Methods for reducing fouling in upgrading reactors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12435015-B2
Application number	US-202017631181-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2020
Priority date	Jul 30, 2019
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

A method for reducing fouling in an oligomerizing reactor that includes upgrading C 2 to C 4 hydrocarbons within the oligomerizing reactor in the presence of a fouling inhibitor having a particle size D 50 of less than 100 μm and forming linear alpha olefins and polymer during the oligomerizing, wherein the fouling inhibitor changes the morphology of the polymer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for reducing fouling in an oligomerization reactor, comprising:
oligomerizing C 2 to C 4 hydrocarbons within the oligomerization reactor in the presence of a fouling inhibitor having a particle size D 50 of less than 100 μm; and
forming linear alpha olefins and olefin polymer mixture, wherein the fouling inhibitor changes the size and/or shape of the olefin polymer mixture.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fouling inhibitor is present in an amount ranging from 2 wt. % to 30 wt. % based on a total amount of olefin polymer mixture formed.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fouling inhibitor is present in an amount ranging from 8 wt. % to 12 wt. % based on a total amount of olefin polymer mixture formed.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fouling inhibitor is selected from low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, silica, or combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the particle size D 50 is less than or equal to 45 μm.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the C 2 to C 4 olefin is selected from ethylene, butadiene, or both; and
the oligomerization reactor operates at a temperature of less than 100° C.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein oligomerizing ethylene produces 1-hexene, 1-octene, or combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the ethylene oligomerization comprises a tetramerization process.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the olefin polymer mixture comprises polyethylene.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein fouling polymer is present in an amount less than 24 wt. % based on a total amount of olefin polymer mixture formed and fouling inhibitor added.

11. A method for reducing fouling in an oligomerization reactor, comprising:
oligomerizing ethylene in the oligomerization reactor in the presence of a fouling inhibitor having a particle size D 50 of less than 100 μm; and
forming linear alpha olefins and polyethylene during the oligomerization, wherein the fouling inhibitor changes the morphology of the polyethylene.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the fouling inhibitor is present in an amount ranging from 8 wt. % to 12 wt. % based on a total amount of polyethylene formed and fouling inhibitor added.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the fouling inhibitor comprises low density polyethylene where the particle size D 50 is less than or equal to 45 μm.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the ethylene oligomerization process comprises a tetramerization process for converting ethylene to 1-octene; and
the oligomerization reactor operates at a temperature of less than 70° C.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein fouling polymer is present in an amount less than 2 wt. % based on a total amount of polyethylene formed and fouling inhibitor added.

Assignees

• Dow Global Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Koenigs David
• Ewart Sean W

Classifications

• C08F10/02

  Ethene · CPC title

• C07C2531/22

  Organic complexes · CPC title

• C07C2531/18

  containing nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic or antimony · CPC title

• C07C2531/14

  of aluminium or boron · CPC title

• C07C2/36 Primary

  as phosphines, arsines, stilbines or bismuthines · CPC title