Patent ID: 6841711

Claim:
A process for making a lube base stock comprising: a) obtaining a diolefin-containing olefinic feedstock with boiling points within the range of from 258° to 650° F. and including between 10% and 50% olefins; b) inducing skeletal isomerization of the diolefin-containing olefinic feedstock, producing a skeletally isomerized diolefin-containing olefinic feedstock; c) selectively hydrogenating the skeletally isomerized diolefin-containing olefinic feedstock to saturate at least a portion of any diolefins present while not saturating most of the mono-olefins present, producing a selectively hydrogenated skeletally isomerized diolefin-containing olefinic feedstock; d) contacting said selectively hydrogenated skeletally isomerized diolefin-containing olefinic feedstock with an oligomerization catalyst in a catalytic distillation unit having, within it, at least one catalytic zone to produce a product having a number average molecular weight at least 20% higher than the olefinic feedstock; e) separating said product in said catalytic distillation unit into a light by-product fraction and a heavy product fraction, wherein said heavy product fraction comprises hydrocarbons in the lube base stock range with a viscosity of greater than 2 cSt at 100° C., a viscosity index of above 80 and a pour point of less than −10° C.; f) withdrawing nonolefinic portions of feedstock from the catalytic zone; and g) hydrofinishing said heavy product fraction.