Exxonmobil Chemical Patents Inc.

Ivo T Goossens

Henri Aime Lammens

Paul Jan Clymans

Philip H Cornelissen

Tom Van Nuland

Fausto F Ciancio

Roger L Claessens

Geert Vaes

Jan J Naets

Willy De Koster

Martin J Decoster

The invention relates to high pressure tubular reactor olefin polymerization plants having improved specific energy consumption. The plants may be newly constructed or made by de-bottlenecking an existing plant. The tube of the tubular reactor may have improved arrangements for cooling to increase conversion and optimized polymer-recycle gas separation arrangements using a jet pump for recycling unreacted monomer while permitting haze to be maintained. The improved cooling arrangements include a reduced pressure cooling zone forming the tail end of the tube and/or a shortened heating zone for the front feed and allowing more monomer to be fed as a side feed.

High pressure polymerization process

The invention provides a process and an apparatus for the high pressure polymerization of ethylene in which a jet pump is used to pump a fluid into a polymer/monomer product mixture leaving a bumped tubular reactor. The fluid may be recycled monomer or another fluid such as a modifier.

Process for the production of polyethylene and ethylene copolymers

The invention relates to a process for the manufacture of ethylene polymers and copolymers in which ethylene is compressed in a primary compressor at a throughput of at least 55 tonnes/hour, mixed with recycled ethylene and further compressed in a two-stage reciprocating secondary compressor having at least 14 cylinders to a pressure of at least 2300 bar at a throughput of at least 120 tonnes/hour, heating at least a portion of that ethylene to a temperature of at least 95&#xb0; C. and introducing it into a tubular reactor of diameter at least 65 mm and a length of at least 1500 m, introducing initiator in at least three reaction zones to give a conversion of at least 28% and maintaining a pressure drop over the reactor to maintain a flow velocity of at least 6 m/s.

Process and apparatus for manufacturing ethylene polymers and copolymers

Growing community of inventors

Kapelle-op-den-Bos, Belgium

Ivo T Goossens