylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7, wherein X is selected
from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, and I.
9. A compound according to Formula (I) of claim 8, wherein the
quaternary phosphonium haloaluminate is
tributylhexylphosphonium--Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7.
10. A compound according to Formula (I) of claim 8, wherein the
quaternary phosphonium haloaluminate is
tri-n-butyl-hexylphosphonium--Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7.
11. An ionic liquid catalyst for reacting olefins and isoparaffins
to generate an alkylate, said catalyst comprising a quaternary
phosphonium haloaluminate compound as defined in claim 1.
12. An ionic liquid catalyst according to claim 11, wherein the
catalyst has an initial kinematic viscosity of at least 50 cSt at a
temperature of 20.degree. C.
13. An ionic liquid catalyst according to claim 11, wherein the
catalyst has an initial kinematic viscosity of at least 20 cSt at a
temperature of 50.degree. C.
14. An ionic liquid catalyst according to claim 11, wherein the
boiling point at atmospheric pressure of HR4 of the phosphonium
haloaluminate compound is at least 30.degree. C. greater than the
boiling point at atmospheric pressure of HR1.
15. An ionic liquid catalyst according to claim 11 further
comprising a co-catalyst, wherein said ionic liquid catalyst is
coupled with the co-catalyst.
16. An ionic liquid catalyst according to claim 15, wherein the
co-catalyst is a Bronsted acid selected from the group consisting
of HCl, HBr, HI, and mixtures thereof.
17. An ionic liquid catalyst according to claim 16, wherein said
Bronsted acid co-catalyst is HCl.
18. An ionic liquid catalyst according to claim 11, wherein the
quaternary phosphonium haloaluminate is selected from the group
consisting of tripropylhexylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7;
tributylpentylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7;
tributylhexylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7;
tributylheptylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7;
tributyloctylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7;
tributylnonylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7;
tributyldecylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7;
tributylundecylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7; and
tributyldodecylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7, wherein X is selected
from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, and I.
19. An ionic liquid catalyst according to claim 18, wherein the
quaternary phosphonium haloaluminate is
tributylhexylphosphonium--Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7.
20. An ionic liquid catalyst according to claim 18, wherein the
quaternary phosphonium haloaluminate is
tri-n-butyl-hexylphosphonium--Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser.
No. 13/796,646 filed Mar. 12, 2013, which claims the benefit of
U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/664,385 filed on Jun. 26, 2012,
each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
This application is also related to co-pending U.S. application
Ser. No. 13/796,776 filed Mar. 12, 2013; co-pending U.S.
application Ser. No. 13/796,814 filed Mar. 12, 2013; and co-pending
U.S. application Ser. No. 14/136,660 filed Dec. 20, 2013.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to processes for the alkylation of
paraffins. In particular, the use of ionic liquids for
olefin-paraffin alkylation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The alkylation of paraffins with olefins for the production
of alkylate for gasolines can use a variety of catalysts. The
choice of catalyst depends on the end product a producer desires.
Ionic liquids are catalysts that can be used in a variety of
catalytic reactions, including the alkylation of paraffins with
olefins. Ionic liquids are primarily mixtures of salts which melt
below room temperature, and will form liquid compositions at
temperature below the individual melting points of the
constituents.
[0004] Ionic liquids are essentially salts in a liquid state, and
are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,764,440, 5,104,840 and 5,824,832.
The properties vary extensively for different ionic liquids, and
the use of ionic liquids depends on the properties of a given ionic
liquid. Depending on the organic cation of the ionic liquid and the
anion, the ionic liquid can have very different properties. The
behavior varies considerably for different temperature ranges, and
it is preferred to find ionic liquids that do not require operation
under more extreme conditions such as refrigeration.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention comprises a process for the alkylation
of a paraffin with olefins. The paraffins comprise a stream of
paraffins and isoparaffins having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms, with a
preferred stream comprising isoparaffins having from 4 to 8 carbon
atoms. The olefin stream comprises olefins having from 2 to 10
carbon atoms with a preferred stream comprising olefins having from
3 to 8 carbon atoms. The process includes passing the paraffins and
olefins to an alkylation reactor operated at reaction conditions to
generate an alkylate.
