Conversion of a hydrogen fluoride alkylation unit to a sulfuric acid alkylation unit and apparatus utilized therein

1. A method for converting a hydrogen fluoride alkylation unit which utilizes hydrogen fluoride as a reaction catalyst to a sulfuric acid alkylation unit, the hydrogen fluoride alkylation unit comprising an HF alkylation reactor, an HF alkylation fractionation section comprising at least one fractionator, and an HF acid relief neutralizer vessel, the method comprising:

(a) substituting sulfuric acid for hydrogen fluoride as the reaction catalyst;

(b) retaining the HF acid relief neutralizer vessel as a blowdown vapor scrubber;

(c) retaining the HF alkylation fractionation section as a sulfuric acid alkylation fractionation section;

(d) providing at least one sulfuric acid alkylation reactor;

(e) providing a refrigeration section comprising a refrigerant compressor and a heat exchanger for condensing a vapor stream from the refrigerant compressor;

(f) providing a conduit for recycling an isoparaffin comprising isobutane from the refrigeration section to said at least one sulfuric acid alkylation reactor; and

(g) providing a feed/effluent heat exchanger for cooling a hydrocarbon feed stream and heating a net effluent stream.

2. A segmented sulfuric acid settler for separating a sulfuric acid phase from a hydrocarbon phase, the sulfuric acid settler comprising:

(a) a vertical vessel having an outlet at its top section, a vertical interior wall, and a bottom;

(b) at least one internal vertical wall defining two or more settling chambers within the vessel;

(c) an inlet for each settling chamber for ingress of a sulfuric acid/hydrocarbon emulsion;

(d) an outlet for each settling chamber located below the inlet for that settling chamber for exit of the sulfuric acid phase from that settling chamber; and

(e) a coalescing media extending substantially the full diameter of the vertical vessel, the coalescing media being positioned above the at least one internal vertical wall.

3. The segmented sulfuric acid settler of claim 2 , wherein the coalescing media comprises a first coalescing media and a second coalescing media, the first coalescing media extends substantially the full diameter of the vertical vessel and is positioned above the at least one internal vertical wall, the second coalescing media extends substantially the full diameter of the vertical vessel and is spaced above the first coalescing media but below the outlet at the top section of the vessel.

4. The segmented sulfuric acid settler of claim 3 wherein the at least one internal vertical wall extends upwardly from the bottom of the vertical vessel to the first coalescing media.

5. A method for converting a hydrogen fluoride alkylation unit which utilizes hydrogen fluoride as a reaction catalyst to a sulfuric acid alkylation unit, the method comprising:

(a) substituting sulfuric acid for hydrogen fluoride as the reaction catalyst; and

(b) modifying a suitable vessel in the hydrogen fluoride alkylation unit to provide a segmented sulfuric acid settler as set forth in claim 2 .

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the hydrogen fluoride alkylation unit comprises a vertical HF acid settler, and the vertical HF acid settler is modified to provide the segmented sulfuric acid settler.

7. A method for converting a hydrogen fluoride alkylation unit which utilizes hydrogen fluoride as a reaction catalyst to a sulfuric acid alkylation unit, the method comprising:

(a) substituting sulfuric acid for hydrogen fluoride as the reaction catalyst; and

(b) providing a new segmented sulfuric acid settler as set forth in claim 2 .

8. The method as in claim 5 , further comprising:

(c) providing two or more sulfuric acid alkylation reaction zones disposed in sequence, each sulfuric acid alkylation reaction zone having a sulfuric acid/hydrocarbon emulsion outlet and a sulfuric acid inlet, the number of the sulfuric acid alkylation reaction zones and the number of the settling chambers being equal; and

(d) providing conduits connecting the sulfuric acid/hydrocarbon emulsion outlet and the sulfuric acid inlet of a sulfuric acid alkylation reaction zone with the inlet and the outlet of a settling chamber respectively so that each sulfuric acid alkylation reaction zone is connected or coupled with a different settling chamber to form one-to-one correspondence.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising: providing a conduit connecting the sulfuric acid inlet of a non-first sulfuric acid alkylation reaction zone with an outlet or an additional outlet (if present) of the immediately preceding settling chamber.

10. A converted sulfuric acid alkylation unit comprising a segmented sulfuric acid settler as set forth in claim 2 .

11. The method as in claim 7 , further comprising:

(c) providing two or more sulfuric acid alkylation reaction zones disposed in sequence, each sulfuric acid alkylation reaction zone having a sulfuric acid/hydrocarbon emulsion outlet and a sulfuric acid inlet, the number of the sulfuric acid alkylation reaction zones and the number of the settling chambers being equal; and

(d) providing conduits connecting the sulfuric acid/hydrocarbon emulsion outlet and the sulfuric acid inlet of a sulfuric acid alkylation reaction zone with the inlet and the outlet of a settling chamber respectively so that each sulfuric acid alkylation reaction zone is connected or coupled with a different settling chamber to form one-to-one correspondence.

12. A method for converting a vertical HF acid settler to a segmented sulfuric acid settler, the vertical HF acid settler comprising a vertical vessel having an outlet at its top section, a vertical interior wall, a bottom, and an internal baffle extending upwardly from the bottom of the vertical vessel, the method comprising:

(a) retaining the internal baffle to provide at least one internal vertical wall defining settling chambers within the vessel, said internal vertical wall extending upwardly from the bottom of the vertical vessel;

(b) retaining the outlet which is at the top section of the vertical vessel;

(c) providing a first coalescing media extending substantially the full diameter of the vertical vessel, the first coalescing media being positioned above the internal vertical wall; and

(d) providing an inlet and an outlet for each of said settling chambers, the outlet of a settling chamber being positioned below the inlet of said settling chamber.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising: providing a second coalescing media extending substantially the full diameter of the vertical vessel, the second coalescing media being spaced above the first coalescing media but below the outlet at the top section of the vertical vessel.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

(e) installing additional one or more internal vertical walls defining additional settling chambers within the vessel, said additional one or more internal vertical walls extending upwardly from the bottom of the vertical vessel and having substantially the same height as the at least one internal vertical wall converted from the internal baffle; and

(f) providing an inlet and an outlet for each of said additional settling chambers, the outlet of a settling chamber being positioned below the inlet of said settling chamber.

15. A method for converting a vertical HF acid settler to a segmented sulfuric acid settler, the vertical HF acid settler comprising a vertical vessel having an outlet at its top section, a vertical interior wall, a bottom, and internal components comprising an internal baffle extending upwardly from the bottom of the vertical vessel, the method comprising:

(a) removing the internal components from the vertical vessel;

(b) installing one or more internal vertical walls defining two or more settling chambers within the vessel, said one or more internal vertical walls extending upwardly from the bottom of the vertical vessel;

(c) retaining the outlet which is at the top section of the vertical vessel;

(d) providing a first coalescing media extending substantially the full diameter of the vertical vessel, the first coalescing media being positioned above the one or more internal vertical walls; and

(e) providing an inlet and an outlet for each of said two or more settling chambers, the outlet of a settling chamber being positioned below the inlet of said settling chamber.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising: providing a second coalescing media extending substantially the full diameter of the vertical vessel, the second coalescing media being spaced above the first coalescing media but below the outlet at the top section of the vertical vessel.