Univation Technologies, LLC

Exxonmobil Chemical Patents Inc.

Exxon Chemical Patents, Inc.

Exxonmobile Chemical Patents Inc.

Eric John Markel

Weiqing Weng

Richard B Pannell

Robert Olds Hagerty

Armen H Dekmezian

Bruce Jon Savatsky

Michael E Muhle

Agapios Kyriacos Agapiou

Armenag Hagop Dekmezian

Avinash Chandrakant Gadkari

David L Peters

F David Hussein

Palanisamy Arjunan

Jean-Marc C Dekoninck

Kevin Joseph Cann

Rainer Kolb

James McLeod Farley

Daniel Paul Zilker, Jr

R Eric Pequeno

Christopher R Davey

Harry William Deckman

John Francis Szul

Timothy R Lynn

Main Chang

Chi-I Kuo

Garth Ronald Giesbrecht

Fathi David Hussein

Bruce Alan Harrington

Mark Bradley Davis

David Michael Glowczwski

Phuong Anh Cao

Ryan Winston Impelman

William Anthony Lamberti

Marc L DeChellis

Mark Williams Blood

Andrew J Peacock

Daniel P Zilker

Ann M Schoeb-Wolters

Michael E Sieloff

Ian D Burdett

Richard E Pequeno

Olivier Jean Georjon

Daniel N Thomas, Jr

Scott K Jackson

Carlos U DeGracia

Daniel N Thomas

Jerome Holveck

Cecile F Saladino

David F Hussein

Weiquing Weng

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards methods for controlling a polymerization reaction including determining an instantaneous density model for a gas-phase polymerization, and utilizing the instantaneous density model to monitor the polymerization reaction to determine if a threshold instantaneous density is reached.

Controlling a polymerization reaction

A method for controlling the start up conditions in a gas phase polymerization process is provided. An inventory can be calculated for each monomer, comonomer, and hydrogen sufficient to produce a polyethylene polymer having desired properties, such as, a certain melt index and/or density.

Methods for controlling start up conditions in polymerization processes

Systems and methods for monitoring a particle/fluid mixture are provided. The method can include flowing a mixture comprising charged particles and a fluid past a particle accumulation probe. The method can also include measuring electrical signals detected by the probe as some charged particles pass the probe without contacting the probe while other charged particles contact the probe. The measured electrical signals can be manipulated to provide an output. The method can also include determining from the output if the charged particles contacting the probe have, on average, a different charge than the charged particles that pass the probe without contacting the probe.

Systems and methods for measuring particle accumulation on reactor surfaces

Processes for the polymerization of olefins with extracted metal carboxylate salts are provided. The polymerization processes have increased productivity and/or increased resin bulk density.

Processes for the polymerization of olefins with extracted metal carboxylate salts

Described herein are methods for monitoring and restoring electrical properties of polymerization reactor wall films. The method may comprise using a reactor wall monitor to monitor and determine an electrical property, such as the bed voltage or breakdown voltage, of the wall film. The method may further comprise adding continuity additive to the reactor and/or adjusting the feed rate of continuity additive being added to the reactor in response to the measured electrical property.

Method and apparatus for monitoring and restoring electrical properties of polymerization reactor wall film

Methods for shutting down and restarting polymerization in a gas phase polymerization reactor are provided. The method can include introducing a polymerization neutralizer to the reactor in an amount sufficient to stop polymerization therein. The method can also include stopping recovery of a polymer product from the reactor and stopping introduction of a catalyst feed and a reactor feed to the reactor. The method can also include adjusting a pressure within the reactor from an operating pressure to an idling pressure. The method can also include adjusting a superficial velocity of a cycle fluid through the reactor from an operating superficial velocity to an idling superficial velocity. The method can also include maintaining the reactor in an idled state for a period of time.

Methods for operating a polymerization reactor

Methods for gas phase olefin polymerization are provided. The method can include combining a spray dried catalyst system with a diluent to produce a catalyst slurry. The catalyst system can include a metallocene compound. Ethylene, a continuity additive, and the catalyst slurry can be introduced to a gas phase fluidized bed reactor. The reactor can be operated at conditions sufficient to produce a polyethylene. The spray dried catalyst system can have a catalyst productivity of at least 12,000 grams polyethylene per gram of the catalyst system.

Methods for polymerization using spray dried and slurried catalyst

A process for the production of an ethylene alpha-olefin copolymer is disclosed, the process including polymerizing ethylene and at least one alpha-olefin by contacting the ethylene and the at least one alpha-olefin with a metallocene catalyst in at least one gas phase reactor at a reactor pressure of from 0.7 to 70 bar and a reactor temperature of from 20&#xb0; C. to 150&#xb0; C. to form an ethylene alpha-olefin copolymer. The resulting ethylene alpha-olefin copolymer may have a density D of 0.927 g/cc or less, a melt index (I) of from 0.1 to 100 dg/min, a MWD of from 1.5 to 5.0. The resulting ethylene alpha-olefin copolymer may also have a peak melting temperature Tsatisfying the following relation: T&#x3e;D*398&#x2212;245.

