Patent ID: 7053259

Claim:
A process for the preparation of α-olefins, comprising, contacting at about 40° C. to about 120° C. in a liquid full modified plug flow reactor: (a) an oligomerization catalyst which is an iron complex of a 2,6-pyridinecarboxaldehvde(bisimine) or a 2,6-diacylpyridine(bisimine) which oligomerizes ethylene to α-olefins; (b) ethylene; (c) an organic solvent; and (d) optionally one or more cocatalysts; wherein (a) plus (b) plus (c) plus (d), when present, form a process mixture, and wherein along the length of said modified plug flow reactor said oligomerization catalyst is added at two or more first addition points to said process mixture, so that a time interval for said process mixture between said addition points is about 0.3 to about 5 half lives of said oligomerization catalyst under process conditions.