Apparatus for sulfuric acid catalyzed alkylation process

Claim 1

Apparatus for alkylating isoparaffin hydrocarbon with olefin hydrocarbon, in the liquid phase, in the presence of sulfuric acid alkylation catalyst, which apparatus comprises: a. mixing means for forming an emulsion of isoparaffin and olefin reactants and sulfuric acid catalyst; b. a non-backmixed tubular reactor, having an inlet end, an outlet end and a tubular wall, the inlet of which is in communication with said mixing means, for maintaining the emulsion effluent from said mixing means at alkylation reaction conditions, including a selected temperature of from about -20° F to be about 100° F, an olefin space velocity of from about 0.05 to about 1.0 volumes olefin per hour per volume of acid catalyst and a Reynolds number for said flowing emulsion of at least about 5000 N RE ; c. liquid cyclone centrifugal separation means having an inlet in communication with the outlet of said tubular reactor and having a hydrocarbon outlet and an acid catalyst outlet, for rapidly separating reaction emulsion effluent into a liquid hydrocarbon phase comprising unreacted isoparaffin hydrocarbon and alkylate hydrocarbon product, and an acid catalyst phase comprising about 70-100 volume percent acid catalyst and about 30-0 volume percent entrained hydrocarbon; d. a cooling jacket having inlet and outlet means, surrounding said tubular reactor, defining a confined path for the flow of a refrigerant fluid; e. a flash drum having an inlet, a top vapor outlet and a bottom liquid outlet, for adiabatically flashing a portion of said separated liquid hydrocarbon phase; f. first conduit means for conveying separated liquid hydrocarbon phase from said centrifugal separation means to the inlet of said flash drum; g. a gas compressor, in communication with the top vapor outlet of said flash drum for withdrawing hydrocarbon vapor from said flash drum at a subatmospheric pressure; h. condensing means in communication with compressor discharge for condensing hydrocarbon vapor from said gas compressor; i. first fractionation means, in communication with said condensing means, for fractionating condensed hydrocarbon vapor into a first isoparaffin fraction and a fraction lighter than the first isoparaffin fraction; j. second conduit means for conveying said first isoparaffin fraction from said first fractionation means to said mixing means; k. third conduit means for conveying cooled, unvaporized hydrocarbon from said flash drum to said cooling jacket inlet;