Bp Chemicals Limited

Quadrimex Chemical Sas

Jean-Claude Chinh

David Newton

Michael Bernard Power

Michel C Filippelli

Jean-Louis Chamayou

Andre Dumain

Stephen Kevin Lee

Eric Cassisa

Robert Pes

Guillaume Demoustier

Joseph Barraco

Maxime Vassieu

Jean-Noel Large

Henry Morel

Eric Madrid

Ronald Sanchez

Pierre Dugua

Dehydration method for a liquid or gaseous effluent selected from LPG, gasoline, diesel, kerosene, solvents and natural gases, by inserting the liquid or gaseous effluent against gravity through a drying column having a drying bed with an initial height (H+h) constituted in its lower area by an inert material bed having the height of h and in its upper area by deliquescent desiccants having an initial height of H. The deliquescent desiccants have an initial weight of between 3 and 40 g, the h/H ratio is lower than 0.49, and the inert material has a specific surface area greater than 100 m2/m3 and lower than 800 m2/m3. The method further includes separating water obtained from the liquid or gaseous effluent.

Method and installation for dehydration by means of a deliquescent product

The present invention relates to a nozzle for the injection of a liquid under pressure ( ), comprising a vertical feed pipe ( ) surmounted by a hollow head ( ), the liquid under pressure being conducted between the outer wall ( ) of the vertical feed pipe ( ) and an inner tube ( ), the upper part of the nozzle comprising at least one lateral orifice ( ) for expelling the liquid under pressure ( ). This nozzle is characterized in that the upper end of the inner tube ( ) of the vertical feed pipe ( ) emerges at a height above the lateral orifice(s) ( ), thereby making it possible, when stopping the injection of the liquid under pressure ( ), to introduce a gas under pressure ( ) via the inner tube ( ) of the vertical feed pipe ( ), which generates an overpressure in the upper part of the nozzle in order, on the one hand, to lower the level of the liquid ( ) under pressure ( ) below the lateral orifice(s) ( ) and, on the other hand, to prevent any backflow of solids, liquids and/or gases, from the medium into which the liquid under pressure ( ) is injected, towards the inside of the nozzle.

Liquid nozzle with variable liquid level

A process for controlling a continuous fluidised bed reactor (co-)polymerisation process which comprises (1) withdrawing from the reactor a hot recycle stream containing a principal monomer and at least one other unreacted reactant, (2) cooling part or all of the recycle stream withdrawn from the reactor, and (3) recycling part or all of the cooled recycle stream containing the principal monomer and the unreacted reactant(s) through the polymerisation zone in the reactor in the presence of a polymerisation catalyst under reactive conditions, wherein the controlling process consists in maintaining at least one of the reactant gradients (Gri) within a range of values outside which sheeting or unstable operations would otherwise occur.

Polymerization control process

Process for the introduction of liquid into a continuous process for the gas-phase polymerization of a olefin monomer and one or more other alpha-olefins in a fluidized-bed reactor, the liquid being introduced by at least one nozzle having a feed pipe and a sleeve sliding inside and at the end of the pipe, the position of the said sleeve along the feed pipe being determined by the pressure of the feed liquid and the return force of a preloaded spring, the spring having one end fixed to the sleeve and the other end to the feed pipe, the sleeve being provided with one or more recesses along its surface for sliding with the feed pipe, the recesses emerging in a groove around the circumference of the sleeve and below a circular stop integral with the same sleeve, the stop resting, when the nozzle is not in use, on a rim of the end of the feed pipe, the rim and the circular stop of the sleeve each being provided with a bearing surface, the contact area of which is minimized to allow good sealing.

Process for introducing a liquid in a fluidized bed

A process for the continuous gas fluidised bed polymerisation of olefins, especially ethylene, propylene, or mixtures of these with other alpha olefins, wherein the monomer containing recycle gas employed to fluidise the bed is passed through a separator. The separator is charged with and maintained at least partially filled with liquid. Entrained catalyst and/or polymer particles are separated from the recycle gas in the separator and these separated particles are maintained in a suspended state in the liquid in the separator. The recycle stream can be cooled to condense out at least some liquid hydrocarbon; the condensed liquid, which can be a monomer or an inert liquid, is separated from the recycle gas in the separator and is fed directly to the bed to produce cooling by latent heat of evaporation. The process reduces fouling of the separator.

Gas fluidized bed polymerization process for olefins

A continuous gas fluidized bed process for the polymerization of an olefin monomer, especially ethylene, propylene, or mixtures of these with other alpha-olefins, wherein monomer-containing recycle gas employed to fluidize the bed is cooled to condense out at least some liquid hydrocarbon. The condensed liquid, which can be a monomer or an inert liquid, is separated from the recycle gas and fed directly to the fluidized bed, through a gas-induced atomizer nozzle, to produce cooling by latent heat of evaporation. The nozzle is provided with a mechanical device within the liquid inlet of the atomizing chamber, that preatomizes the liquid so that the nozzle requires reduced amounts of gas compared with conventional gas-induced atomizer nozzles.

Atomizer nozzle

The invention relates to an equipment for gas-phase polymerization of olefin(s), including a reactor with a fluidized and optionally mechanically stirred bed, and a conduit for withdrawing polymer, provided with an isolation valve, and a conduit for emptying polymer, provided with an isolation valve, the said conduits connecting the side wall of the reactor to a single recovery gas lock equipped with a discharge valve, equipment characterized in that the withdrawal conduit leaves the side wall of the reactor at a height of the reactor wall, above the fluidization grid, ranging from 0.60.times.H to 0.95.times.H, while being directed downwards, with the result that any part of the said conduit forms with a horizontal plane an angle A ranging from 35 to 90.degree., and in that the emptying conduit leaves the side wall of the reactor at a height of the reactor wall, above the fluidization grid, ranging from 0.01.times.H to 0.20.times.H.

