Polymerization plant having parallel cooling channels in a recycle connection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018171044-A1
Application number	US-201615579882-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 14, 2016
Priority date	Jun 15, 2015
Publication date	Jun 21, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a plant for performing polymerization, such as the polymerization of ethylene, having a recycle connection with two or more cooling channels arranged in parallel, a process for polymerization and downstream processes, and a plant for polymerization, comprising the following plant components in fluid communication:
a) A reactor with an inlet side and an outlet side; b) A recycle connection positioned in fluid communication between the outlet side of the reactor and the inlet side of the reactor; wherein the recycle connection comprises two or more cooling channels arranged in parallel.

First claim

1 . A plant ( 100 ) for performing polymerization, comprising the following plant components in fluid communication:
a) a reactor ( 4 ) with an inlet side ( 21 ) and an outlet side ( 22 ); and b) a recycle connection ( 11 ) positioned in fluid communication between the outlet side ( 22 ) of the reactor ( 4 ) and the inlet side ( 21 ) of the reactor ( 4 ); wherein the recycle connection ( 11 ) comprises two or more cooling channels arranged in parallel.

2 . The plant ( 100 ) of claim 1 , wherein the recycle connection ( 11 ) comprises a bundle cooler comprising two or more cooling channels.

3 . The plant ( 100 ) of claim 1 , wherein the recycle connection ( 11 ) comprises two or more bundle coolers arranged in parallel, each comprising two or more cooling channels.

4 . The plant ( 100 ) of claim 1 , wherein the reactor ( 4 ) is a tubular reactor.

5 . The plant ( 100 ) of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the cooling channels is arranged vertically.

6 . A process for the preparation of a polymer by polymerizing ethylene in a plant ( 100 ) according to claim 1 .

7 . The process of claim 6 , wherein the process is a continuous process.

8 . The process of claim 6 , wherein the pressure drop across the recycle connection ( 11 ) is less than about 20 MPa.

9 . The process of claim 6 , wherein the speed of fluid to be cooled flowing in one or more of the cooling channels is less than about 10 m/s.

10 . The process of claim 6 , wherein the ethylene is comprised in a fluid, comprising the following step:
b) a first portion of the fluid flows through a subset A, consisting of one or more of the cooling channels, with a mass flow rate α, and a second portion of the fluid flows through a subset B, consisting of one or more of the cooling channels not belonging to subset A, with a mass flow rate β, wherein α is at least twice β;
wherein the mass flow rates α and β are in terms of the mass flowing through respective cooling channels per second, expressed in kg·s −1 .

11 . The process of claim 10 , wherein, in step a), the mass flow rate of coolant supplied to the subset A is higher than the mass flow rate of coolant supplied to the subset B by at least about 10%, based on the mass flow rate of coolant supplied to the subset B, wherein mass flow rate is in terms of the mass of coolant flowing per second, expressed in kg·s −1 .

12 . The process of claim 10 , wherein, in step a), the temperature of the coolant supplied to the subset B is higher than the temperature of coolant supplied to subset A by at least about 5 K.

13 . The process of claim 10 , further comprising the following step:
b) a first portion of the fluid flows through the subset A of the cooling channels with a mass flow rate γ, and a second portion of the fluid flows through the subset B of the cooling channels with a mass flow rate δ, wherein δ is at least twice γ;
wherein mass flow rates γ and δ are in terms of the mass flowing through the respective cooling channels per second, expressed in kg·s −1 .

14 . A process for the preparation of a downstream product comprising the following preparation steps:
a) the preparation of a polymer by the process of claim 6 ; b) further treatment of the polymer to obtain the downstream product.

15 . The process of claim 14 , wherein the polymer or downstream product is converted into a shaped body.

16 . A process for the preparation of a polymer by polymerizing ethylene in a plant ( 100 ) comprising the following plant components in fluid communication:
a) a reactor ( 4 ) with an inlet side ( 21 ) and an outlet side ( 22 ); and b) a recycle connection ( 11 ) positioned in fluid communication between the outlet side ( 22 ) of the reactor ( 4 ) and the inlet side ( 21 ) of the reactor ( 4 ); wherein the recycle connection ( 11 ) comprises two or more cooling channels arranged in parallel; wherein the recycle connection ( 11 ) comprises two or more bundle coolers arranged in parallel, each comprising two or more cooling channels.

17 . The process of claim 16 , wherein at least one of the cooling channels is arranged vertically.

18 . The process of claim 16 , wherein the ethylene is comprised in a fluid and a first portion of the fluid flows through a subset A, consisting of one or more of the cooling channels, with a mass flow rate α, and a second portion of the fluid flows through a subset B, consisting of one or more of the cooling channels not belonging to subset A, with a mass flow rate β, wherein α is at least twice β;
wherein the mass flow rates α and β are in terms of the mass flowing through respective cooling channels per second, expressed in kg·s −1 .

19 . The process of claim 18 , wherein the mass flow rate of coolant supplied to the subset A is higher than the mass flow rate of coolant supplied to the subset B by at least about 10%, based on the mass flow rate of coolant supplied to the subset B, wherein mass flow rate is in terms of the mass of coolant flowing per second, expressed in kg·s −1 .

20 . The process of claim 18 , wherein the temperature of the coolant supplied to the subset B is higher than the temperature of coolant supplied to subset A by at least about 5 K.

Assignees

• Basell Polyolefine Gmbh

Inventors

• Wolf Christoph
• Finette Andre-Armand
• Gonioukh Andrei
• Littmann Dieter
• Herrmann Thomas
• Groos Georg

Classifications

• C08F110/02 Primary

  Ethene · CPC title

• B01J19/2465

  externally, i.e. the mixture leaving the vessel and subsequently re-entering it · CPC title

• B01J2219/24

  Stationary reactors without moving elements inside · CPC title

• B01J2219/00092

  Tubes · CPC title

• C08F2/04 Primary

  Polymerisation in solution (C08F2/32 takes precedence) · CPC title