MTBE catalyst shows increased conversion in commercial unit

Journal Article · Mon Oct 10 00:00:00 EDT 1994 · Oil and Gas Journal; (United States)

OSTI ID:6847763

Rising demand for methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) has spawned interest in finding a cost-effective means of increasing production from existing units. A commercial trial of an improved MTBE catalyst was conducted recently at Lyondell Petrochemical Co.'s Channelview, Tex., plant. The new catalyst called Amberlyst 35 Wet, enhanced oxygenate production in the Lyondell trial. The new catalyst changes the activity coefficients of at least one of the components of the MTBE reaction, resulting in higher equilibrium conversion relative to its first-generation counterpart. Key catalyst properties are: particle size, 0.4--1.25 mm; Apparent density, 0.82 g/ml; Surface area, 44 sq m/g; Moisture content, 56%; Concentration of acid sites, 1.9 meq/ml (5.4 meq/g); Porosity, 0.35 cc/g; and Average pore diameter, 300 [angstrom]. Suggested operating conditions are: maximum temperature, 284 F (140 C); minimum bed depth, 24 in. (0.61 m); and liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV), 1--5 hr[sup [minus]1].

• OSTI ID: 6847763
• Journal Information: Oil and Gas Journal; (United States), Vol. 92:41; ISSN 0030-1388
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
CATALYSTS
PERFORMANCE
ETHERS
SYNTHESIS
FUEL ADDITIVES
CHEMICAL REACTION YIELD
METHANOL
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SURFACE PROPERTIES
ADDITIVES
ALCOHOLS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
YIELDS
020500* - Petroleum- Products & By-Products
100200 - Synthetic Fuels- Production- (1990-)