Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol.33, No.3, 712-717, 1994
Alkylation of Isobutane by Ethylene - A Thermodynamic Study
Alkylation of isobutane by ethylene produces mainly hexanes, but a variety of other compounds, alkanes or alkenes, may be formed by secondary reactions such as successive alkylations, isomerization, and ethylene polymerization. The equilibrium distribution of products is evaluated in the temperature range 280-680 K and at various initial compositions and pressures. Isomer groups are treated using Alberty’s formulation. Calculations show that alkenes are thermodynamically unstable under usual reaction conditions. The equilibrium amounts of alkanes are such that C6 much greater than C-8 much greater than C-10 and heavy alkanes also appear unstable. The selective formation of particular isomers (dimethylbutanes, trimethylpentanes) is also integrated in the equilibrium equations. The calculated compositions (C6:C-8:C-10) are compared with experimental data.
Keywords:ISOMER GROUPS;CATALYST