Non adiabatic 2-phase (liquid-liquid) polymerization process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10844144-B2
Application number	US-201815981935-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2018
Priority date	May 30, 2017
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and conditions for manufacturing a polyethylene polymer or copolymer in a liquid/liquid biphasic non-adiabatic reaction, and the compositions and articles made therefrom.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A continuous process for manufacturing a polyethylene polymer or copolymer in a non-adiabatic liquid/liquid biphasic reaction comprising:
identifying a desired polymer or copolymer product;
charging a non-adiabatic reactor with starting materials and reactants required to obtain the desired polymer or copolymer product;
adding a solvent chosen from aliphatic cyclic, straight or branched C 3-12 hydrocarbon solvents that will facilitate formation of a liquid/liquid bi-phase;
setting and maintaining a reaction temperature required to obtain the desired polymer or copolymer product; and
controlling a reaction pressure to retain the liquid/liquid bi-phase allowing for optimized heat transfer to a cooling medium;
wherein the continuous process allows for heat transfer to the cooling medium that is improved relative to a process for making the same polymer in a single liquid phase and further wherein the continuous process is carried out in a dual reactor system comprising a first reactor, that is operated in either adiabatic or non-adiabatic conditions, and a second reactor that is a non-adiabatic reactor.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the solvent is selected from pentane, methyl pentane, hexane, heptane, octane, cyclopentane, cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane and hydrogenated naphtha, or mixtures thereof.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the solvent is chosen from methylpentane, cyclopentane, cyclohexane, hexane, or mixtures thereof.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the temperature in the non-adiabatic reactor is between 100° C. and 240° C.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein the temperature in the non-adiabatic reactor is between 130° C. and 220° C.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein the pressure in the non-adiabatic reactor is between 2 MPa a and 17 MPa a .

7. The process of claim 1 wherein the pressure in non-adiabatic reactor is between 4 MPa a and 12 MPa a .

8. The process of claim 1 wherein an improvement in heat transfer to the cooling medium relative to a process for making the same polymer in a single phase is at least 20%.

9. The process of claim 1 wherein an improvement in heat transfer to the cooling medium relative to a process for making the same polymer in a single phase is at least 40%.

10. The process of claim 1 wherein the process further comprises monitoring at least one physical property of a reaction mixture to confirm the liquid/liquid biphasic reaction is being maintained.

11. The process of claim 1 wherein the first reactor is chosen from a tube reactor, a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR), or a plug flow reactor (PFR).

12. The process of claim 1 wherein the second reactor is chosen from an adiabatic tube, a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) or a plug flow reactor (PFR).

13. The process of claim 1 wherein the temperature of the first reactor is between 100° C. and 170° C.

14. The process of claim 1 wherein the temperature of the second reactor is between 150° C. and 240° C.

15. The process of claim 1 wherein the temperature of the first reactor is between 100° C. and 170° C. and the temperature of the second reactor is between 150° C. and 240° C.

16. The process of claim 1 wherein the starting materials and reactants comprise a mixture of ethylene and at least one α-olefin and a catalyst.

17. The process of claim 16 where in the α-olefin is chosen from 1-butene, 1-hexene, or 1-octene.

18. The process of claim 16 wherein the catalyst is chosen from Ziegler Natta catalysts, metallocene, or non-metallocene single site catalysts.

19. The process of claim 10 wherein the reaction mixture is monitored using near infrared (NIR) or viscosity measurements.

Assignees

• Nova Chem Int Sa

Inventors

• Brown Stephen
• Lacombe Yves
• Molloy Brian
• Vanasseldonk Lawrence
• Salomons Stephen

Classifications

• C08F2500/12

  Melt flow index or melt flow ratio · CPC title

• C08F2500/07

  High density, i.e. > 0.95 g/cm3 · CPC title

• C08F210/16

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

• C08F210/14

  Monomers containing five or more carbon atoms · CPC title

• C08F110/02

  Ethene · CPC title