Process for the production of polyisobutylene

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY FORMING LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT LIQUID OLEFINE POLYMER, CONSISTING PREDOMINANTLY OF POLYBUTYLENES, FROM A C1-C5 LIQUEFIED FEED GAS CONTAINING ISOBUTYLENE, BUTENES AND OTHER OLEFINES, SAID FEED GAS MIXTURE HAVING AN ISOBUTYLENE CONTENT OF AT LEAST 3 PERCENT, COMPRISING CONTINUOUSLY PASSING SAID LIQUIFIED FEED GAS TO THE INLET END OF A REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF -25 TO +60* F. AT A LIQUIFYING PRESSURE, SIMULTANEOUSLY PASSING TO SAID INLET END OF THE REACTION ZONE A SUSPENSION OF SOLID DRY ALUMINUM CHLORIDE PARTICLES SIZED IN THE RANGE TO PASS A 40 MESH U.S.S. SCREEN AND TO BE RETAINED ON A 200 MESH U.S.S. SCREEN IN QUANTITY SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN 1% OF THE HYDROCARBON FEED TO SAID REACTION ZONE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY PASSING TO THE SAID INLET OF THE REACTION ZONE OF A RELATIVELY SMALLER QUANTITY OF A HYDROCHLORIC ACID GAS-FORMING PROMOTOR FOR THE ALUMINUM CHLORIDE, WITHDRAWING THE TOTAL EFFLUENT SUSPENSION OF CATALYST AND POLYMERIC REACTION PRODUCT CONTAINED IN UNREACTED LIQUIFIED HYDROCARBON GASES FROM THE OUTLET END OF SAID REACTION ZONE, SEPARATING SAID EFFLUENT INTO PRODUCT RECOVERY AND RECYCLE PORTIONS, WITHDRAWING THE PRODUCT RECOVERY PORTION AND PROCESSING THE SAME FOR RECOVERY OF POLYMER THEREFROM, RECYCLING THE RECYCLE PORTION TO THE SAID INLET END OF SAID REACTION ZONE DILUTING THE RAW FEED WITH SAID RECYCLE AT A RATE EXCEEDING ABOUT 8 TIMES THE RAW HYDROCARBON FEED TO SAID ZONE AND WITHDRAWING SPENT CATALYST SLUDGE FROM THE SYSTEM AT A RATE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIVALENT TO THE CATALYST INPUT TO SAID REACTION ZONE.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY FORMING LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT LIQUID OLEFINE POLYMER, CONSISTING PREDOMINANTLY OF POLYBUTYLENES, FROM A C1-C5 LIQUEFIED FEED GAS CONTAINING ISOBUTYLENE, BUTENES AND OTHER OLEFINES, SAID FEED GAS MIXTURE HAVING AN ISOBUTYLENE CONTENT OF AT LEAST 3 PERCENT, COMPRISING CONTINUOUSLY PASSING SAID LIQUIFIED FEED GAS TO THE INLET END OF A REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF -25 TO +60* F. AT A LIQUIFYING PRESSURE, SIMULTANEOUSLY PASSING TO SAID INLET END OF THE REACTION ZONE A SUSPENSION OF SOLID DRY ALUMINUM CHLORIDE PARTICLES SIZED IN THE RANGE TO PASS A 40 MESH U.S.S. SCREEN AND TO BE RETAINED ON A 200 MESH U.S.S. SCREEN IN QUANTITY SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN 1% OF THE HYDROCARBON FEED TO SAID REACTION ZONE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY PASSING TO THE SAID INLET OF THE REACTION ZONE OF A RELATIVELY SMALLER QUANTITY OF A HYDROCHLORIC ACID GAS-FORMING PROMOTOR FOR THE ALUMINUM CHLORIDE, WITHDRAWING THE TOTAL EFFLUENT SUSPENSION OF CATALYST AND POLYMERIC REACTION PRODUCT CONTAINED IN UNREACTED LIQUIFIED HYDROCARBON GASES FROM THE OUTLET END OF SAID REACTION ZONE, SEPARATING SAID EFFLUENT INTO PRODUCT RECOVERY AND RECYCLE PORTIONS, WITHDRAWING THE PRODUCT RECOVERY PORTION AND PROCESSING THE SAME FOR RECOVERY OF POLYMER THEREFROM, RECYCLING THE RECYCLE PORTION TO THE SAID INLET END OF SAID REACTION ZONE DILUTING THE RAW FEED WITH SAID RECYCLE AT A RATE EXCEEDING ABOUT 8 TIMES THE RAW HYDROCARBON FEED TO SAID ZONE AND WITHDRAWING SPENT CATALYST SLUDGE FROM THE SYSTEM AT A RATE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIVALENT TO THE CATALYST INPUT TO SAID REACTION ZONE.