[0006] The alkylation reactor includes an ionic liquid catalyst
that is a quaternary phosphonium haloaluminate. The ionic liquid
comprises the structure of
PR.sup.1R.sup.2R.sup.3R.sup.4--Al.sub.2X.sub.7 with P being the
phosphonium group and R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 being
alkyl groups appended to the phosphonium group. The alkyl groups
R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are the same alkyl group, and R.sup.4
is an alkyl group having a greater number of carbon atoms. The
alkyl group that comprises R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 has from 1
to 8 carbon atoms, and the alkyl group that comprises R.sup.4 has
from 4 to 12 carbon atoms. The anionic part of the ionic liquid
comprises Al.sub.2X.sub.7, where X represents a halide from the
group F, Cl, Br, or I.
[0007] In one embodiment, the alkyl groups for the present
invention include an R.sup.4 alkyl group having at least 1 more
carbon atom than the R.sup.1 group, with the R.sup.2 and R.sup.3
alkyl group being the same as the R.sup.1 group.
[0008] In another embodiment, the R.sup.1 and R.sup.4 groups are
chosen such that when the R.sup.1 and R.sup.4 groups are paraffins,
or HR.sup.1and HR.sup.4, then HR.sup.4 is selected based upon
having a boiling point at atmospheric pressure of at least
30.degree. C. greater than the boiling point of HR.sup.1.
[0009] Other objects, advantages and applications of the present
invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the
following detailed description and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 shows the effect of asymmetric side chain length on
alkylation performance of phosphonium-chloroaluminate ionic
liquids;
[0011] FIG. 2 shows the effect of symmetric side chain length on
alkylation performance of phosphonium-chloroaluminate ionic
liquids;
[0012] FIG. 3 shows a comparison of the alkylation performance of
phosphonium-based and nitrogen-based ionic liquids; and
[0013] FIG. 4 shows the effect of temperature on product
selectivity for P-based vs. N-based chloroaluminate ionic
liquids.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] Ionic liquids have been presented in the literature, and in
patents. Ionic liquids can be used for a variety of catalytic
reactions, and it is of particular interest to use ionic liquids in
alkylation reactions. Ionic liquids, as used hereinafter, refer to
the complex of mixtures where the ionic liquid comprises an organic
cation and an anionic compound where the anionic compound is
usually an inorganic anion. Although these catalysts can be very
active, with alkylation reactions it is required to run the
reactions at low temperatures, typically between -10.degree. C. to
0.degree. C., to maximize the alkylate quality. This requires
cooling the reactor and reactor feeds, and adds substantial cost in
the form of additional equipment and energy for using ionic liquids
in the alkylation process. The most common ionic liquid catalyst
precursors for the alkylation application include imidazolium, or
pyridinium-based, cations coupled with the chloroaluminate anion
(Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7.sup.-).
[0015] The anionic component of the ionic liquid generally
comprises a haloaluminate of the form Al.sub.xX.sub.3n+1, where n
is from 1 to 5. The most common halogen, Ha, is chlorine, or Cl.
The ionic liquid mixture can comprise a mix of the haloaluminates
where n is 1 or 2, and include small amount of the haloaluminates
with n equal to 3 or greater. When water enters the reaction,
whether brought in with a feed, or otherwise, there can be a shift,
where the haloaluminate forms a hydroxide complex, or instead of
Al.sub.nX.sub.3n+1, Al.sub.nX.sub.m(OH).sub.x is formed where
m+x=3n+1. An advantage of ionic liquids (IL) for use as a catalyst
is the tolerance for some moisture. While the moisture is not
desirable, catalysts tolerant to moisture provide an advantage. In
contrast, solid catalysts used in alkylation generally are rapidly
deactivated by the presence of water. Ionic liquids also present
some advantages over other liquid alkylation catalysts, such as
being less corrosive than catalysts like HF, and being
non-volatile.
[0016] It has been found that alkylation reactions using some
phosphonium based ionic liquids give high octane products when
carried out at temperatures above or near ambient temperature. This
provides for an operation that can substantially save on cost by
removing refrigeration equipment from the process. The present
invention provides a process for the alkylation of paraffins using
a phosphonium based ionic liquid. The process of the present
invention can be run at room temperature or above in an alkylation
reactor to generate an alkylate product stream with high octane.
The process includes passing a paraffin having from 2 to 10 carbon
atoms to an alkylation reactor, and in particular an isoparaffin
having from 4 to 10 carbon atoms to the alkylation reactor. An
olefin having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms is passed to the alkylation
reactor. The olefin and isoparaffin are reacted in the presence of
an ionic liquid catalyst and at reaction conditions to generate an
alkylate. The ionic liquid catalyst is a phosphonium based
haloaluminate ionic liquid coupled with a Bronsted acid co-catalyst
selected from the group consisting of HCl, HBr, HI and mixtures
thereof.
