Standard Oil Company (indiana)

The Standard Oil Company

Amoco Corporation

Edward F Steigelmann

Robert D Hughes

Joseph Gabor

Terry L Marker

Allen I Feinstein

Ken Tadano

Robert L Yahnke

Charles S Sokol

Maribeth B Amundsen

Kemp R Bunting

Chand Deepak

Alistair S Couper

In an aromatic alkylation process, an aromatic hydrocarbon is contacted with an alkylating agent in a reactor vessel in the absence of oxygen in the presence of a silica-containing molecular sieve catalyst under liquid phase alkylation conditions to recover an alkyl-substituted aromatic product from said reactor vessel.

Oxygen-free aromatic alkylation process

An aromatic alkylation process comprising the steps of contacting a hydrocarbon feed comprising an aromatic hydrocarbon with an alkylating agent under liquid phase alkylation condition in the presence of a silica-containing molecular sieve wherein said said catalyst possesses a pore volume of about 0.25-0.50 cc/g in pores having a radius greater than 450 Angstroms and a catalyst particle diameter of not more than about 1/32 of an inch.

Aromatic alkylation process using large macropore, small particle size,

A material is separated from a fluid mixture by contacting the mixture containing the material with a first side of essentially solid, water-insoluble, hydrophilic, semi-permeable membrane in contact with an aqueous liquid barrier having ions which combine with the material to be separated to form a water-soluble complex. The partial pressure of the material on a second side of the semi-permeable membrane is sufficiently less than the partial pressure of the material in the mixture to provide separated material on the second side of the membrane. The separated material can be removed from the vicinity of the second side of the membrane by a gas stream. The second side of the membrane is contacted with an aqueous liquid medium to reduce the loss of the aqueous liquid barrier from the membrane which may otherwise decrease in separation efficiency during use due to water losses. The gas stream used to remove the separated material may be supersaturated with the aqueous medium, e.g. water, and may contact the membrane with the aqueous medium via condensation. Alternatively, the aqueous medium such as water may be applied by a continuous or intermittent film, spray or mist. The process is particularly useful for separating olefins, especially ethylene.

Use of aqueous, non-sweep liquid during membrane separation

Method for the manufacture of membrane separation units suitable for the separation of components from mixtures containing them. These separation units can be made from elongated anisotropic hollow fiber membranes and can be used for the separation of olefinic compounds from saturated materials.

Method of converting membrane separation units

Disclosed is a process for the polymerization of olefins wherein olefinic compounds are separated from mixtures containing them with resulting improved utilization of olefinic compounds. Such olefinic compounds are separated by use of membrane separation units and can be recycled to a polymerization zone.

Purification of olefin recycle to polymerization

Method for detecting leakage of semipermeable membranes or hollow fibers, said membranes or fibers exhibiting salt rejection, which comprises contacting one side of the membrane or fiber with an aqueous salt solution so that purified water will pass across non-leaking members to the second side and a salt enriched aqueous solution will pass to the second side of leaking members, and measuring the salt content of the aqueous solution on the second side of the member so that leaking members can be detected.

Method for detecting membrane leakage

Gelled fuel compositions having improved burning characteristics comprise a normally liquid petroleum fuel boiling in the range of about 100.degree.-600.degree. F.; a gelling agent; and about 0.5-20 volume percent acetic anhydride.

Gelled hydrocarbon fuels

There is described the preparation of hydrophilic, semi-permeable film membranes having an increase in pores and containing complex-forming metals. The films can be formed from solutions having film-forming material and pore-forming material dissolved in a solvent. The films can be useful for separating a component, e.g. an aliphatically-unsaturated hydrocarbon, from mixtures by the combined use of liquid barrier permeation and metal complexing techniques. The liquid barrier is at least partially within the hydrophilic film membrane during use, and the barrier contains complex-forming metal ions in aqueous solution. The metal ions may be, for example, noble metal, nickel, mercurous, cuprous or other metal ions, and mixtures of these metal ions, and the aqueous solution may contain other cations. The separation of ethylene from ethane and methane is of particular interest.

Method of making a semi-permeable, essentially water-insoluble,

Novel gas separation film membranes are made by grafting alpha-olefinic, polymerizable monomers having hydrophilic functional groups and having, e.g., about from 2 to about 12 carbon atoms, to nylon, and forming a film from the resulting copolymers. A complex-forming metal component which is active in the presence of water is provided in the film. The invention also includes the process of separating components from gaseous mixtures using the membranes. Of particular interest is the separation of aliphatically-unsaturated hydrocarbons from mixtures, for example, the separation of ethylene from one or more of ethane, methane and hydrogen.

Gas separation membrane

Hollow membrane fibers are formed from a mixture of N-alkoxyalkyl polyamide, polyvinyl alcohol, di(lower alkyl) sulfoxide and water. The fibers are useful for separating chemicals, e.g., aliphatically-unsaturated hydrocarbons, from mixtures containing them.

Product

There is described an improved separation membrane-liquid barrier system of the type containing complex-forming, metal-containing ionic components, and an improved separation process in which the membrane-liquid barrier is employed. The membrane is in contact with an aqueous liquid barrier containing cuprous ions, such as a cuprous salt or a cuprous salt complex, e.g. a CuCl complex, preferably a CuCl--NH.sub.4 Cl--HCl complex, and the barrier is in contact with a reducing agent that retards the complexing Cu.sup.+ ion from being oxidized to Cu.sup.+.sup.2. The reducing agent is relatively stable when positioned in the membrane and is not unduly oxidized by air nor does it unduly interfere with the essential function of the cuprous ions during the separation process. Elemental copper may function as a reducing agent that retards oxidation of Cu.sup.+ ion to Cu.sup.+.sup.2. The liquid barrier containing complex-forming cuprous ions can be subjected to a strong reducing agent during the separation process to reduce some of the cuprous ions to elemental copper.

Fluid separation process and membrane

There is described an improved membrane-liquid barrier system of the type containing complex-forming, silver-containing ion component in an aqueous solution, and an improved process in which the membrane-liquid barrier combination can be employed to separate olefinically-unsaturated hydrocarbons. The membrane is in contact with an aqueous solution having dissolved therein complex-forming silver-containing ions, and further includes small but effective amounts of hydrogen peroxide to retard reduction of the ionic silver to elemental silver.

Membrane process and product

Semi-permeable membranes are made from polyamides, especially N-alkoxyalkyl polyamides, and water-soluble polyvinyl alcohols. The membranes are preferably formed as fibers. The membranes can be made from compositions containing the polymer components and a di(lower alkyl) sulfoxide, e.g. dimethyl sulfoxide. The membranes may contain complex-forming metal components. The membranes are useful for separating chemicals from their mixtures by techniques using an aqueous liquid barrier and complex-forming metals, e.g. for the separation of aliphatically-unsaturated hydrocarbons such as ethylene from close-boiling hydrocarbons.

Semi-permeable membrane compositions based on blends of polyamides and

Novel separation film membranes are made with cross-linked hydrophilic polyvinyl alcohol and nylon, and the films contain complex-forming metal components which are active in the presence of water. The polyvinyl alcohol is cross-linked by reaction with a polycarboxylic acid. The invention includes the membranes, their method of manufacture, and the method of using them to separate one or more components of a gaseous mixture.

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Naperville, IL, United States of America

Edward F Steigelmann