Gasoline continued octane

Continuous reforming is characterized by high hydrogen yield and a high aromatic content in the gasoline the octane number can be as high as 105. 

All of the benzoic acid producers in the United States employ the Hquid-phase toluene air oxidation process. As toluene becomes more important in the gasoline pool as an octane booster, the benzoic acid producers have to compete with gasoline marketers for the available toluene. If the attractiveness of toluene as an octane booster continues, the cost of producing benzoic acid will most likely increase. 

The use of acidic chloroaluminates as alternative liquid acid catalysts for the allcy-lation of light olefins with isobutane, for the production of high octane number gasoline blending components, is also a challenge. This reaction has been performed in a continuous flow pilot plant operation at IFP [44] in a reactor vessel similar to that used for dimerization. The feed, a mixture of olefin and isobutane, is pumped continuously into the well stirred reactor containing the ionic liquid catalyst. In the case of ethene, which is less reactive than butene, [pyridinium]Cl/AlCl3 (1 2 molar ratio) ionic liquid proved to be the best candidate (Table 5.3-4). 

Both alkylate and ether have excellent properties as gasoline blending components. They have a low RVP, a high road octane, no aromatics, and virtually zero sulfur. The emphasis on alkylation and etherification will continue in both the U.S. and the rest of the world. 

Hon (Informing A continuous catalytic reforming process for producing aromatic concentrates and high-octane gasoline. It used a fixed bed of a platinum catalyst. Developed in the 1950s by the Houdiy Process Corporation. 

A more desirable strategy is to prepare catalysts that will aromatize the gasoline without yield loss. Aromatization is thermodynamically favorable under FCC conditions of temperature (- SOO C) and pressure ( 2 atm). Blending studies show that the increase in research octane is about proportional to the amount of added aromatics. Figure 4. However, motor octane does not respond to initial increases in aromatic content in the blend but rises more sharply as aromatic content continues to increase. 

When World War II ended, the demand for aviation alkylate dropped, and refiners had excess alkylate which they started using in motor gasoline. About half of the alkylation units were soon shut down, and some of the units were dismantled because the octane levels of motor gasoline were not high enough to justify the continued use of this relatively expensive process (6). 

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