[0017] Ionic liquids found to work include phosphonium based ionic
liquids selected from the group consisting of trihexyl-tetradecyl
phosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7, tributyl-hexylphosphonium-Al.sub.2 X
.sub.7, tripropylhexylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7,
tributylmethylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7,
tributylpentylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7,
tributylheptylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7,
tributyloctylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7,
tributylnonylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7,
tributyldecylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7,
tributylundecylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7,
tributyldodecylphosphonium- Al.sub.2X.sub.7,
tributyltetradecylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7, and mixtures
thereof. X comprises a halogen ion selected from the group
consisting of F, Cl, Br, I, and mixtures thereof. A preferred ionic
liquid is tri-n-butyl-hexylphosphonium--Al.sub.2Ha.sub.7, where the
preferred halogen, X, is selected from Cl, Br, I and mixtures
thereof. Another preferred ionic liquid is
tributylpentylphosphonium--Al.sub.2X.sub.7, wherein X comprises a
halogen ion selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br, I and
mixtures thereof. Another preferred ionic liquid is
tributyloctylphosphonium Al.sub.2X.sub.7, wherein X comprises a
halogen ion selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br, I and
mixtures thereof. In particular, the most common halogen, X, used
is Cl.
[0018] The specific examples of ionic liquids in the present
invention use phosphonium based ionic liquids mixed with aluminum
chloride. The acidity needs to be controlled to provide for
suitable alkylation conditions. The ionic liquid is generally
prepared to a full acid strength with balancing through the
presence of a co-catalyst, such as a Bronsted acid. HCl or any
Bronsted acid may be employed as co-catalyst to enhance the
activity of the catalyst by boosting the overall acidity of the
ionic liquid-based catalyst.
[0019] The reaction conditions include a temperature greater than
0.degree. C. with a preferred temperature greater than 20.degree.
C. Ionic liquids can also solidify at moderately high temperatures,
and therefore it is preferred to have an ionic liquid that
maintains its liquid state through a reasonable temperature span. A
preferred reaction operating condition includes a temperature
greater than or equal to 20.degree. C. and less than or equal to
70.degree. C. A more preferred operating range includes a
temperature greater than or equal to 20.degree. C. and less than or
equal to 50.degree. C.
[0020] Due to the low solubility of hydrocarbons in ionic liquids,
olefins-isoparaffins alkylation, like most reactions in ionic
liquids is generally biphasic and takes place at the interface in
the liquid phase. The catalytic alkylation reaction is generally
carried out in a liquid hydrocarbon phase, in a batch system, a
semi-batch system or a continuous system using one reaction stage
as is usual for aliphatic alkylation. The isoparaffin and olefin
can be introduced separately or as a mixture. The molar ratio
between the isoparaffin and the olefin is in the range 1 to 100,
for example, advantageously in the range 2 to 50, preferably in the
range 2 to 20.
[0021] In a semi-batch system the isoparaffin is introduced first
then the olefin, or a mixture of isoparaffin and olefin. The
catalyst is measured in the reactor with respect to the amount of
olefins, with a catalyst to olefin weight ratio between 0.1 and 10,
and preferably between 0.2 and 5, and more preferably between 0.5
and 2. Vigorous stirring is desirable to ensure good contact
between the reactants and the catalyst. The reaction temperature
can be in the range 0.degree. C. to 100.degree. C., preferably in
the range 20.degree. C. to 70.degree. C. The pressure can be in the
range from atmospheric pressure to 8000 kPa, preferably sufficient
to keep the reactants in the liquid phase. Residence time of
reactants in the vessel is in the range of a few seconds to hours,
preferably 0.5 min to 60 min. The heat generated by the reaction
can be eliminated using any of the means known to the skilled
person. At the reactor outlet, the hydrocarbon phase is separated
from the ionic liquid phase by gravity settling based on density
differences, or by other separation techniques known to those
skilled in the art. Then the hydrocarbons are separated by
distillation and the starting isoparaffin which has not been
converted is recycled to the reactor.
[0022] Typical alkylation conditions may include a catalyst volume
in the reactor of from 1 vol % to 50 vol %, a temperature of from
0.degree. C. to 100.degree. C., a pressure of from 300 kPa to 2500
kPa, an isobutane to olefin molar ratio of from 2 to 20 and a
residence time of 5 min to 1 hour.
