Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
UOP offers four alkylation routes, three direct and one indi-
rect route to alkylate.
UOP LLC
Des Plaines, Illinois, U.S.A.
Presented at:
Alkylate produced from light (C3-C5) olefins using the Alkylene solid catalyst alkylation
process now meets or exceeds alkylate quality from conventional liquid acid processes at
competitive operating and investment costs. The safety and convenience of using a solid
catalyst makes Alkylene a superior technology to liquid acid alkylation and an ideal choice for
revamping existing alkylation units. This paper includes a case study for the revamp of an
existing HF alkylation unit to an Alkylene unit to increase the safety of the operation. A second
case study evaluates a new grassroots Alkylene unit.
INTRODUCTION
Commercial alkylation technology has historically been limited to using either liquid
hydrofluoric or sulfuric acid as the reaction catalyst. These technologies have proven to be
reliable and economic choices for alkylate production for over 50 years. Even though liquid-
acid alkylation plant operations are among the safest of all refinery operations, the handling and
transportation of liquid acids has continued to come under increased scrutiny. So while the
importance of alkylate in the gasoline pool is growing, refiners are experiencing increasing
difficulty in adding alkylation capacity because of worldwide concern over the potential hazards
of liquid acids.
Alkylation is the reaction of isobutane with light olefins in the presence of an acid catalyst.
These reactions occur on a solid-acid surface using the same well known carbocation chemistry
used in liquid-acid processes. A general representation of the direct alkylation reaction
mechanism is shown in Figure 1. The initial C4 carbocation is formed by the protonation of a
light olefin on the solid catalyst surface. The second step, often referred to as isobutane
activation, is the reaction (alkylation) of an olefin with this C4 carbocation on the catalyst
surface forming a C8 carbocation. A subsequent hydride abstraction from another isobutane
molecule forms the C8 paraffin product. The cycle continues until all of the olefin is converted.
In liquid-acid alkylation processes, the key reaction steps are promoted by intimate contact of
the acid with hydrocarbon at an adequate isobutane-to-olefin (I/O) ratio.
The same process variables that control liquid acid alkylation also affect the Alkylene
process. These key process variables are depicted in Figure 1 and these are: reaction
temperature, I/O ratio, reactant contact time with the catalyst, and catalyst-to-olefin (C/O) ratio.
C4
Low Reaction Temperature High
=
Increasing C4
i-C4
C8 C8 Isomerized C8
TMP DMH
100 RON 60 RON
C4=
I/O
Ratio
i-C4
Decreasing
C12 - C20 C12 - C20 C5 C7
Cracked Products
90 RON 60-93 RON
Iso/Olefin Ratio - Higher I/O ratios result in higher product quality because the olefin
polymerization reactions are minimized by the higher isobutane concentration in the
second reaction step. The optimum I/O ratio is chosen by balancing improved product
quality against the higher capital and operating costs that result from increasing the I/O
ratio.
Contact time - The reactant contact time with the catalyst has a significant impact on
product quality because secondary isomerization and cracking reactions that degrade
alkylate product quality occur at longer contact times. Determining the optimum contact
time to maximize alkylate product quality is critical.
ALKYLENE DEVELOPMENT
An extensive catalyst and process development effort was required to create a new solid catalyst
alkylation technology that would be economically competitive with the existing liquid-acid
processes. Several years of research and development effort, involving many different catalyst
types and pilot plant tests, have culminated in the Alkylene catalyst and process. The
methodology used in this development effort has been discussed in detail elsewhere. (1)
Many different catalyst formulations encompassing a wide range of acid functions and acid
strengths were evaluated before identifying one that met the requirements for high activity and
regenerability. As expected for a low temperature reaction, hydrocarbon diffusion into and out
of the catalyst pores was a key issue for the Alkylene process. The HAL-100 Alkylene
catalyst was designed with sufficient acidity to promote the desired alkylation reactions, along
with the optimum particle size and pore size distribution to ensure good mass transfer. These
characteristics give the catalyst high activity to alkylate isobutane, yet allow the alkylate product
to be rapidly transported away from the catalytic sites
Catalyst reactivation is critical to the viability of any solid catalyst alkylation process.
