Alkylation-transalkylation process

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF AN ALKYLAROMATIC COMPOUND WHICH COMPRISES ALKYLATING AN ALKYLATABLE AROMATIC COMPOUND WITH AN OLEFIN-ACTING COMPOUND IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYTIC AMOUNT OF BORON TRIFLUORIDE IN AN ALKYLATION REACTION ZONE CONTAINING A BORON TRIFLUORIDE-MODIFIED SUBSTANTIALLY ANHYDROUS INORGANIC OXIDE, FLASHING THE EFFLUENT FROM SAID ALKYLATION ZONE BY PRESSURE REDUCTION AND THEN SEPARATING THE SAME INTO A GAS PHASE AND A GAS-FREE LIQUID PHASE, COMMINGLING SAID GAS-FREE LIQUID PHASE WITH A GAS-FREE LIQUID PHASE FROM A TRANSALKYLATION ZONE AS HEREINAFTER SET FORTH, FRACTIONATING THE RESULTANT GAS-FREE LIQUID PHASE MIXTURE AND SEPARATING THERFROM UNREACTED AROMATIC COMPOUND, DESIRED MONALKYLATED AROMATIC COMPOUND, AND HIGHER MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLYALKYLATED AROMATIC COMPOUND, RECYCLING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID UNREACTED AROMATIC COMPOUND TO THE ALKYLATION ZONE, REMOVING DESIRED MONALKYLATED AROMATIC COMPOUND AS PRODUCT FROM THE PROCESS, PASSING SAID POLYALKYLATED AROMATIC COMPOUND IN ADMIXTURE WITH ALKYLATABLE AROMATIC COMPOUND AND BORON TRIFLUORIDE TO A TRANSALKYLATION ZONE CONTAINING BORON TRIFLURODIE-MODIFIED SUBSTANTIALLY ANHYDROUS INORGANIC OXIDE AND THEREIN REACTING THE POLALKYLATED AROMATIC COMPOUND WITH THE ALKYLATABLE AROMATIC COMPOUND, FLASHING THE EFFLUENT FROM SAID TRANSALKYLATION ZONE BY PRESSURE REDUCTION AND THEN SEPARATING THE SAME INTO A GAS PHASE AND A GAS-FREE LIQUID PHASE, AND PASSING THE LAST-NAMED GAS-FREE LIQUID PHASE TO SAID COMMINGLING STEP AS AFORESAID.