Production of paraffins

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR CONVERTING ISOPENTANE TO HIGHER-BOILING ISOPARAFFINS BOILING IN THE GASOLINE RANGE, WHICH COMPRISES CHARGING ISOPENTANE AND A LOW-BOILING ALIPHATIC OLEFIN HAVING AT LEAST THREE CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE, IN A MOLAR RATIO OF ISOPENTANE CHANGED TO OLEFIN CHARGED OF AT LEAST 7:1, TO AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF COMBINED REACTION-FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION ZONE, INTRODUCING A LIQUID HYDROFLUORIC ACID ALKYLATION CATALYST TO THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID ZONE AS A LIQUID REFLUX FOR SAID DISTILLATION, MAINTAINING IN AN INTERMEDIATE REACTION PORTION OF SAID ZONE A REACTION TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 100 AND 200* F., A RATIO OF LIQUID HYDROFLUORIC ACID CATALYST TO LIQUID HYDROCARBONS FROM 1:10 TO 2:1, AND A REACTION TIME BETWEEN 5 AND 60 MINUTES AND SUFFICIENT TO EFFECT COMPLETE REACTION OF CHARGED OLEFIN AND FORMATION OF ISOBUTANE TO THE EXTENT OF AT LEAST 150 WEIGHT PER CENT OF SAID OLEFIN AND OF C6 AND HIGHER ISOPARAFFINS TO THE EXTENT OF AT LEAST 400 WEIGHT PER CENT OF SAID OLEFIN AND TO THE EXTENT OF AT LEAST 130 WEIGHT PER CENT OF THE THEORETICAL ALKYLATION YIELD, AT LEAST 30 VOLUME PER CENT OF SAID C6 AND HIGHER PARAFFINS BEING ISOHEXANE, REMOVING AS AN OVERHEAD DISTILLATE FROM SAID ZONE A MIXTURE COMPRISING HYDROGEN FLUORIDE AND ISOBUTANE AND LIGHTER HYDROCARBONS, COOLING AND CONDENSING SAID MIXTURE AND SEPARATING A LIQUID HYDROCARBON MATERIAL FROM LIQUID HYDROFLUORIC ACID, RETURNING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID LIQUID HYDROFLUORIC ACID TO SAID ZONE AS SAID REFLUX, SEPARATELY ALKYLATING ISOBUTANE CONTAINED IN SAID LIQUID HYDROCARBON MATERIAL TO PRODUCE NORMALLY LIQUID ISOPARAFFINS BOILING IN THE GASOLINE RANGE, PASSING A RESULTING CRUDE ALKYLATE TO A SEPARATING MEANS, REMOVING FROM THE AFORESAID REACTION-FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION ZONE AS A HIGHBOILING PRODUCT A LIQUID HYDROCARBON MATERIAL FREE FROM HYROGEN FLUORIDE AND COMPRISING C6AND-HIGHER HYDROCARBONS PRODUCED IN SAID ZONE, PASSING THE LAST SAID LIQUID HYDROCARBON MATERIAL TO THE AFORESAID SEPARATING MEANS, AND REMOVING FROM SAID SEAPRATING MEANS AS A PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS AN ISOPARAFFINS HYDROCARBON MATERIAL COMPRISING ISOPARAFFINS BOILING IN THE GASOLINE RANGE PRODUCED FROM ISOPENTANE IN SAID ZONE, AND PRODUCED FROM SAID ISOBUTANE ALKYLATION.