Although many catalytic materials have shown promise as solid catalysts, most have lives
measured in hours or even minutes, and these materials cannot be easily reactivated. The
primary deactivation mechanism is the blockage of active sites on the catalyst surface by
unsaturated, high-molecular weight hydrocarbons. A unique and important aspect of the
Alkylene catalyst is the ease by which these heavy hydrocarbons are removed from the catalyst
surface. Reactivation of this catalyst can be accomplished by contacting it with either hydrogen
or hydrogen-saturated
110
100
Conversion
90
80
70
60
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000
Regeneration Cycles
isobutane. Hydrogen saturates the heavy hydrocarbons, which are then readily desorbed and
transferred away from the catalyst site.
The buildup of heavy hydrocarbons on the catalyst surface dictates the frequency of catalyst
reactivation. Reactivation conditions have been identified that completely remove these heavy
hydrocarbons from the catalyst. Proper treatment is needed to remove poisons (primarily
oxygenates) from the feed.
Catalyst stability was confirmed by measuring the Alkylene catalyst performance through
multiple process and regeneration cycles. Figure 2 shows data from a pilot plant evaluation of a
single catalyst loading that processed a number of different feedstocks under a variety of process
conditions. The data shown are for periods of operation that used similar feed and operating
conditions. Feedstocks ranging from pure 2-butylene and isobutylene to propylene/butylene
mixtures were tested in this run. The HAL-100 catalyst has been demonstrated in runs with over
9000 cycles and over 9 months of continuous operation.
The Alkylene process consists of three separate sections: the feed treating section, the reactor
section, and the fractionation section. A simplified flow diagram is shown in Figure 3.
REACTOR SECTION
Two primary process considerations govern the design of the Alkylene process. First, an
adequate I/O ratio must be maintained to maximize the selectivity to desirable products.
Second, the contact time between reactants and catalyst must be optimized to obtain high olefin
conversion while minimizing secondary reactions, such as isomerization, that degrade alkylate
octane. Recycling unreacted isobutane from the fractionation section controls the I/O ratio. The
utility consumption in the fractionation section is proportional to the I/O ratio.
Figure 3 shows a schematic of the process, which includes a liquid-phase transport reactor.
Fresh olefin feed is mixed with the isobutane recycle from the fractionation section, and then
injected into the vertical riser. Freshly reactivated catalyst is introduced at the bottom of the
riser where it contacts the mixed olefin and isobutane feed. The reactants and catalyst flow co-
currently up the riser, where the alkylation reaction occurs. At the outlet of the riser, the catalyst
and hydrocarbon are quickly separated by gravity to control the hydrocarbon contact time flow
with the catalyst. The reactor effluent flows out the top of the reactor vessel to the fractionation
section and the catalyst enters the cold reactivation zone.
i-C4 / H2
H2
Olefin
Feed
Feed
Pretreatment
Section
Isobutane
Recycle
Catalyst exiting the riser settles gently into a packed bed that flows slowly downward
through the upper part of the reactor vessel where the catalyst is reactivated at low temperature
by a stream of hydrogen-saturated isobutane. As discussed previously, the catalyst is partially
deactivated by small amounts of heavy, unsaturated hydrocarbons that adsorb on the catalyst
surface. Hydrogen dissolved in the circulating isobutane stream saturates these hydrocarbons,
allowing them to readily desorb from the catalyst surface. The hydrogen is typically sourced
from a reforming unit. Reactivated catalyst flows by gravity from the reactor vessel back to the
bottom of the riser, where it begins the reaction cycle again. The saturated heavy hydrocarbons
are recovered with the alkylate product in the fractionation section. One advantage of the
Alkylene process is that the heavy hydrocarbons that are produced are significantly lower in
molecular weight and quantity relative to the acid soluble oil (ASO) produced by liquid-acid
systems.
The HAL-100 Alkylene catalyst has high physical strength and was developed with the
benefit of UOPs long experience with other catalysts in continuous regeneration processes, such
as the CCR Platforming process. Attrition of the HAL-100 catalyst not only because of the
catalysts high physical strength, but also because the linear velocity is low throughout the
reactor section. In addition, the Alkylene process operates in the liquid phase, which provides a
liquid boundary layer to cushion the catalyst as it flows through the riser and vessels. Extensive
physical testing has shown that the catalyst attrition rate is several orders of magnitude lower
than that experienced in other continuous regeneration technologies commonly used in the
refining industry. Thus, the economic impact of catalyst attrition is very small. Any catalyst
losses are made up by loading make-up HAL-100 catalyst into the reactivation vessel during
normal operation. All necessary trial runs to demonstrate commercial manufacturing of the
catalyst have been completed.
