Ineos Europe Ag

Ineos Sales (UK) Limited

Ineos Commercial Services UK Limited

Ineos Europe Limited

Bp Chemicals Limited

Ineos Sales Limited

Jean-Louis Chamayou

Kevin Ramsay

Andrew David Bell

Stephen Kevin Lee

Benoit Sibourd

Daniel Marissal

Jean-Claude Chinh

Claudine Viviane Lalanne-Magne

Renaud Viguier

Luc Girardot

Pierre Sere Peyrigain

Arnaud Soulage

Pierre Mangin

Imen Ghouila

Melanie Muron

Miguel Angel Navarro De Castro

Pierre Dugua

Guillaume Demoustier

Joseph Barraco

Jean-Noel Large

Laure Guignes

Henry Morel

Eric Madrid

Damien Disanto

Ronald Sanchez

Gregori Patrick Liotard

Kevin Peter Ramsay

The present invention relates to a process for operating a polymer powder degasser vessel, and in particular provides a process for operating a polymer powder degasser vessel which vessel comprises a silo comprising a main vertical cylinder and a hopper at the bottom of the cylinder, there being a polymer powder withdrawal pipe connected to the hopper by which polymer powder is withdrawn from the hopper, and wherein the silo contains a polymer powder which occupies less than 45% of the volume of the silo and the polymer powder passes through the polymer powder degasser vessel in a mass flow manner, further wherein at least one of the following is applied: i) polymer powder is withdrawn from the hopper and recirculated to the silo, wherein the recirculation rate of the polymer powder is at least 30 percent per hour of the polymer powder present in the silo, and ii) a purge gas is provided to the silo via the polymer powder withdrawal pipe or via an inlet located on the hopper at a vertical height which is less than half of height of the hopper from its bottom end.

Process for operating a polymer powder degasser vessel

Polymerization unit for producing polymer powder having at least one polymerization reactor for the polymerization of light (co)monomer(s) having less than 7 carbon atoms, and heavy comonomer(s) having at least 7 carbon atoms, and a degassing section including two (and optionally a third) cylindrical degassing vessels in series. Light (co)monomer(s) are degassed in the first degassing vessel (V) and recovered, and heavy comonomers are degassed in the second degassing vessel (V) and recovered. The active polymer powder is optionally polished and/or optionally deactivated in the optional third degassing vessel (V). The cross-sectional area (S) of the second degassing vessel is greater than 1.5 times the cross-sectional area (S) of the first degassing vessel [S&#x3e;1.5&#xd7;S], and vessels Vand Vare equipped with a vent recovery unit (VR) for respectively recovering the light (co-)monomer(s) (VR) and the heavy comonomer(s) (VR) from the gases exiting the vessels.

Polymerisation process and polymerisation unit comprising a degassing section

Process for the gas-phase polymerization of olefins in a fluidized bed reactor, by a) passing a fluidizing gas containing an olefin monomer through a fluidized bed of polymer particles in the presence of a polymerization catalyst, b) withdrawing a first gaseous stream containing solid particles from the reactor, c) passing the first gaseous stream to a gas/solids separator, separating solid particles, and forming a second gaseous stream containing residual solid particles, d) passing a portion of the second gaseous stream to a heat exchanger(s) to remove heat and e) recycling a portion of the cooled stream from (d) as the fluidizing gas in (a). The fouling rate of the heat exchanger (s) is such that i) the increase in pressure drop across the heat exchanger is equivalent to less than 5%/year, and/or ii) the decrease in heat transfer of the heat exchanger is equivalent to less than 5%/year.

Process and apparatus for the polymerisation of olefins

Process for the polymerization of olefins in a polymerization reactor system including (i) a gas phase reactor having a gas outlet and one or more withdrawal lines for withdrawal of a polymer-containing stream, (ii) a recycle loop for recycling gas exiting the reactor through the gas outlet back to the reactor, (iii) a polymer separation system for separating reactants from the polymer product in the withdrawn polymer-containing stream, and (iv) a recycle system for recycling reactants removed from the reactor in the withdrawn polymer-containing stream back to the reactor. A scavenger is introduced directly into one or more of the recycle loop, the polymer separation system and the recycle system.

Scavenger injection

Process for polymerizing olefins in a polymerization reactor system including at least first and second introduction points by which the same reaction component may be introduced directly at different locations on the reactor system. At a first time, the reaction component is introduced through at least the first introduction point, such that a proportion X of the reaction component which is introduced through the first and second introduction points is introduced through the first introduction point. At a second, later, time the same reaction component is introduced through at least the second introduction point and such that a proportion Y of the reaction component which is introduced through the first and second introduction points is introduced through the first introduction point. Y is less than X, and at least one of the first and second introduction points is located on the reactor system at a location not on the reactor.

