Method and apparatus for hydrocarbon alkylation

Claim 1

A REACTOR APPARATUS COMPRISING A LONG HORIZONTAL CYLINDRICAL VESSEL, VERTICAL PARTITIONS SEPARATING SAID VESSEL INTO A PLURALITY OF MIXING COMPARTMENTS AND A SETTLING COMPARTMENT, A SETTLING ZONE IN THE UPPER PART OF EACH MIXING COMPARTMENT, A CONDUIT FOR PASSING AN UPPER LIQUID PHASE FROM EACH MIXING ZONE TO THE LOWER PART OF THE SUCCEEDING COMPARTMENT, AT LEAST ONE CONDUIT FOR REMOVING VAPORS FROM THE TOP OF THE REACTOR, A REFRIGERATION SYSTEM FOR CONDENSING VAPORS WITHDRAWN THROUGH SAID CONDUIT AND FOR RETURNING AT LEAST PART OF THE CONDENSED VAPORS TO THE FIRST MIXING COMPARTMENT, CONNECTIONS FOR INTRODUCING A HEAVY LIQUID, A REFRIGERANT, A FIRST REACTANT AND A SECOND REACTANT INTO THE FIRST MIXING COMPARTMENT AND FOR INTRODUCING SECOND REACTANT INTO AT LEAST ONE SUCCEEDING MIXING COMPARTMENT, VERTICAL ANTI-SWIRL BAFFLES IN SAID MIXING COMPARTMENTS, TURBO-IMPELLER MIXES IN THE LOWER PART OF THE MIXING COMPARTMENTS, EACH MIXER COMPRISING SPACED VERTICAL BLADES PERIPHERALLY MOUNTED ON A HORIZONTAL CIRCULAR PLATE CARRIED BY A VERTICAL SHAFT AND DESIGNED TO INTIMATELY MIX IMMISCIBLE FLUIDS AND TO IMPEL SAID MIXTURE AGAINST THE PERIPHERAL WALLS OF THE MIXING COMPARTMENT FOR OBTAINING A RAPIDLY MOVING EMULSION CIRCULATION WHICH IS TOWARD THE PERIPHERAL WALLS OPPOSITE THE IMPELLER BLADES AND TOWARD THE SHAFT ABOVE AND BELOW THE IMPELLER BLADES, MOTORS FOR DRIVING EACH SHAFT AT A SPEED IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 40 TO 400 R. P. M., AND A BAFFLE BETWEEN THE MIXING ZONE IN EACH MIXING COMPARTMENT AND THE UPPER SETTLING ZONE THEREIN WHEREBY MIXED FLUIDS IN THE UPPER PART OF EACH MIXING COMPARTMENT ARE RELATIVELY QUIESCENT SO THAT A SUBSTANTIAL PART OF THE HEAVIER LIQUID MAY SETTLE FROM THE SETTLING ZONE BACK TO THE MIXING ZONE.

Claim 3

THE METHOD OF ALKYLATING INSOBUTANE WITH BUTENES BY CONTACT WITH CONCENTRATED SULFURIC ACID UNDER AKLYLATION CONDITIONS, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES INTRODUCING ISOBUTANE, BUTENES AND CONCENTRATED SULFURIC ACID AT THE BASE OF A FIRST MIXING COMPARTMENT CONTAINING A SETTLING ZONE IN THE UPPER PART THEREOF, EMULSIFYING THE HYDROCARBONS WITH THE SULFURIC ACID AND OBTAINING INTIMATE CONTACT THEREBETWEEN BY RAPIDLY IMPELLING THE MIXTURE TOWARD THE PERIPHERY OF THE MIXING COMPARTMENT WHILE PREVENTING SWIRLING MOTION IN SAID COMPARTMENT WHEREBY THE EMULSION IS RAPIDLY CIRCULATED BY THE IMPELLING STEP TO THE PERIPHERY AND THENCE TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE MIXING COMPARTMENT TO OBTAIN A HIGH INTERNAL ISOBUTANE TO OLEFIN RATIO, WITHDRAWING LIBERATED BUTANE VAPORS AT SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT PRESSURE TO MAINTAIN CONSTANT ALKYLATION TEMPERATURE, MAINTAINING A RELATIVELY QUIESCENT SETTLING ZONE IN THE UPPER PART OF THE MIXING COMPARTMENT, RETURNING AN ACID PHASE FROM THE SETTLING ZONE TO THE CIRCULATING EMULSION STREAM IN THE MIXING ZONE AND INTRODUCING ACID-DEPLETED EMULSION FROM THE UPPER PART OF THE SETTLING ZONE TO THE LOWER PART OF A SUCCEEDING MIXING COMPARTMENT.

Claim 4

THE METHOD OF ALKYLATING INSOBUTANE WITH BUTENES BY CONTACT WITH CONCENTRATED SULFURIC ACID UNDER AKLYLATION CONDITIONS, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES INTRODUCING ISOBUTANE, BUTENES AND CONCENTRATED SULFURIC ACID AT THE BASE OF A FIRST MIXING COMPARTMENT CONTAINING A SETTLING ZONE IN THE UPPER PART THEREOF, EMULSIFYING THE HYDROCARBONS WITH THE SULFURIC ACID AND OBTAINING INTIMATE CONTACT THEREBETWEEN BY RAPIDLY IMPELLING THE MIXTURE TOWARD THE PERIPHERY OF THE MIXING COMPARTMENT WHILE PREVENTING SWIRLING MOTION IN SAID COMPARTMENT WHEREBY THE EMULSION IS RAPIDLY CIRCULATED BY THE IMPELLING STEP TO THE PERIPHERY AND THENCE TOWARD THE CENTER OF THE MIXING COMPARTMENT TO OBTAIN A HIGH INTERNAL ISOBUTANE TO OLEFIN RATIO, WITHDRAWING LIBERATED BUTANE VAPORS AT SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT PRESSURE TO MAINTAIN CONSTANT ALKYLATION TEMPERATURE, MAINTAINING A RELATIVELY QUIESCENT SETTLING ZONE IN THE UPPER PART OF THE MIXING COMPARTMENT, RETURNING AN ACID PHASE FROM THE SETTLING ZONE TO THE CIRCULATING EMULSION STREAM IN THE MIXING ZONE AND INTRODUCING ACID-DEPLETED EMULSION FROM THE UPPER PART OF THE SETTLING ZONE TO THE LOWER PART OF A SUCCEEDING MIXING COMPARTMENT.