Although a novel design is used for the reactor section, all equipment used in the Alkylene
process is made of carbon steel to minimize equipment cost. The single, vertical reactor
minimizes the plot area requirements, which is important in locations where a revamp of an
existing liquid-acid alkylation unit is being considered or where land is expensive.
ALKYLENE PERFORMANCE
Alkylation feedstocks have typically consisted of isobutane and C4 olefins or a mixture of C3-C4
olefins generated by an FCC unit. The alkylate quality from a typical FCC-derived, mixed-C4
olefin feedstock is shown in Figure 4. The alkylate octane from the Alkylene process is
comparable to that produced by conventional HF and sulfuric acid processes. The product can
have a RON of 95 to 97 and MON of 93 to 95, depending on the reaction temperature. The
Figure 4
Alkylene Product Composition
100
Product Composition, LV-%
80
60
C5
40 C6-C7
20 C8
C9+
0
HF H2SO4 Alkylene
RON 95.7 96.6 97.0
MON 94.2 93.6 93.2
Temp., F 95 50 75
Alkylate quality is generally characterized by octane, but Reid vapor pressure (RVP) and
distillation are becoming increasingly important as a result of recent changes in gasoline
specifications in many areas of the world. Alkylate produced by the Alkylene process has
excellent qualities. The typical distillation of alkylate from the Alkylene process is lower than
that of alkylate produced by an HF Alkylation unit. The ASTM D-86 50% point is 217F
(103C) and the 90% point is 267F (131C). The endpoint, which has a higher degree of
uncertainty because of the nature of the distillation analysis, generally ranges from 340F
(171C) to 360F (182C). The alkylate RVP ranges from 2 psi (14 kPa) to 5 psi (34 kPa),
which makes it possible to blend higher RVP components, such as low-cost n-butane, into the
gasoline pool.
The Alkylene process is designed to meet alkylation project demands ranging from new
grassroots units to the revamp of existing units. Two case studies were developed to illustrate
how the Alkylene process compares to traditional liquid acid technologies in these applications.
Case 1 compares the Alkylene process to sulfuric acid alkylation with on-site regeneration
in a grassroots application where 10,000 BPD (304,000 MTA) of mixed butenes from an
FCC unit is processed. The refiner in this case could not install a HF alkylation unit due to
local permitting restrictions.
Case 2 considers the revamp of an older design HF alkylation unit that produced
6,000 BPD (227,000 MTA) of alkylate to the new Alkylene process. In this application, in
addition to eliminating the potential hazards associated with liquid acids, it was possible to
increase both capacity and product quality by revamping the isostripper with high capacity
Multiple Downcomer trays. It was not possible to use this type of tray in HF service due
Case 1, New Alkylene Unit: The refinery is considering a new Alkylene unit because there are
no nearby facilities for regenerating spent sulfuric acid. On-site acid regeneration would be
required for the sulfuric acid unit. The capital and operating costs for the sulfuric acid and
Alkylene processes are compared in Table 1.
Table 1
Grass Roots Alkylation Unit Comparison
H2SO4 Alkylene
In both cases, the feed was pretreated in an amine unit and a Merox unit to remove sulfur
compounds. Costs for these units are not included in this analysis because the units are the
same for both options. Additional feed pretreatment equipment is included in the cost estimates,
which take into consideration that the feed pretreatment for a sulfuric acid alkylation unit is less
stringent. The feed to both processes was pretreated in a small Selective Hydrogenation (SHP)
Investment costs for the Alkylene process are 22% lower than for the sulfuric acid unit with
on-site regeneration. The erected equipment cost (EEC) of the required acid regeneration
equipment was $10 MM, which represents about 20% of the sulfuric acid unit ISBL cost. Even
if the regeneration equipment is excluded from the sulfuric acid unit, the Alkylene unit still
represents a lower capital cost option. Alkylate production cost for the Alkylene unit is
$2.64/bbl lower than for the sulfuric acid unit. The Alkylene process not only provides better
economics than sulfuric acid alkylation but also eliminates the maintenance and handling
concerns associated with regenerating or transporting liquid acid.
Case 2, Revamp of an HF Alkylation Unit: The refiner was interested in a revamp of the HF
alkylation unit to the new, safer, Alkylene process. This revamp is a viable option for refiners
who have not yet made a substantial investment in HF mitigation equipment or who will require
replacement of an HF reactor section that is nearing the end of its service life. Alkylene
provides a number of unique benefits:
No corrosion - The Alkylene process operates under dry conditions, thus eliminating
corrosion and the resulting maintenance requirements associated with the use of liquid acids.