[0023] The paraffin used in the alkylation process preferably
comprises an isoparaffin having from 4 to 8 carbon atoms, and more
preferably having from 4 to 5 carbon atoms. The olefin used in the
alkylation process preferably has from 3 to 8 carbon atoms, and
more preferably from 3 to 5 carbon atoms. One of the objectives is
to upgrade low value C4 hydrocarbons to higher value alkylates. To
that extent, one specific embodiment is the alkylation of butanes
with butenes to generate C8 compounds. Preferred products include
trimethylpentane (TMP), and while other C8 isomers are produced,
one competing isomer is dimethylhexane (DMH). The quality of the
product stream can be measured in the ratio of TMP to DMH, with a
high ratio desired.
[0024] In another embodiment, the invention comprises passing an
isoparaffin and an olefin to an alkylation reactor, where the
alkylation reactor includes an ionic liquid catalyst to react the
olefin with the isoparaffin to generate an alkylate. The
isoparaffin can include paraffins, and has from 4 to 10 carbon
atoms, and the olefin has from 2 to 10 carbon atoms. The ionic
liquid catalyst comprises a phosphonium based ionic liquid which is
a quaternary phosphonium haloaluminate. The ionic liquid has a
structure of the form
PR.sup.1R.sup.2R.sup.3R.sup.4--Al.sub.2X.sub.7, where P refers to
the phosphonium part of the ionic liquid, R.sup.1, R.sup.2,
R.sup.3, and R.sup.4 are alkyl groups having between 4 and 12
carbon atoms, and X is a halogen from the group F, Cl, Br, I and
mixtures thereof
[0025] The structure further includes that the R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and
R.sup.3 alkyl groups are the same alkyl group, and the R.sup.4
comprises a different alkyl group, wherein the R4 group is larger
than the R.sup.1 group, and that HR.sup.4 has a boiling point of at
least 30.degree. C. greater than the boiling point of HR.sup.1, at
atmospheric pressure.
[0026] In one embodiment, R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 comprise an
alkyl group having from 3 to 6 carbon atoms, with a preferred
structure of R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 having 4 carbon atoms. In
this embodiment, the R.sup.4 group comprises an alkyl group having
between 5 and 8 carbon atoms, with a preferred structure of R.sup.4
having 6 carbon atoms. In this embodiment, the preferred quaternary
phosphonium halide complex is
tributylhexylphosphonium--Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7.
[0027] In another embodiment, the invention comprises passing an
isoparaffin and an olefin to an alkylation reactor, where the
alkylation reactor includes an ionic liquid catalyst to react the
olefin with the isoparaffin to generate an alkylate. The
isoparaffin can include paraffins, and has from 4 to 10 carbon
atoms, and the olefin has from 2 to 10 carbon atoms. The ionic
liquid catalyst comprises a phosphonium based ionic liquid which is
a quaternary phosphonium haloaluminate. The ionic liquid has a
structure of the form
PR.sup.1R.sup.2R.sup.3R.sup.4--Al.sub.2X.sub.7, where P refers to
the phosphonium part of the ionic liquid, and R.sup.1, R.sup.2,
R.sup.3, and R.sup.4 are alkyl groups having between 4 and 12
carbon atoms. The structure further includes that the R.sup.1,
R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 alkyl groups are the same alkyl group, and the
R.sup.4 comprises a different alkyl group, wherein the R.sup.4
group is larger than the R.sup.1 group, and that R.sup.4 has at
least 1 more carbon atoms than the R.sup.1 group.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
Preparation of Tributyldodecyl Phosphonium Chloroaluminate Ionic
Liquid
[0028] Tributyldodecyl phosphonium chloroaluminate is a room
temperature ionic liquid prepared by mixing anhydrous
tributyldodecyl phosphonium chloride with slow addition of 2 moles
of anhydrous aluminum chloride in an inert atmosphere. After
several hours of mixing, a pale yellow liquid is obtained. The
resulting acidic IL was used as the catalyst for the alkylation of
isobutane with 2-butenes.
