Method for altering melt flow ratio of ethylene polymers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10836851-B2
Application number	US-201816117063-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2018
Priority date	Aug 20, 2015
Publication date	Nov 17, 2020
Grant date	Nov 17, 2020

Abstract

A method for altering the melt flow ratio (MFR) of ethylene copolymers made in a gas phase reactor using a supported Ziegler-Natta catalyst treated with a catalyst modifier. The method involves changing the amount of the catalyst modifier added to the supported Ziegler-Natta polymerization catalyst to effect changes in the MFR of the resulting polymer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for altering the melt flow ratio of an ethylene polymer or copolymer, said method comprising:
i) introducing a polymerization catalyst into a gas phase reactor, said polymerization catalyst comprising:
a) a Ziegler-Natta catalyst and an inert support:

ii) feeding from 1 to 100 ppm of a catalyst modifier into the reactor based on the weight of the ethylene polymer or copolymer produced, the catalyst modifier comprising a compound having the formula: R 1 R 2 x N((CH 2 ) n OH) y where R 1 is a hydrocarbyl group having from 5 to 30 carbon atoms, R 2 is hydrogen or a hydrocarbyl group having from 1 to 30 carbon atoms, x is 1 or 0, y is an integer, the sum of x and y is 2 and each n is independently an integer from 1 to 30;
iii) polymerizing ethylene and optionally an alpha olefin to give the ethylene polymer or copolymer;

wherein the melt flow ratio of said ethylene polymer or copolymer is altered by changing the amount of the catalyst modifier in said polymerization catalyst by at least 5 ppm (based on the weight of the ethylene polymer or copolymer produced).

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the catalyst modifier comprises at least one compound of the formula: R 1 N((CH 2 ) n OH) ((CH 2 ) m OH) where R 1 is a hydrocarbyl group having from 5 to 30 carbon atoms, and n and m are integers from 1 to 20.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the catalyst modifier comprises at least one compound of the formula: R 1 N((CH 2 ) x OH) 2 where R 1 is a hydrocarbyl group having from 6 to 30 carbon atoms, and x is independently an integer from 1 to 20.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the catalyst modifier comprises at least one compound of the formula: R 1 N((CH 2 ) x OH) 2 where R 1 is a hydrocarbyl group having from 6 to 30 carbon atoms, and x is 2 or 3.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the catalyst modifier comprises at least one compound of the formula: R 1 N(CH 2 CH 2 OH) 2 where R 1 is a hydrocarbyl group having from 8 to 22 carbon atoms.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the catalyst modifier comprises a compound of the formula: C 18 H 37 N(CH 2 CH 2 OH) 2 .

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the catalyst modifier comprises compounds of the formulas: C 13 H 27 N(CH 2 CH 2 OH) 2 and C 15 H 31 N(CH 2 CH 2 OH) 2 .

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the catalyst modifier comprises a mixture of compounds of the formula: R 1 N(CH 2 CH 2 OH) 2 where R 1 is a hydrocarbyl group having from 8 to 18 carbon atoms.

Assignees

• Nova Chem Int Sa

Inventors

• Ker Victoria
• Hoang Peter Phung Minh

Classifications

• C08F210/16 Primary

  Copolymers of ethene with alpha-alkenes, e.g. EP rubbers · CPC title

• C08F2410/02

  Anti-static agent incorporated into the catalyst · CPC title

• C08F2410/01

  Additive used together with the catalyst, excluding compounds containing Al or B · CPC title

• C08F210/14 Primary

  Monomers containing five or more carbon atoms · CPC title

• C08F4/6495

  containing nitrogen · CPC title