Hydrocarbon processes isomerization

Olefin isomerization reactions range from some of the most facile using acid catalysts to moderately difficult and, as components of more complex reaction schemes such as catalytic cracking, may be among the most common reactions in hydrocarbon processing. As stand-alone reactions, they are primarily used to shift the equilibrium between terminal and internal olefins or the degree of branching of the olefin. While olefin isomerization was considered for the production of MTBE, today stand-alone olefin isomerization processes are only considered for a few special situations within a petrochemical complex. 

This requires sufficient energy inserted into the relevant bond vibration for the bond to break or for bonding locations to move. C-C and C-H bond energies in stable alkanes are greater than 80 kcal/molc, and these processes are very infrequent. As we wiU see later, hydrocarbon decomposition, isomerization, and oxidation reactions occur primarily by chain reactions initiated by bond breaking but are propagated by much faster abstraction reactions of molecules with parent molecules. 

The extensive literature on this process has been summarized by Gajewski JJ (1981) Hydrocarbon thermal isomerizations, Academic, New York, p 90... 

The following elementary processes are included unimolecular initiation, radical decomposition, radical addition to unsaturated hydrocarbons, radical isomerization, hydrogen abstraction, radical combination,... 

Butylenes are four-carbon monoolefins that are produced by various hydrocarbon processes, principally catalytic cracking at refineries and steam cracking at olefins plants. These processes yield isomeric mixtures of 1-butene, cis- and tra s-butene-2, and isobutylene. Derivatives of butylenes range from polygas chemicals and methyl t-butyl ether, where crude butylenes streams may be used, to polybutene-1 and LLDPE, which require high-purity 1-butene. In 1997, the estimated consumption of butylenes (in billions of pounds) was alkylation, 32.0 MTBE, 12.0 other, including polygas and fuel uses, 0.5. 

Zeolites are solid acid catalysts which are widely used in hydrocarbon processing, such as naphtha cracking, isomerization, dispropornation and alkylation. During reactions carbonaceous materials called coke deposit on the zeolite and reduces its activity and selectivity. Coke deposited not only covers the acid sites of the catalyst, but also blocks the pores, and restrain reactants from reaching the acid sites, leading to the decrease in the apparent reaction rate (1, 2). Here, we will mainly deal with the intracrystalline diffusivity of zeolites, and will discuss the relationship between it and the change in catalyst selectivity. 

The reduction proceeds selectively without the production of hydrocarbons and isomerization or hydrogenation of double bonds. Extensive safety measures are required due to the large quantity of metallic sodium used. The process was used until the 1950s to produce unsaturated fatty alcohols, especially oleyl alcohol from sperm oil. These alcohols can now be produced by selective catalytic hydrogenation processes using cheap raw materials, and the sodium reduction process is of interest only in special cases. 

Isomerization is a reaction in which a molecule is transformed into a molecule having the same molecular formula but a different structure, i.e., isomers. Industrially important isomerization reactions are rearrangements of the carbon skeleton of C4-C8 hydrocarbons, and isomerization among alkyl benzene isomers such as xylenes and ethylbenzene.Isomerization including heteroatoms, such as propylene oxide to ally alcohol and Beckmann rearrangement of cyclohexanone oxime to e-caprolactam, are also significant industrial processes. 

Hierarchical (or mesoporous) zeolites became the focus of the review by Christensen et al. [7]. The main reason behind the development of hierarchical zeolites is to achieve heterogeneous catalysts with an improved porous structure and thereby enhanced performance in alkylation of benzene with alkenes, alkylation, and acylation of other compounds, methanol conversion into hydrocarbons, aromatization processes, isomerization of paraffins, cracking of diverse substrates and raw materials (naphtha, aromatic compounds, hexadecane, vacuum gas oil, and some polymers), and hydrotreating. The reactions that are of interest from the point of view of fine chemicals synthesis occurring on hierarchical zeohtes include aldol condensation, esterification, acetalization, olefin epoxidation, and Beckmarm rearrangement. 

Methyl /-Butyl Ether. MTBE is produced by reaction of isobutene and methanol on acid ion-exchange resins. The supply of isobutene, obtained from hydrocarbon cracking units or by dehydration of tert-huty alcohol, is limited relative to that of methanol. The cost to produce MTBE from by-product isobutene has been estimated to be between 0.13 to 0.16/L ( 0.50—0.60/gal) (90). Direct production of isobutene by dehydrogenation of isobutane or isomerization of mixed butenes are expensive processes that have seen less commercial use in the United States. 

Catalysis. As of mid-1995, zeoHte-based catalysts are employed in catalytic cracking, hydrocracking, isomerization of paraffins and substituted aromatics, disproportionation and alkylation of aromatics, dewaxing of distillate fuels and lube basestocks, and in a process for converting methanol to hydrocarbons (54). 

An excess of crotonaldehyde or aUphatic, ahcyhc, and aromatic hydrocarbons and their derivatives is used as a solvent to produce compounds of molecular weights of 1000—5000 (25—28). After removal of unreacted components and solvent, the adduct referred to as polyester is decomposed in acidic media or by pyrolysis (29—36). Proper operation of acidic decomposition can give high yields of pure /n j ,/n7 j -2,4-hexadienoic acid, whereas the pyrolysis gives a mixture of isomers that must be converted to the pure trans,trans form. The thermal decomposition is carried out in the presence of alkaU or amine catalysts. A simultaneous codistillation of the sorbic acid as it forms and the component used as the solvent can simplify the process scheme. The catalyst remains in the reaction batch. Suitable solvents and entraining agents include most inert Hquids that bod at 200—300°C, eg, aUphatic hydrocarbons. When the polyester is spHt thermally at 170—180°C and the sorbic acid is distilled direcdy with the solvent, production and purification can be combined in a single step. The solvent can be reused after removal of the sorbic acid (34). The isomeric mixture can be converted to the thermodynamically more stable trans,trans form in the presence of iodine, alkaU, or sulfuric or hydrochloric acid (37,38). 

Isomerization is a small-volume but important refinery process. Like alkylation, it is acid catalyzed and intended to produce highly-branched hydrocarbon mixtures. The low octane C5/C6 fraction obtained from natural gasoline or from a light naphtha fraction may be isomerized to a high octane product. 

---