Example 2
Alkylation of Isobutane with 2-Butene using
Tributyldodecylphosphonium--Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7 Ionic Liquid
Catalyst
[0029] Alkylation of isobutane with 2-butene was carried out in a
300 cc continuously stirred autoclave. 8 grams of
tributyldodecylphosphonium (TBDDP)--Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7 ionic liquid
and 80 grams of isobutane were charged into the autoclave in a
glovebox to avoid exposure to moisture. The autoclave was then
pressured to 500 psig using nitrogen. Stirring was started at 1900
rpm. 8 grams of olefin feed (2-butene feed to which 10% n-pentane
tracer was added) was then charged into the autoclave at an olefin
space velocity of 0.5 g olefin/g IL/hr until the target i/o molar
ratio of 10:1 was reached. Stirring was stopped and the ionic
liquid and hydrocarbon phases were allowed to settle for 30
seconds. (Actual separation was almost instantaneous). The
hydrocarbon phase was then analyzed by GC. For this example, the
autoclave temperature was maintained at 25.degree. C.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Alkylation with TBDDP-Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7 Ionic
Liquid catalyst Olefin Conversion, wt % 100.0 C.sub.5+ Yield, wt.
alkylate/wt olefin 2.25 C.sub.5+ Alkylate RON-C 95.7
C.sub.5-C.sub.7 Selectivity, wt % 15 C.sub.8 Selectivity, wt % 77
C.sub.9+ Selectivity, wt % 8 TMP/DMH 13.7
Examples 3-30
[0030] The procedures of Example 2 were repeated with a series of
different phosphonium chloroaluminate ionic liquid catalysts at
25.degree. C. (Table 2), 38.degree. C. (Table 3), and 50.degree. C.
(Table 4). Four imidazolium or pyridinium ionic liquids were
included to show the performance differences between P-based and
N-based ionic liquids. The ionic liquids were: A--Tributyldodecyl
phosphonium-Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7, B--Tributyldecyl
phosphonium-Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7, C--Tributyloctyl
phosphonium-Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7, D--Tributylhexyl
phosphonium-Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7 E--Tributylpentyl
phosphonium-Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7, F--Tributylmethyl
phosphonium-Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7, G--Tripropylhexyl
phosphonium-Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7, H--Butylmethyl
imidazolium-Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7 , I--Octylmethyl
imidazolium-Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7, J--Butyl pyridinium-Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7
, and K--Hexadecyl pyridinium-Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Experimental Runs at 25.degree. C. Example 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Ionic Liquid A B C D E F G H I J K IL Cation
TBDDP TBDP TBOP TBHP TBPP TBMP TPHP BMIM OMIM BPy HDPy
Butene-Conversion, wt % 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Isobutane/Olefin ratio, molar 10.3 9.5 10.6 10.4 11.1 10.3 9.6 9.1
11.2 11.2 10.4 IL/Olefin ratio, wt/wt 1.07 0.98 1.10 1.07 1.15 1.09
0.99 0.94 1.16 1.18 1.07 Temperature, .degree. C. 25 25 25 25 25 25
25 25 25 25 25 Pressure, psig 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500
500 500 C5+ Alkylate Yield, w/w olefin 2.25 2.08 2.13 2.13 2.20
2.00 2.18 2.01 2.08 2.10 2.17 C5+ Product Selectivity, wt % C5-C7
15 12 11 10 8 10 14 10 14 10 20 C8 77 80 82 84 87 85 78 83 79 84 69
C9+ 6 8 7 6 5 5 8 7 7 6 11 TMP/DMH 13.7 17.3 22.6 18.0 25.4 10.6
8.2 8.4 7.7 7.5 10.8 C5+ Alkylate RON-C 95.7 95.5 97.5 97.2 98.4
96.1 94.4 94.9 94.3 94.6 93.6
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Experimental Runs at 38.degree. C. Example
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Ionic Liquid A C D E F H J K IL Cation
TBDDP TBOP TBHP TBPP TBMP BMIM BPy HDPy Butene-Conversion, wt % 100
100 100 100 100 100 100 100 Isobutane/Olefin ratio, molar 8.8 9.0
10.4 10.1 10.5 8.8 11.7 11.8 IL/Olefin ratio, wt/wt 0.91 0.94 1.10
0.97 1.06 0.92 1.21 1.23 Temperature, .degree. C. 38 38 38 38 38 38
38 38 Pressure, psig 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 C5+ Alkylate
Yield, w/w olefin 2.20 2.14 2.07 2.06 2.03 2.18 2.10 2.18 C5+
Product Selectivity, wt % C5-C7 29 16 12 15 16 16 13 24 C8 61 76 81
74 75 76 87 64 C9+ 10 8 7 11 9 8 10 12 TMP/DMH 7.6 7.4 15.3 19.4
5.5 4.9 5.4 7.2 C5+ Alkylate RON-C 93.2 93.8 96.6 96.2 92.3 91.6
