Medium oil used for a synthesis reaction, process for preparing dimethyl ether and process for preparing a mixture of dimethyl ether and methanol
A medium oil to be used for a synthesis reaction in a slurry-bed reaction procedure. The medium oil has as a main component, a branched, saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon having 16 to 50 carbon atoms, 1 to 7 tertiary carbon atoms, 0 quaternary carbon atoms, and 1 to 16 carbon atoms in the branched chains bonded to the tertiary carbon atoms; and at least one of the tertiary carbon atoms is bonded to hydrocarbon chains with a chain length having 4 or more carbon atoms in three directions.
1 . A medium oil which is used for a synthesis reaction in a slurry-bed reaction procedure comprising, as a main component, a branched, saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon having 16 to 50 carbon atoms, 1 to 7 tertiary carbon atoms, 0 quaternary carbon atoms, and 1 to 16 carbon atoms in the branched chains bonded to the tertiary carbon atoms; and at least one of the tertiary carbon atoms being bonded to hydrocarbon chains with a chain length having 4 more carbon atoms in three directions.
2 . The medium oil according to claim 1 , wherein the branched, saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon has 20 to 40 carbon atoms and 1 to 4 tertiary carbon atoms.
3 . The medium oil according to claim 1 , wherein the branched, saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon is represented by formula (I):
wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 4 are independently an n- or iso-alkyl group having 4 to 16 carbon atoms, R 3 is an n- or iso-alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, m is an integer of 1 to 7, n is an integer of 0 to 37, and p is an integer of 0 to 12, provided that —(CR 2 H)—, —(CH 2 )— and —(CR 3 H)— are bonded in any order and the total numbers of each unit are m, n and p, respectively.
4 . The medium oil according to claim 1 , wherein the branched, saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon is an α-olefin polymer.
5 . A medium oil which is used for a synthesis reaction in a slurry-bed reaction procedure comprising, as a main component, a branched, saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon which is a dimer to an octamer obtained through polymerization or copolymerization of an α-olefin having 6 to 18 carbon atoms.
6 . The medium oil according to claims 1 to 5 , which has a pour point of −10° C. or lower.
7 . The medium oil according to claim 1 or 5 , wherein the synthesis reaction with the slurry-bed reaction procedure comprises producing an oxygen-containing organic compound from a raw gas containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen.
8 . The medium oil according to claim 7 , wherein the oxygen-containing organic compound is dimethyl ether.
9 . A process for preparing dimethyl ether comprising passing a raw gas containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen through a catalyst slurry containing a mixture comprising (a) the medium oil described in claim 1 or 5 , (b) a methanol synthesis catalyst, (c) a methanol dehydration catalyst and (d) a methanol shift catalyst or a methanol dehydration/shift catalyst.
10 . A process for preparing a mixture of dimethyl ether and methanol comprising passing a raw gas containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen through a catalyst slurry containing a mixture comprising (a) the medium oil described in claim 1 or 5 , (b) a methanol synthesis catalyst, (c) a methanol dehydration catalyst and (d) a methanol shift catalyst or a methanol dehydration/shift catalyst.