A process for paraffin alkylation of isoalkane with isoolefins in which an
olefin component comprising oligomerized propylene, oligomerized
isoolefin or mixtures thereof is fed to a paraffin alkylation unit
wherein the dissociated olefin components forming the oligomers react
with isoalkane to produce a reaction mixture containing an alkylate and
unreacted isoalkane The reaction mixture is fractionally distilled to
recover unreacted isoalkane as overheads and alkylate as bottoms. The
stoichiometry of isoolefins to isoalkane in the alkylation unit is
maintained by adjustment of the feed to the oligomerization, for example,
by adding fresh isoalkane to the recovered, unreacted isoalkane from the
alkylation unit being recycled to the oligomerization. Alternatively, a
portion of the recovered unreacted isoalkane is dehydrogenation to an
isoolefin which is added to the oligomerization.