Sasol Technology Proprietary Limited

Sasol Technology (pty) Limited

Matthew James Overett

Kevin Blann

John Thomas Dixon

David Hedley Morgan

Hulisani Maumela

Annette Bollmann

Esna Killian

Moses Mokgolela Mogorosi

Munaka Christopher Maumela

Fiona Millicent Hess

Arno Neveling

Stefanus Otto

Molise Stephen Mokhadinyana

Richard Neil Walsh

Stephen John Evans

Nicolaus Ladislaus Stark

Craig McGregor

Denise Louisette Venter

Michael James Green

Lana Pepler

Hamdani Ahmed Mahomed

Jan-Albert Van Den Berg

Elzet Grobler

Palesa Nongodlwana

Kenny Tenza

Cedric Wahl Holzapfel

Werner Janse Van Rensburg

Craig Mcgregor

Hulisani 31 San Raphael Maumela

A process for the tetramerization of ethylene includes contacting ethylene with a catalyst under ethylene oligomerization conditions. The catalyst comprises a source of chromium, a ligating compound, and an activator. The ligating compound includes a phosphine that forms part of a cyclic structure.

Tetramerisation of ethylene

A process for the oligomerization of ethylene to predominantly 1-hexene or 1-octene or mixtures of 1-hexene and 1-octene includes contacting ethylene with a catalyst under ethylene oligomerization conditions. The catalyst comprises a source of chromium, a diphosphine ligating compound, and optionally an activator. The diphosphine ligating compound includes at least one optionally substituted fused cyclic structure including at least two rings, the optionally substituted fused cyclic structure including a 5- to 7-membered aromatic first ring bonded to a phosphorus atom, the aromatic first ring being fused to a 4- to 8-membered heterocyclic second ring, the heterocyclic second ring including a heteroatom which is separated by two ring atoms along the shortest connecting path from the phosphorous atom that is bonded to the first aromatic ring.

Oligomerisation of ethylene to mixtures of 1-hexene and 1-octene

A process for the oligomerization, preferably the tetramerization, of ethylene to predominantly 1-hexene or 1-octene or mixtures of 1-hexene and 1-octene includes contacting ethylene with a catalyst under ethylene oligomerization conditions. The catalyst comprises a source of chromium, a diphosphine ligating compound, and optionally an activator. The diphosphine ligating compound includes at least one substituted aromatic ring bonded to a phosphorous atom. The substituted aromatic ring is substituted at a ring atom adjacent to the ring atom bonded to the respective phosphorous atom with a group Y, where Y is of the form &#x2014;AR, A being O, S or NR, where Ris a hydrocarbyl, heterohydrocarbyl or organoheteryl group, and Ris an electron withdrawing group.

A process () for oligomerising a hydrocarbon to form at least one co-monomer product () includes feeding a hydrocarbon reactant and organic liquid diluent solvent () into an oligomerisation reactor (). The organic liquid diluent solvent has a normal boiling point below the normal boiling point of 1-hexene but above &#x2212;20&#xb0; C., or the organic diluent solvent is in the form of a solvent admixture with at least 70% by mass of the solvent admixture constituting organic diluent solvents having a normal boiling point below the normal boiling point of 1-hexene but above &#x2212;20&#xb0; C. The oligomerisation reactor () holds at least one co-monomer product formed in the oligomerisation reactor admixed with a catalyst system () introduced into the oligomerisation reactor (). The catalyst system () includes a catalyst dissolved in at least one catalyst solvent. At least a portion of the hydrocarbon reactant is oligomerised in the reactor () to form co-monomer product and polymeric by-product as part of a liquid product, which is withdrawn. When there is only one catalyst solvent and only one organic liquid diluent solvent, the catalyst solvent and the organic liquid diluent solvent are not the same solvent. When there is more than one catalyst solvent or more than one organic liquid diluent solvent, at least one of the catalyst solvents is not also used as organic liquid diluent solvent or at least one of the organic liquid diluent solvents is not also used at the catalyst solvent. The mass ratio of all organic liquid diluent solvent introduced into the oligomerisation reactor to all catalyst solvent introduced into the oligomerisation reactor over a selected time period is between 15:1 and 4500:1.

Process for oligomerising a hydrocarbon to form at least one co-monomer product

A process for the tetramerisation of ethylene under solution phase conditions is carried out in the presence of an activated catalyst at a temperature above 80&#xb0; C. and up to a temperature of about 115&#xb0; C. The activated catalyst is provided by combining a source of chromium, a diphosphine ligating compound and optionally a catalyst activator or combination of catalyst activators. The process forms at least 30% 1-octene and a polyethylene co-product that, together with any other reaction products, remains substantially dissolved in the liquid phase. The polyethylene co-product has a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of less than 200 000 g/mol, a number average molecular weight (Mn) of less than 3 000 g/mol, and a melt flow index of more than 20 g/10 minutes.

A process for the tetramerisation of ethylene under solution phase conditions is carried out in the presence of an activated catalyst at a temperature above 80&#xb0; C. and up to a temperature of about 130&#xb0; C. The activated catalyst is provided by combining a source of chromium, a ligating compound, which ligating compound includes at least one fluorine substituted hydrocarbyl group, organoheteryl group, or heterohydrocarbyl group, and optionally a catalyst activator or combination of catalyst activators.

According to the present invention there is provided a process for producing an oligomeric product by the oligomerisation of at least one olefinic compound including: A) providing an activated oligomerisation catalyst comprising the combination of: i) a source of a transition metal; ii) a ligating compound of the formula (R)X(Y)X(R)iii) a metal containing activator; and (iv) at least one olefinic compound; B) diluting the activated oligomerisation catalyst of A with an introduced liquid medium; and C) contacting the at least one olefinic compound to be oligomerised with the diluted activated catalyst of B to produce an oligomeric product.

Oligomerisation of olefinic compounds in the presence of a diluted metal containing activator

This invention relates to a process for producing an oligomeric product by the oligomerization of at least one olefinic compound by contacting the at least one olefinic compound with an oligomerization catalyst in an aliphatic liquid medium at a reaction temperature of at least 50&#xb0; C. The catalyst comprises the combination of a source of a transition metal; and a ligating compound of the formula (R)X(Y) X(R).

Oligomerisation of olefinic compounds in an aliphatic medium

The invention describes a process for trimerisation olefins, which process includes the step of contacting an olefinic feedstream with a catalyst system which includes a transition metal compound and a heteroatomic ligand and wherein the trimer is an olefin and wherein the heteroatomic ligand is described by the following general formula (R)A-B-C(R).

Trimerisation of olefins

The invention describes a process for tetramerisation of olefins wherein the product stream of the process contains more than 30% of the tetramer olefin. The process includes the step of contacting an olefinic feedstream with a catalyst system containing a transition metal compound and a heteroatomic ligand.

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Johannesburg, South Africa

Matthew James Overett