GB861183A - A radiation alkylation process - Google Patents

Abstract

Paraffin hydrocarbons having 2-12 carbon atoms together with mono-olefins having 3-12 carbon atoms in a ratio of 2-33 moles paraffin to one mole. olefin are irradiated with high energy ionizing radiation at 10-100 ats. until at least 103 roentgens has been absorbed, whereby alkylation is effected. The mono-olefin may be replaced by an olefinic polymer, copolymer or interpolymer thereof. The products of reaction are normally liquid saturated branched chain hydrocarbons boiling at 85-440 DEG F.; in examples, product analyses include C1 to C9 hydrocarbons. Suitable paraffinic starting materials may have straight or branched chains; propane, butanes, pentanes, hexanes, heptanes and octanes and cyclic paraffins are specified. Specified olefins are propylene, butene, pentene, benzene and heptene and cyclic olefins. Suitable starting mixtures are C3-C5 cuts from thermal or catalytic cracking, refinery feed stocks, including naphthas, field butanes which have been isomerized or partly dehydrogenated, refinery stabilizer bottoms and spent gases from catalytic polymerization processes, of some of which details are given: other constituents may comprise hydrogen, diolefins and naphthenes such as cyclohexane and methylcyclopentane. The process may be carried out at 100-1000 DEG F. for 1/2 -200 hours either in the vapour phase, e.g. at 500-900 DEG F. or in the liquid phase, e.g. at 100-500 DEG F. The process may be performed batchwise or continuously; in the latter case, the hydrocarbon feed may be first mixed with an olefin which may be added to any recycle stream (and, if desired, with a diluent, e.g. a highly refined mineral oil), then subjected to irradiation, the products separated conventionally and unreacted paraffin and olefin recycled. The preferred radiation is g -rays, and the use of X-rays, accelerated electrons, b -rays, a -particles and neutrons is referred to. Suitable sources of radiation are fission byproducts (e.g. "waste products" from nuclear reactors, through or around which the reactants may be passed), nuclear reactors (through which the reactants may be passed, if desired, to serve inter alia as moderator), and materials such as Co-60 which may be made radioactive by neutron irradiation. Suitable dosages may be up to 106 megaroentgens, and examples providing details of this and other features are given.