Benzene → Cumene

Participants

Reaction Steps

The benzene column 140 produces a benzene column overhead stream comprising benzene in a line 142 and a benzene column bottom stream comprising ethylbenzene and PEBs in the line 144. The overhead benzene stream in the line 142 may be provided with a water concentration of up to about 500 wppm and a temperature of at least about 120° C. and preferably greater than 125° and no more than about 170° C. A portion of the overhead benzene stream in the line 142 is diverted to the transalkylation reactor 150 by a line 166. DIB in the heavies column intermediate stream transported by the line 168 mixes with the benzene in the line 166 to provide the transalkylation feed stream in a line 154. The DIB transalkylates with benzene over the transalkylation catalyst bed 156 in the transalkylation reactor 150 to produce cumene. Transalkylation effluent in the line 152 has a greater concentration of cumene and a smaller concentration of benzene and DIB than in the line 154. The benzene column overhead stream remaining in a line 102 is reacted with propylene over alkylation catalyst in the alkylation reactor 120 as described with respect to FIG. 4. Alkylation effluent in a line 126 is mixed with transalkylation effluent in the line 152 to provide combined effluent streams in the line 136.

Provenance & Evidence