Continuous feed of antistatic agent for gas phase polymerization process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11820879-B2
Application number	US-201916728802-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2019
Priority date	Dec 28, 2018
Publication date	Nov 21, 2023
Grant date	Nov 21, 2023

Abstract

Methods may include reacting an antistatic agent with at least one alkylaluminum to form an antistatic complex, and may further include feeding the antistatic complex into a polymerization process. Methods of using an antistatic agent in a polymerization process may include feeding the antistatic agent into the polymerization process and, subsequently, reacting the antistatic agent with at least one alkylaluminum.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
reacting an antistatic agent with at least one alkylaluminum to form an antistatic complex, wherein
the antistatic agent is an ester of a fatty acid,
the antistatic complex comprises the ester of the fatty acid, the at least one alkylaluminum, and
one or more reaction products between the ester of the fatty acid and the at least one alkylaluminum, and
the one or more reaction products comprise aluminum stearates.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
feeding the antistatic complex into a polymerization process.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising mixing the antistatic agent with at least one hydrocarbon compound before reacting the antistatic agent with the at least one alkylaluminum.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more reaction products further comprise alkylaluminums that are different from the at least one alkylaluminum that is reacted with the antistatic agent.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the at least one hydrocarbon compound is a C3-C6 hydrocarbon.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the at least one hydrocarbon compound is saturated.

7. The method of claim 3 , wherein the at least one hydrocarbon compound is unsaturated.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein an amount of the antistatic agent is of a molar ratio ranging from 1:1 to 1:200, relative to an amount of the at least one alkylaluminum.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein an amount of the antistatic agent is of a molar ratio ranging from 1:10 to 1:150, relative to an amount of the at least one alkylaluminum.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein an amount of the antistatic agent is of a molar ratio ranging from 1:50 to 1:100, relative to an amount of the at least one alkylaluminum.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one alkylaluminum is triethylaluminum.

12. The method of claim 3 , wherein an amount of the antistatic agent is of a mass ratio ranging from 1:10 to 9:10, relative to an amount of the at least one hydrocarbon compound.

13. The method of claim 3 , wherein the antistatic agent and the at least one hydrocarbon compound are mixed with either a continuous stirred-tank reactor or an in-line mixer.

14. The method of claim 2 , wherein the antistatic complex is fed into the polymerization process by a valveless pump.

15. The method of claim 2 , wherein the polymerization process is a gas-phase polymerization.

16. The method of claim 2 , wherein the polymerization process involves the use of either a metallocene or a Ziegler-Natta catalyst.

17. The method of claim 2 , wherein the polymerization process polymerizes at least one or more of ethylene, propylene, butene, and hexene.

18. The method of claim 2 , wherein the polymerization process produces a homopolymer.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the homopolymer is one of polypropylene and polyethylene.

20. The method of claim 2 , wherein the polymerization process produces a copolymer.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the copolymer is one of polypropylene random copolymer, polypropylene heterophasic copolymer, polypropylene terpolymer and linear low-density polyethylene.

22. The method of claim 2 , wherein the antistatic complex fed into the polymerization process at one or more of a gas phase reactor, a loop reactor, a discharge reactor line, a gas phase recycle line, a bag filter, or a heat exchanger, that are being used to perform the polymerization process.

23. The method of claim 2 , wherein the feeding occurs continuously during the polymerization process.

24. The method of claim 2 , wherein the antistatic agent is fed at a rate into the polymerization process in an amount ranging from 5 to 1000 ppm by weight, relative to a rate of polymer production.

25. A method of using an antistatic agent in a polymerization process, the method comprising:
feeding the antistatic agent into the polymerization process, wherein the antistatic agent is an ester of a fatty acid; and subsequently
reacting the antistatic agent with at least one alkylaluminum, wherein reacting the antistatic agent with the at least one alkylaluminum gives an antistatic complex that comprises the ester of the fatty acid, the at least one alkylaluminum, and one or more reaction products between the ester of the fatty acid and the at least one alkylaluminum, wherein the one or more reaction products comprise aluminum stearates.

26. The method of claim 25 , further comprising: mixing the antistatic agent with at least one hydrocarbon compound before feeding the antistatic agent into the polymerization process.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the at least one hydrocarbon compound is a C3-C6 hydrocarbon.

28. The method of claim 26 , wherein the at least one hydrocarbon compound is saturated.

29. The method of claim 26 , wherein the at least one hydrocarbon compound is unsaturated.

30. The method of claim 25 , wherein an amount of the antistatic agent is of a molar ratio ranging from 1:1 to 1:200, relative to an amount of the at least one alkylaluminum.

31. The method of claim 25 , wherein the at least one alkylaluminum is one of triethylaluminum and triisobutylaluminum.

32. The method of claim 25 , wherein an amount of the antistatic agent is of a mass ratio ranging from 1:10 to 9:10, relative to an amount of the at least one hydrocarbon compound.

33. The method of claim 25 , wherein the feeding occurs continuously during the polymerization process.

34. The method of claim 25 , wherein the antistatic agent is fed at a rate into the polymerization process in an amount ranging from 5 to 1000 ppm by weight, relative to a rate of polymer production.

Assignees

• Braskem Sa

Inventors

• Martins Junior Olavo
• Pozzer Dihogenes Adriano
• Cavalli Élita
• Fisch Adriano Giraldi
• Jimenez Roberto Osório

Classifications

• C08K5/56 Primary

  Organo-metallic compounds, i.e. organic compounds containing a metal-to-carbon bond · CPC title

• C07F5/062

  Al linked exclusively to C · CPC title

• C08F10/02

  Ethene · CPC title

• C08F10/06

  Propene · CPC title

• C08K2201/001

  Conductive additives · CPC title