Patent ID: 8609915
Filing Date: 2013-12-17
Classification: C07C

Abstract:
1. A process for preparing alkylated aromatic compounds, the process comprising the steps of: reacting an aromatic compound and an olefin in a first alkylation reaction in the presence of a first alkylation catalyst to produce a first effluent comprising an alkylated aromatic compound and an unreacted aromatic compound; reacting the unreacted aromatic compound from the first effluent and additional olefin in at least one downstream alkylation reaction in the presence of a second alkylation catalyst to produce a second effluent comprising the alkylated aromatic compound, wherein the second effluent comprises the unreacted aromatic compound and is split into the recycle stream and an intermediate stream, wherein the process further comprises the step of reacting the unreacted aromatic compound from the intermediate stream and additional olefin in at least one additional downstream alkylation reaction in the presence of a third alkylation catalyst to produce a third effluent comprising the alkylated aromatic compound; splitting the third effluent stream into a second recycle stream and a product-rich stream, and wherein the second recycle stream is recycled to the at least one additional downstream alkylation reaction; recycling a recycle stream including the alkylated aromatic compound from the second effluent to the at least one downstream alkylation reaction and, optionally, the first alkylation reaction, and wherein a ratio of the recycle stream to a total mass flow is greater in the at least one downstream alkylation reaction than in the first alkylation reaction; and wherein the alkylation catalyst comprises a zeolitic molecular sieve selected from the group consisting of Y zeolite, beta zeolite, X zeolite, mordenite, zeolite omega, UZM-8, ZSM-5, PSH-3, MCM-22, MCM-36, MCM-49, MCM-56 and mixtures thereof.