Patent ID: 8502006

Claim:
A process for the dimerization of isoolefins, the process comprising: feeding a hydrocarbon mixture comprising C4 to C5 hydrocarbons including at least one of isobutene and isoamylene to a catalytic distillation reactor system having at least one reaction zone; introducing sulfurous acid to the at least one reaction zone; concurrently in the catalytic distillation reactor system: contacting the at least one of isobutene and isoamylene with the sulfurous acid in the at least one reaction zone at conditions of temperature and pressure sufficient to dimerize at least a portion of the isobutene and isoamylene to C8 to C10 hydrocarbons; separating the hydrocarbon mixture into a light hydrocarbon fraction comprising C4 to C5 hydrocarbons including any unreacted isobutene and isoamylene and a heavy fraction comprising the C8 to C10 hydrocarbons; recovering the C8 to C10 hydrocarbons from the catalytic distillation reactor systems as a bottoms fraction; recovering the light hydrocarbon fraction and sulfurous acid as an overheads vapor fraction.