ButamerTM Process

Refining

The petroleum industry has witnessed a significant

shift to environmentally superior gasoline blending
components. Motor fuel alkylate is one blending
component that has seen a substantial increase in
demand because of its paraffinic, high octane, low
vapor pressure blending properties. Isobutane is a
primary feedstock for producing motor fuel alkylate.
The widely used Butamer process is a high-efficiency,
cost effective means of meeting the demands for the
production of isobutane by isomerizing normal
butane (nC4) to isobutane (iC4).
The Butamer process has reliably served as the
primary technology for isobutane production since
1959. A continuous development program aimed at
design, operating, and catalyst improvements has
kept this process a state-of-the-art technology.

Highactivity, chlorided-alumina catalysts, such as

I-12TM catalyst and I-120TM catalyst, are used in the
Butamer process. These catalysts are capable of
converting normal butane to isobutane with a close
approach to equilibrium. Volumetric selectivity to
iC4 exceeds 99%.
In almost all applications, unconverted normal
butane is recycled to extinction through the use of
a deisobutanizer column (DIB) or an isostripper
column associated with an alkylation unit.
UOPs innovative hydrogen-once-through (HOT)
Butamer process flow scheme (Figure 2) results in
substantial savings in capital equipment and utility
costs by eliminating the need for a product separator or recycle gas compressor.

Figure 2

Isobutane Equilibrium

Process description

Charge Heater

The Butamer process is a fixed-bed catalytic process

that uses high-activity chloride-promoted catalysts
to isomerize normal butane to isobutane. The reaction is equilibrium limited, and the production of
isobutane is favored by lower temperature (Figure 1).

Reactor
Gas to Scrubbing
and Fuel

Stabilizer
Dryer

Figure 1

n-Butane

Isobutane Equilibrium

iC4/Total C4, mol-%

Isobutane/Butanes, mol-%

100

Dryer

80

Isomerate
Makeup
Hydrogen

60
40
20
0
200
(93)

300
(149)

400
(204)
Temperature, F(C)

500
(260)

600
(316)

Typically, two reactors in series flow are used to

achieve high on-stream efficiency. The catalyst can
be replaced in one reactor while operation continues
in the other. The stabilizer separates the light gas
from the reactor effluent.
Because of the dry operating environment, Butamer
units use carbon steel construction, even though HCl
is present.

Refining

Background

Butamer Process

A Butamer unit can be integrated with an alkylation

unit (Figure 3). In this application, the Butamer unit
feed is a side-cut from an isostripper column, and
the stabilized isomerate is returned to the isostripper
column. Unconverted normal butane is recycled to
the Butamer unit, along with normal butane from
the fresh feed. Virtually complete conversion of
normal butane to isobutane can be achieved.

Figure 3

Alkylation process-Butamer
Process Integration

The best feeds for a Butamer unit contain the highest

practical normal butane content, and only small
amounts of isobutane, pentanes, and heavier material.
Natural gas liquids (NGL) from a UOP NGL recovery
unit can be processed in a Butamer unit. To provide
a feed that is rich in normal butane, streams with
large amounts of isobutane or pentanes should be
processed first through an isostripper or DIB column.

Process performance
The stabilized isomerate is a near-equilibrium mixture
of isobutane and normal butane with small amounts
of heavier material. The light-ends yield from cracking
is less than 1 wt-% of the butane feed.

LPG

Isostripper

iC 4

Feed stocks

Isomerate
Light Ends
Olefin
Feed

Alkylation
Reactor
Section

nC 4

Butamer
Unit
H2

Saturated Butanes

Alkylate

Experience
More than 70 Butamer units have been commissioned, and additional units are in design or
construction. Butamer unit feed capacities range
from 800 to more than 35,000 BPSD (74 to 3,250 T/D).

For more information

Butamer technological services are available on
request. For more information, contact your local
UOP representative or our Des Plaines sales office:
e-mail: info@uop.com
fax:
+1-847-391-2253
phone: +1-847-391-2000

UOP LLC
25 East Algonquin Road
Des Plaines, IL 60017-5017
U.S.A.
www.uop.com

2007 UOP LLC. All rights reserved.

The information in this document should not be construed as a representation for
which UOP assumes legal responsibility, or an authorization or recommendation
to practice a patented invention without a license.
UOP 4523-4 0407R0X