Process

Method for controlling a process for the production of a polymer by polymerization of a monomer and a comonomer. The process includes maintaining a substantially constant effective flow ratio (EFR), the effective flow ratio being defined as EFR=(Q&#x2212;L)/(Q&#x2212;L), Qand Qbeing, respectively, flow rates of comonomer and monomer to the reactor, Land Lbeing, respectively, losses of comonomer and monomer.

Method for production of polymer

Process for the continuous transition between two different and compatible polymerization catalysts.

Polymerization process

Process for transitioning from the production of a first polymer to the production of a second polymer in a gas phase fluidized bed or stirred bed reactor by a) conducting a first polymerization reaction in the reactor using a first polymerization catalyst system to produce a first polymer, b) stopping the first polymerization reaction and removing at least the majority of the polymer in the reactor, c) introducing into the reactor a seed-bed containing at least 50 ppm of contaminants, in which the seedbed is maintained under at least 50 ppm but less than 500 ppm of contaminants during storage, and d) treating the seed-bed in the reactor to reduce the amount of contaminants. Step e) involves conducting a second polymerization reaction in the reactor to produce a second polymer.

Process for transitioning

Method for operating a process for producing a polymer by polymerization of a monomer and an optional comonomer in a gas phase fluidized bed reactor during steady-state and non-steady-state conditions.

Process for the production of a polymer in a gas phase fluidised bed reactor

Process for maintaining a continuous gas-phase (co-) polymerization of olefins in a large fluidized bed reactor in a homogeneous mode while operating at high space time yield and condensation rate in the presence of a polymerization catalyst.

Polymerisation control process

Process for gas phase polymerization of olefins in a fluidized bed reactor by (a) passing a fluidizing gas containing at least one olefin monomer through a fluidized bed of polymer particles in the presence of a polymerization catalyst to produce polymer at a polymer production rate of C Tonnes/hour, (b) withdrawing a first gaseous stream containing solid particles from the top of the reactor, (c) passing the first gaseous stream to a gas/solids separator, separating solid particles therefrom, and forming a second gaseous stream containing residual solid particles, (d) passing a portion of the second gaseous stream to at least one heat exchanger to remove heat of reaction whereby residual solid particles contact the heat exchanger, and (e) recycling a portion of the cooled stream from step (d) as the fluidizing gas in step (a). The heat exchangers have a heat exchange surface area which totals less than 120&#xd7;C m.

Process for the transition between an ethylene co-polymerization process in a polymerization reactor in the presence of a catalyst and of ethylene E and an olefin co-monomer A to produce an ethylene copolymer PEA into an ethylene co-polymerization process carried out in the same polymerization reactor in the presence of a catalyst and of ethylene E and an olefin co-monomer B to produce an ethylene copolymer PEB. Co-monomers A and B are different and are both present in the reactor during at least part of the transition from PEA to PEB. The transition is performed continuously by (i) starting the transition by stopping steady state production of ethylene copolymer PEA and (ii) ending the transition when steady state production of ethylene copolymer PEB is achieved.

Process for the gas phase polymerization of olefins, in particular, with recycle of fines to the reaction zone. The process includes (a) polymerizing an olefin in a reaction zone in which a bed of polymer particles is maintained in an agitated state by passing a fluid stream through the bed, (b) withdrawing the fluid stream from the reactor after it has passed through the bed of polymer particles, (c) separating entrained solids from the withdrawn fluid stream, and (d) returning the separated entrained solids to the reaction zone. The polymer production rate of the process is at least 40 tonnes/hour, and the separated solids from step (c) are returned to the lower half of the bed of polymer particles in the reaction zone.

Process for the gas phase polymerisation of olefins

Process for operating a vertical fixed bed degasser which is continuously fed with an active polymer powder produced by a catalytic olefin polymerization process in a polymerization reactor. The polymerization conditions in the degasser are such that there is produced an additional amount of polymer corresponding to between 0.001 and 0.015 times the amount which entered the degasser. The degassing process includes introducing into the degasser a stripping gas containing principal monomer, with the temperature inside the degasser being the polymerization reactor temperature plus or minus 20&#xb0; C.

Polymer degassing process control

Process for the continuous transition between two ethylene copolymers containing a different comonomer. In particular, the process is for the continuous transition between two ethylene copolymers containing a different comonomer.

Growing community of inventors

Carry-Le-Rouet, France

Jean-Louis Chamayou