Equipment and process for gas-phase olefin polymerization

The invention relates to continuous gas fluidised bed polymerisation of olefins, especially ethylene, propylene, or mixtures of these with other alpha olefins, wherein the monomer-containing recycle gas employed to fluidise the bed is cooled to condense out at least some liquid hydrocarbon. The condensed liquid, which can be a monomer or an inert liquid, is separated from the recycle gas and is fed directly to the bed to produce cooling by latent heat of evaporation. The liquid feeding to the bed can be through gas-induced atomiser nozzles (FIG. 2), or through liquid-only nozzles. The process provides substantially improved productivity of gas fluidised bed polymerisation of olefins.

Polymerization process

The present invention relates to an apparatus for gas phase polymerisation of olefins(s), essentially comprising a fluidized bed reactor and at least one conduit for drawing off polymer provided with an isolation valve and connecting the vertical side wall of the reactor to a lock hopper, the said conduit leaving the vertical side wall of the reactor while being directed downwards so that each part of the said conduit forms with a horizontal plane an angle A ranging from 35.degree. to 90.degree.. It also relates to a process for continuous gas-phase polymerisation of olefin(s) in a fluidized-bed reactor, comprising drawing off the polymer from the vertical side wall of the reactor into a lock hopper via a draw-off conduit so that all flow of the polymer in the draw-off conduit is produced according to a downward direction forming with a horizontal plane an inclination with an angle A at least equal to the angle of repose .beta. of the polymer and not exceeding 90.degree.. The present invention improves the degree of filling of the lock hopper and reduces the amount of gas drawn off with the polymer. (FIG. 1).

Apparatus and process for polymerising olefin in gas phase

The present invention relates to a process for continuous gas-phase polymerisation of olefin(s) in a fluidized-bed reactor, comprising drawing off the polymer from the vertical side wall of the reactor into a lock hopper via a draw-off conduit so that all flow of the polymer in the draw-off conduit is produced according to a downward direction forming with a horizontal plane an inclination with an angle A at least equal to the angle of repose .beta. of the polymer and not exceeding 90.degree.. The present invention improves the degree of filling of the lock hopper and reduces the amount of gas drawn off with the polymer.

The invention relates to continuous gas fluidized bed polymerization of olefins, especially ethylene, propylene, or mixtures of these with other alpha olefins, wherein the monomer-containing recycle gas employed to fluidize the bed is cooled to condense out at least some liquid hydrocarbon. The condensed liquid, which can be a monomer or an inert liquid, is separated from the recycle gas and is fed directly to the bed to produce cooling by latent heat of evaporation. The liquid feeding to the bed can be through gas-induced atomizer nozzles (FIG. 2), or through liquid-only nozzles. The process provides substantially improved productivity of gas fluidized bed polymerization of olefins.

A fluidized bed polymerization reactor which is a generally cylindrical vessel having a longitudinal axis and a fluidization grid located in the vessel generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vessel and defining a fluidized bed region above the fluidization grid. The reactor has an inlet for continuously introducing a gaseous stream of polymerizable monomers into the vessel below the fluidization grid at a gas velocity sufficient to maintain particles in the fluidized bed region in a suspended and fluidized condition; an outlet for removing polymer product from the fluidized bed region and an outlet for continuously removing an outlet stream of gaseous unreacted polymerizable monomer from the fluidized bed region. A cooling device cools at least a part of the outlet stream to a temperature at which liquid condenses out of the outlet stream, and a separating device separates at least a part of the cooled outlet stream into condensed liquid and a cooled gaseous stream. The separated cooled gaseous stream is returned to the inlet and an injection device injects at least a part of the condensed liquid into the fluidized bed region at a point where the gaseous stream of polymerizable monomers passing through the vessel has substantially reached the operating temperature of the polymerization reactor. The injection device includes at least one gas induced atomizing nozzle for injecting an atomized stream of the condensed liquid into the fluidized bed region in a direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vessel.

Fluidized bed polymerization reactor

The present invention relates to a process for continuous gas-phase polymerization of olefin(s) in a fluidized and/or mechanically stirred bed reactor, comprising a stage of drawing off the polymer out of the reactor, wherein a portion of the bed is transferred into a lock hopper and is then isolated from the reactor in the lock hopper for a period of 5 to 120 seconds so that a substantial amount of the olefin(s) in the said portion polymerizes, before the polymer thus isolated in the said portion is discharged out of the lock hopper. The process advantageously reduces the amount of the gas drawn off with the polymer to be recycled into the reactor and improves the degassing of the polymer by the heat of the polymerization reaction during the isolation period in the lock hopper (FIG. 1).

Process for polymerizing olefin in gas phase

A process and an apparatus introduce fine particles of a solid into a reactor with the help of a feed enclosure connected to the reactor through an injection pipe. The process comprises (a) introducing the solid into the feed enclosure wherein most of the solid particles settle at rest and then (b) introducing a gas into the feed enclosure so that the solid particles are suspended by the gas to form a solid particle suspension entrained in a dilute-phase conveying system by the gas into the reactor through the injection pipe. The invention is particularly useful for introducing particles of a solid catalyst into a gas-phase polymerization reactor.

Growing community of inventors

Martigues, France

Jean-Claude Chinh