Patent ID: 7632974

Claim:
A process for the production of alkylated aromatic compounds comprising the steps of: a) introducing one or more aromatic compounds and one or more olefins into a catalytic distillation unit having at least two lower beds, a lowermost bed, and an uppermost bed of a first alkylation catalyst, the catalytic distillation unit operated in a combination liquid phase-vapor phase mode under alkylation reaction conditions to produce a liquid alkylator bottoms effluent comprising alkylated aromatic compounds and unreacted aromatic compound discharging below the lowermost bed, and an alkylator vapor overhead stream comprising unreacted aromatic compound and unreacted olefin discharging above the uppermost bed; b) condensing the alkylator vapor overhead stream to form a condensed alkylator overhead stream and directing said condensed alkylator overhead stream into a finishing reactor having a second alkylation catalyst and operated in a liquid phase under alkylation reaction conditions wherein the unreacted aromatic compound and unreacted olefin in the alkylator overhead stream are converted to alkylated aromatic compounds with substantially complete consumption of the unreacted olefin, thereby producing a finishing reactor effluent comprising alkylated aromatic compound and essentially no unreacted olefin; c) removing a substantial portion of any volatile compounds in the finishing reactor effluent to form a stripped finishing reactor effluent; d) cooling at least a portion of the finishing reactor effluent to a temperature sufficiently low for condensing at least a portion of vaporous aromatic compounds in the catalytic distillation unit, thereby forming a stripped and cooled finishing reactor effluent; and e) directing said stripped and cooled finishing reactor effluent above at least the two lower beds of the first alkylation catalyst during operation of the catalytic distillation unit; wherein any alkylated aromatic compounds in the alkylator overhead stream are substantially removed prior to the operation of the finishing reactor according to step (b) by use of a suitable absorbent capable of selectively removing alkylated aromatic compounds in the presence of unreacted aromatic compound and unreacted olefin.