A temperature swing absorption process
using phosphoric acid was
proposed for the removal of olefins from cracked naphtha. Evaluation
of this required information on the reaction of naphtha range olefins
with phosphoric acid. Reactive absorption of olefins at 50 °C
in 85% phosphoric acid (H3PO4) was studied.
The olefins evaluated were 1-pentene, 2-methyl-1-butene, 2-methyl-2-butene,
cyclopentene, 1-hexene, 2-methyl-1-pentene, cyclohexene, 1-heptene,
2-methyl-1-hexene, and 4-methylcyclohexene. All of the olefins formed
alkyl phosphoric acid esters, with C
n
olefins
forming C
n
-, C2n
-, and sometimes C3n
-alkyl phosphoric
acid esters. Branching in the olefin affected alkyl phosphoric acid
ester stability; ester bonds to the α-carbon were more stable.
The acyclic C5-alkyl phosphoric acid esters were more water
soluble than oil soluble, and as the chain length of the alkyl group
increased, oil solubility increased. Cyclohexyl and methyl cyclohexyl
phosphoric acid esters formed stable water–oil emulsions. Reaction
rates were low, but double bond isomerization took place and proceeded
stepwise, with alkyl phosphoric acid esters being intermediate products
rather than reaction intermediates. Although it was found that temperature
swing absorption using phosphoric acid would not result in a viable
process, the study provided several insights about the intermediate
products and phase behavior
of phosphoric acid catalyzed olefin conversion.