CONVERSION OF LIGHT HYDROCARBONS TO ETHER RICH GASOLINES

• Main Authors: MOHSEN NADAMI HARANDI, HARTLEY OWEN, WERNER OTTO HAAG, WELDON KAY BELL
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 04.02.1993
• Subjects: ADDING MATERIALS TO FUELS OR FIRES TO REDUCE SMOKE ORUNDESIRABLE DEPOSITS OR TO FACILITATE SOOT REMOVAL; APPARATUS THEREFOR; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; FIRELIGHTERS; FUELS; FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; GENERAL METHODS OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS; LUBRICANTS; METALLURGY; MINERAL WAXES; NATURAL GAS; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; PEAT; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVEHYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION; RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, ORGASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BYSUBCLASSES C10G, C10K; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; TRANSPORTING

A process is disclosed for converting a light hydrocarbon feedstock that contains a mixture of linear and branched olefins to ether-rich high octane gasoline streams that include tertiary alkyl and isoalkyl ethers such as MTBE, TAME, methyl isopropyl ether (MIPE), and methyl sec-butylether (MSBE). The process involves initially etherifying the tertiary olefins with a lower alcohol in the presence of an ion exchange resin catalyst, and then etherifying the linear olefins in the presence of a zeolite catalyst, such as zeolite beta. The unreacted olefins from the etherification reactions are converted to gasoline boiling range hydrocarbons by oligomerization with a zeolite catalyst, such as ZSM-5.