Exxonmobil Chemical Patents Inc.

Bruce C Devoy

Vetkav Rajagopalan Eswaran

Richard C Yeh

Rui Zhao

Richard Cheng-Ming Yeh

Chris B Friedersdorf

Vetkav R Eswaran

The disclosure provides a plant for the continuous solution polymerization of a feed comprising one or more olefin monomers in a solvent, e.g., hydrocarbon solvent, in which the plant comprises means for separating solvent from the polymer including a flash tank and a vacuum devolatilizer. The plant also includes in a first aspect stabilizer addition means for adding a stabilizer to the concentrated polymer fines at a location downstream of the flash and upstream of the vacuum devolatilizer. In another aspect the plant comprises means to add a molten stabilizer to the polymer at a location downstream of the reactors.

Processes and apparatus for continuous solution polymerization

Described herein in one embodiment is a plant for the continuous solution polymerization of one or more monomers in a solvent, e.g., a hydrocarbon solvent. In one aspect, the plant comprises a high pressure pump and at least one heat exchanger downstream of the pump. In another aspect a feed is cooled by three heat exchangers which are refrigerated by means of a common three stage compressor. In another aspect, the plant comprises a primary reactor and a secondary reactor arranged to operate in parallel, in which the ratio of volume of the primary reactor to the secondary reactor is in the range of 60:40 to 95:5. In another aspect, a method of defouling a heat exchanger is provided in which the level of liquid refrigerant in the heat exchanger is temporarily lowered.

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Livingston, TX, United States of America

Bruce C Devoy