92.5 92.1
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Experimental Runs at 50.degree. C. Example
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Ionic Liquid A C D E F G H I J K IL
Cation TBDDP TBOP TBHP TBPP TBMP TPHP BMIM OMIM BPy HDPy
Butene-Conversion, wt % 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 99 100
Isobutane/Olefin ratio, molar 8.6 11.5 10.5 15.0 9.6 8.8 9.4 9.5
10.8 10.0 IL/Olefin ratio, wt/wt 0.9 1.06 1.09 1.55 1.01 0.91 0.97
0.98 1.11 1.04 Temperature, .degree. C. 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50
50 Pressure, psig 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 500 C5+
Alkylate Yield, w/w olefin 2.22 2.09 2.08 2.09 2.22 2.23 2.11 2.13
2.03 2.14 C5+ Product Selectivity, wt % C5-C7 25 21 16 15 25 28 22
43 18 26 C8 63 69 76 77 65 59 68 43 73 61 C9+ 12 10 8 8 11 13 10 14
9 13 TMP/DMH 5.0 4.8 8.5 7.0 3.5 3.5 3.1 1.3 3.8 4.5 C5+ Alkylate
RON-C 90.6 91.2 94.4 93.7 88.7 88.2 87.6 82.4 89.4 90.1
[0031] Based on screening this series of phosphonium-based
chloroaluminate ionic liquids, we have discovered a good candidate
capable of producing high octane alkylate even when run at
50.degree. C. As shown in FIG. 1, being able to design the ionic
liquid with an appropriate carbon chain length has an impact on the
product quality. FIG. 1 shows the optimized octane as a function of
temperature for different chloroaluminate ionic liquids. The figure
shows the results for TBMP--1 (tributylmethylphosphonium
chloroaluminate), TBPP--5 (tributylpentylphosphonium
chloroaluminate), TBHP--6 (tributylhexylphosphonium
chloroaluminate), TBOP--8 (tributyloctylphosphonium
chloroaluminate), TBDP--10 (tributyldecylphosphonium
chloroaluminate), and TBDDP--12 (tributyldodecylphosphonium
chloroaluminate). The optimum length of the asymmetric side-chain
(R.sup.4 in PR.sup.1R.sup.2R.sup.3R.sup.4--Al.sub.2Cl.sub.7, where
R.sup.1=R.sup.2=R.sup.3.noteq.R.sup.4) is in the 5 or 6 carbon
number range. Note that if there is not at least one asymmetric
side chain, the ionic liquid may crystallize and not remain a
liquid in the temperature range of interest. If the asymmetric
chain is too long, it may be subject to isomerization and cracking
FIG. 2 shows the drop in performance when the size of symmetric
side chain (R.sup.1=R.sup.2=R.sup.3) is reduced from C.sub.4 to
C.sub.3. FIG. 2 is a plot of the optimized octane as a function of
temperature for different chloroaluminate ionic liquids, showing
TPHP (tripropylhexylphosphonium chloroaluminate) and TBHP
(tributylhexylphosphonium chloroaluminate). Without being bound by
theory it appears that the butyl side chains provide for better
association and solubility with the isobutane and butene feed
components and that this may help to maintain a high local i/o at
the active site.
[0032] FIGS. 3 and 4 compare the performance of the better
phosphonium-chloroaluminate ionic liquids with several
nitrogen-based ionic liquids, including 1-butyl-3-methyl
imidazolium (BMIM) chloroaluminate and N-butyl pyridinium (BPy)
chloroaluminate, which have been widely used and reported in the
literature. FIG. 3 shows the optimized octane as a function of
temperature for the ionic liquids TBHP (tributylhexylphosphonium
chloroaluminate), TBPP (tributylpentylphosphonium chloroaluminate),
BPy (butyl pyridinium chloroaluminate), and BMIM
(butyl-methyl-imidazolium chloroaluminate). FIG. 4 shows the
difference in product selectivities for P-based versus N-based
chloroaluminate ionic liquids. The phosphonium-based ionic liquids
gave consistently better TMP to DMH ratios and better Research
Octane numbers than the nitrogen-based ionic liquids. Whereas the
alkylate RONC dropped off below 90 for the nitrogen-based ionic
liquids as the temperature was increased to 50.degree. C., the
phosphonium ionic liquids were still able to provide a Research
Octane Number of .about.95. This provides an economic advantage
when designing the alkylation unit in that expensive refrigeration
equipment is not needed, and/or the unit can be operated at lower
i/o ratio for a given product quality.
[0033] While the invention has been described with what are
presently considered the preferred embodiments, it is to be
understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed
embodiments, but it is intended to cover various modifications and
equivalent arrangements included within the scope of the appended
claims.
* * * * *