Polymerization processes using metallocene catalysts, their polymer products and end uses

Disclosed is a method for using at least one static probe during polymerization in a fluid bed polymerization reactor system to monitor a coating on a surface of the reactor system and a distal portion of each static probe, wherein the coating is exposed to flowing fluid within the reactor system during the reaction. The surface may be a reactor bed wall (exposed to the reactor's fluid bed) and the coating is exposed to flowing, bubbling fluid within the fluid bed during the reaction. The method may include steps of: during the polymerization reaction, operating the static probe to generate a sequence of data values ('high speed data') indicative of fluid flow variation (e.g., bubbling or turbulence), and determining from the high speed data at least one electrical property of the coating (e.g., of a portion of the coating on the distal portion of the static probe).

Method and apparatus for monitoring electrical properties of polymerization reactor wall film

Generally, a method of monitoring a polymerization reaction in a fluid bed reactor to generate, in on-line fashion, data indicative of the imminent occurrence of a discontinuity event (for example, sheeting) and optionally also control the reaction to prevent the occurrence of the discontinuity event is provided. Typical embodiments include the steps of generating in on-line fashion at least one of bed static data indicative of static charge in the fluidized bed and carryover static data indicative of carryover static; and generating at least one of temperature data (in on-line fashion using at least one monitored reaction parameter) indicative of a first temperature and acoustic emission data indicative of resin stickiness in the reactor, where the first temperature is indicative of at least one of degree of resin stickiness in the reactor and a characteristic of melting behavior of polymer resin in the reactor in the presence of at least one diluent.

Method for on-line monitoring and control of polymerization processes and reactors to prevent discontinuity events

Systems and methods for monitoring a polymerization reactor are provided. The method can include estimating an acoustic condition of a polymer produced in a reactor. The method can also include estimating a stickiness control parameter of the polymer produced in the reactor. The method can further include pairing the acoustic condition with the stickiness control parameter to provide a paired acoustic condition and stickiness control parameter.

Systems and methods for monitoring a polymerization reaction

A method for cleaning a distributor plate in a fluidized bed polymerization reactor system according to one embodiment includes, in a first mode, operating with about a normal, baseline value of superficial gas velocity in a fluidized bed polymerization reactor system having a reactor vessel, a recycle line, and a distributor plate in the reactor vessel near an inlet of the reactor vessel. In a second mode, the superficial gas velocity is increased above the baseline value of the first mode to a level sufficient to raise the temperature of the cycle gas at the inlet above an average temperature of the cycle gas at the inlet in the first mode, and to a level sufficient to dislodge foulant from holes in the distributor plate.

Methods for cleaning the distributor plate in a fluidized bed reactor system

In some embodiments, a method including the steps of monitoring a polymerization reaction which produces a polymer resin in a fluid bed reactor, where a dry melt reference temperature is characteristic of melting behavior of a dry version of the resin, and in response to data indicative of at least one monitored parameter of the reaction, determining in on-line fashion a reduced melt reference temperature that is at least substantially equal to the difference between the dry melt reference temperature and a temperature by which the dry melt reference temperature is depressed by the presence of condensable diluent gas with the resin in the reactor. Optionally, the method also includes the step of controlling the reaction in response to the reduced melt reference temperature or a stickiness parameter determined from the reduced melt reference temperature.

Methods for determining temperature value indicative of resin stickiness from data generated by polymerization reaction monitoring

In some embodiments, a method in which at least one continuity additive ('CA') and a seed bed are pre-loaded into a reactor, and a polymerization reaction is optionally then performed in the reactor. In other embodiments, at least one flow improver, at least one CA, and a seed bed are pre-loaded into a reactor. Pre-loading of a reactor with a CA can significantly improve continuity of a subsequent polymerization reaction in the reactor during its initial stages, including by reducing sheeting and fouling. The CA can be pre-loaded in dry form (e.g., as a powder), or in liquid or slurry form (e.g., as an oil slurry). To aid delivery of a dry CA to the reactor and combination of the dry CA with a seed bed in the reactor, the dry CA can be combined with a flow improver and the combination of CA and flow improver then loaded into the reactor. Alternatively, the CA and flow improver can be sequentially loaded into the reactor, and then mixed together (and mixed with a seed bed) in the reactor after both the CA and flow improver have been separately loaded into the reactor.

Method for seed bed treatment before a polymerization reaction

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Kingwood, TX, United States of America

Eric John Markel