Disclosed herein is a process for producing an alpha olefin comprising obtaining a feed stream comprising an internal olefin having a first carbon number and an alpha olefin having a first carbon number, isomerizing the feed stream to increase the quantity of the alpha olefin, fractionating, subjecting the overhead material from fractionation to catalytic metathesis to produce a mixed olefin effluent comprising an internal olefin having a second carbon number and other hydrocarbons, fractionating, preparing the first isomerization reactor and fractionator to receive the olefin having a second carbon number, isomerizing the internal olefin intermediate in the prepared first isomerization reactor, and fractionating the second isomerization effluent in the prepared first fractionator to separate the alpha olefin having the second carbon number from the internal olefin having the second carbon number. A corresponding system also is disclosed, along with a heat pump that can be incorporated into the process.