Claims
- 1. A method for converting a feed including an oxygenate to a product including ethylene, said method comprising:providing a feed including an oxygenate; contacting said feed in a reaction zone of a reactor apparatus with a catalyst including a molecular sieve, said contacting taking place under conditions effective to convert said oxygenate to a product including ethylene, said conditions including a gas superficial velocity of at least two meters per second at at least one point in said reaction zone; and recirculating a first portion of said catalyst to recontact said feed.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said gas superficial velocity is greater than about 2.5 meters per second at at least one point in said reaction zone.
- 3. The method of claim 2 wherein said gas superficial velocity is greater than about 4 meters per second at at least one point in said reaction zone.
- 4. The method of claim 1 further including at least one step selected from a group consisting of the following: providing a portion of said feed to said reactor apparatus in a liquid form; providing non-reactive solids to said reactor apparatus; and providing a liquid diluent to said reactor apparatus.
- 5. The method of claim 4 wherein said at least one step controls a temperature differential in said reactor apparatus.
- 6. The method of claim 4 wherein said at least one step comprises providing non-reactive solids to said reactor apparatus and said method further includes the steps of removing a second portion of said catalyst and non-reactive solids from said reactor apparatus; regenerating at least a portion of said second portion of said catalyst and said non-reactive solids removed from said reactor apparatus to form a regenerated portion of catalyst and non-reactive solids; and returning said regenerated portion of said catalyst and said non-reactive solids to said reactor apparatus.
- 7. The method of claim 6 further including, prior to the step of returning said regenerated portion of said catalyst and said non-reactive solids to said reactor apparatus, the step of cooling said regenerated catalyst along and said non-reactive solids to a temperature which is from about 200° C. higher to about 200° C. lower than a temperature of said second portion of said catalyst and said non-reactive solids removed from said reactor apparatus.
- 8. The method of claim 4 wherein said at least one step comprises providing a liquid diluent to said reactor apparatus at a plurality of positions on said reactor apparatus.
- 9. The method of claim 4 wherein said portion of said feed in said liquid form is provided to said reactor apparatus at a plurality of positions on said reactor apparatus.
- 10. The method of claim 1 said conditions further comprise a weight hourly space velocity of at least about 20 hr−1.
- 11. The method of claim 1 wherein said oxygenate is selected from the group consisting of methanol; ethanol; n-propanol; isopropanol; C4-C10 alcohols; methyl ethyl ether; dimethyl ether; diethyl ether; di-isopropyl ether; methyl formate; formaldehyde; di-methyl carbonate; methyl ethyl carbonate, acetone; and mixtures thereof.
- 12. The method of claim 11 wherein said oxygenate is selected from the group consisting of methanol, dimethyl ether and mixtures thereof.
- 13. The method of claim 12 further including the step of forming said oxygenate.
- 14. The method claim 1 wherein said molecular sieve is a silicoaluminophosphate molecular sieve.
- 15. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of: removing a second portion of said catalyst from said reactor apparatus; regenerating at least a portion of said second portion of said catalyst removed from said reactor apparatus to form a regenerated portion of catalyst; and returning said regenerated portion of said catalyst to said reactor apparatus.
- 16. The method of claim 15 further including, prior to the step of returning said regenerated portion of said catalyst to said reactor apparatus, the step of cooling said at least a portion of said regenerated catalyst to a temperature which is from about 200° C. higher to about 200° C. lower than the temperature of said catalyst removed from said reactor apparatus.
- 17. The method of claim 1 wherein said recirculating of said first portion of said catalyst maintains a temperature differential in said reaction zone at less than about 100° C.
- 18. The method of claim 17 wherein said recirculating of said first portion of said catalyst maintains said temperature differential in said reaction zone at less than about 50° C.
- 19. The method of claim 18 wherein said recirculating of said first portion of said catalyst maintains said temperature differential in said reaction zone at less than about 30° C.
- 20. The method of claim 1 further including the step of recovering said ethylene.
- 21. The method of claim 20 further including the step of polymerizing said ethylene to form a polyethylene.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent application 09/708,753 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,552,240, filed Nov. 8, 2000, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application 09/414,256 now U.S. Pat. No 6,455,747, filed Oct. 7, 1999, which is a continuation of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/135,377 filed May 21, 1999 and which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/887,766, filed July 3, 1997 which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,023,005. All of these applications are incorporated by reference herein.
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Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60/135377 |
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US |
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/708753 |
Nov 2000 |
US |
Child |
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|
US |
Continuation in Parts (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/414256 |
Oct 1999 |
US |
Child |
09/708753 |
|
US |
Parent |
08/887766 |
Jul 1997 |
US |
Child |
09/414256 |
|
US |