Patent ID: 8217214

Claim:
In a retrofit of a vapor phase process for the production of ethylbenzene such that a series-connected, combined alkylation and transalkylation reactor is converted to a vapor phase alkylation reactor and a separate liquid phase transalkylation reactor in which said retrofitted process comprises the steps of (1) contacting a benzene feed, an ethylene feed and a polyethylbenzene feed in the presence of an a combined alkylation and transalkylation catalyst in said combined alkylation and transalkylation reactor, to generate an alkylation product which comprises ethylbenzene and xylenes, said combined alkylation and transalkylation reactor is operated under suitable vapor phase alkylation conditions at a first temperature and a weight hourly space velocity of ethylene, to maintain substantially all of said feeds and said alkylation product in the vapor phase, and (2) separating from said alkylation product a first ethylbenzene product having a first xylenes content greater than 700 ppm, the improvement to said process comprising the steps of: (a) providing to said retrofitted process said transalkylation reactor having a transalkylation catalyst; (b) removing said polyethylbenzene feed from said retrofitted combined alkylation and transalkylation reactor; (c) supplying said polyethylbenzene feed to said transalkylation reactor; (d) contacting said polyethylbenzene feed with benzene in the presence of said transalkylation catalyst in said transalkylation reactor, to generate a transalkylation product which comprises ethylbenzene and xylenes, said transalkylation reactor is operated under suitable liquid phase transalkylation conditions at a second temperature to maintain substantially all of said polyethylbenzene feed, said benzene and said transalkylation product in the liquid phase, wherein said second temperature is less than said first temperature; (e) separating said transalkylation product to generate a second ethylbenzene product having a second xylene content of less than 100 ppm; and wherein said weight hourly space velocity of ethylene is increased and the sum of the amount of said first ethylbenzene product and the amount of second ethylbenzene product is at least 15 percent greater than the amount of said first ethylbenzene product, and wherein said retrofitted alkylation and transalkylation catalyst comprises a solid, crystalline aluminosilicate selected from the group consisting of ZSM-5, ZSM-11, ZSM-12, ZSM-22, ZSM-23, ZSM-35, ZSM-48, ZSM-50 and mixtures thereof; and said retrofitted transalkylation catalyst comprises a solid, crystalline aluminosilicate selected from the group consisting of zeolite Beta, zeolite Y, mordenite, TEA-mordenite, MCM-22, PSH-3, SSZ-25, ERB-1, ITQ-1, ITQ-2, ITQ-30, MCM-36, MCM-49, MCM-56 and mixtures thereof.