Simpler and safer maintenance - Since no liquid acids are used in the process, maintenance
is safer and simplified. The extensive training and cumbersome personal protective
equipment required for the operation and maintenance of an HF alkylation unit are not
necessary.
Less expensive cooling - Air-cooled exchangers can be used in place of existing water-
cooled exchangers required in HF service. This reduces the cooling water requirements of
the process and eliminates the need for a separate cooling tower for the HF alkylation unit.
Lower cost maintenance - HF alkylation units typically require replacement of the valves
every three years to eliminate the potential for acid leakage to the environment. This
replacement is not necessary for an Alkylene unit.
The basis for Case 2 was the revamp of a 6,000 BPD (227,000 MTA) HF alkylation unit,
which represents a typical installation in a moderate-size refinery of approximately 75,000 BPD
(3.5 million MTA) capacity. This was an older HF unit and no modifications had yet been made
to minimize acid inventory or install a dump system for the acid. As a result, a substantial
investment in HF acid mitigation equipment was anticipated in the near future, including water
sprays and an automatic rapid acid-dump system. Refinery capacity had increased significantly
since the HF unit was built, so some offsites replacement was required, including a new cooling
tower for the HF alkylation unit. The EEC required for HF mitigation equipment was estimated
to be $10 MM and the offsites required an additional $5 MM investment. Since the Alkylene
process operates in a corrosion free environment, it was possible to install high capacity
Multiple Downcomer trays and increase the units throughput by 16%. Another benefit of the
revamp was that the Alkylene alkylate product was 0.4 road octane ([R+M]/2) numbers higher
than product from the HF unit.
The Alkylene process eliminates safety and maintenance concerns associated with the use of
liquid acids and is an economically viable alternative to installation of mitigation and other
safety equipment for modernizing an existing HF alkylation unit. The revamp can be completed
within the timeframe of a refinery maintenance turn-around. It consists of replacing the HF
reactor section with an Alkylene reactor section, adding some feed/product treating equipment
Table 2
HF Alkylation Revamp Economics
HF Alkylene
Material Balance
FCC butenes, BPD 5,677 6,640
Butanes, BPD 2,240 2,580
C5+ Alkylate product, BPD 6,000 6,960
involve replacing the existing trays with high capacity UOP Multiple Downcomer trays. The
overall capital requirements are $2 MM higher than required for installation of HF acid-release
mitigation and rapid dump system equipment. The incremental capital is offset by a $0.8 MM
increase in annual profit due to higher capacity and improved product quality, representing a
simple payback period of 2.5 years. The operating costs after revamp to the Alkylene process
UOP has co-currently developed another new alkylation technology, the Indirect Alkylation
(InAlk) process. This technology uses a different chemistry to produce alkylate and provides
a unique solution to a number of opportunities for improving profitability by revamping
underutilized process units. Ideal candidates for revamp include dehydro-based MTBE
complexes, refinery ether units, and polymerization units. Many of these process units will no
longer be profitable in light of changing gasoline regulations such as restrictions in gasoline
olefin content and MTBE use. Revamping to the InAlk process is a viable economic alternative
to fully utilize these assets. Details on the economics of such revamps are discussed in other
publications.(2)
SUMMARY
Alkylate is an ideal blending component that refiners will need to meet future changes in
gasoline specifications. The Alkylene process uses traditional alkylation chemistry and a solid
catalyst to maximize the yield of alkylate from olefin feedstocks. Alkylene catalyst has a robust
formulation that has been proven to be fully regenerable. A unique liquid-phase transport
reactor design has been developed that results in an economical process to produce high-quality
alkylate without the risks associated with liquid acids. The Alkylene process provides the
unique benefits of a corrosion-free environment, higher alkylate octane, lower capital cost than
sulfuric acid units, elimination of intrinsic safety concerns associated with handling of liquid
acids.
UOP is working with a number of refiners to evaluate Alkylene opportunities for both new and
revamped alkylation units. The Alkylene process is available for license from UOP.
(2) J. M. Meister, B. S. Muldoon, and D. H. Wei, Make Premium Alkylate With Your MTBE
Unit, Harts World Fuels Conference, San Antonio, TX, March 28-30, 2000