The Badger Company, Inc.

Peter J Lewis

Constantine D Miserlis

Method of drying liquid olefin monomer feed in a molecular sieve dryer

In the polymerization under pressure of liquid olefin to polyolefin using a Ziegler type catalyst, the reaction mass, comprising a mixture of catalyst and polyolefin dissolved in liquid monomer, is mixed in a mixer with water to kill the catalyst and reaction after which the highly corrosive aqueous solution of Ziegler catalyst is separated from the monomer and dissolved polymer in a settling tank. The inner wall of the mixer and/or settling tank and/or any other part of the equipment coming into contact with the aqueous Zeigler catalyst solution is lined with an acid resistant brick lining having an intermediate membrane lining between it and the inner wall. A carbon filled furan resin is used as a mortar for the brick lining and the membrane is a fiber glass reinforced furan resin to which the brick lining is cemented by a carbon filled furan resin adhesive. The membrane is also cemented to the inner wall by a carbon filled furan resin adhesive.

Furan lined equipment for handling spent aqueous Ziegler type catalyst

In the polymerization under pressure of liquid olefin to polyolefin using a Ziegler type catalyst in which the reaction mass, comprising a mixture of catalyst and polyolefin dissolved in liquid monomer, is mixed in a mixer with water to kill the catalyst and reaction after which the highly corrosive aqueous solution of Ziegler catalyst is separated from the monomer and dissolved polymer in a settling tank; lining the inner wall of the mixer and/or settling tank and/or any other part of the equipment coming into contact with the aqueous Ziegler catalyst solution with an acid resistant brick lining having an intermediate membrane lining between it and such inner wall and in which the mortar of the brick lining is a carbon-filled furan polymer, in which the membrane is a fiber glass reinforced furan polymer and in which the brick lining is cemented to the membrane and the membrane is cemented to the inner wall by a carbon-filled furan polymer adhesive.

Equipment for handling spent-aqueous Ziegler type catalyst in the

Cooling the highly viscous reaction mass during catalytic polymerization of liquid olefins to polyolefins by pumping it to and from the reactor through the tubes of a heat transfer single pass cooler rather than a heat transfer multi-pass cooler as has been done in the past, increasing the number of the tubes in the single pass cooler as compared to the multi-pass cooler, reducing the diameter of the tubes and increasing the pump capacity. The number of tubes and pump capacity are increased sufficiently and the internal diameters of the tubes are decreased sufficiently so that the heat transfer coefficient of the single pass cooler is between 10 and 20 BTU/ft.sup.2 hr. .degree. F.

Method of pump-around cooling reaction mass during polymerization of

Removing oligomers (short chain polymers of from two to seven atoms in the chain) from olefin monomer vapor recovered for recycle from the reaction mass resulting from the catalytic polymerization of liquid olefinic monomers by flowing such recovered vapor through a mass transfer plate tower upwardly through openings in the plates of said tower and in the form of bubbles through layers of liquid oligomer reflux maintained on said plates by weirs and downcomers by means of which said reflux is flowed from each plate downwardly to the plate below it and, as a layer, along the top of the plate and thence downwardly to the next lower plate, condensing in a reflux condenser the vapor from the top of said tower, removing olefin monomer from said condenser as a vapor and refluxing condensed liquid oligomers back to the top of said tower. Preferably the tower is a valve tray tower and the plates are valve trays.

Method of removing oligomers from olefin monomer vapor in the

Removing water and light ends from recycle liquid olefin monomer and fresh liquid olefin monomer feed before catalytic polymerization thereof in said liquid state with a water sensitive catalyst, by flowing them through a mass transfer plate tower with a reboiler which vaporizes them upwardly through openings in the plates of said tower and in the form of bubbles through layers of liquid monomer reflux maintained on said plates by weirs and downcomers by means of which said reflux is flowed from each plate downwardly to the plate below it and, as a layer, along the top of the plate and thence downwardly to the next lower plate, condensing in a reflux condenser the vapor from the top of said tower, removing from said condenser as a vapor said light ends, removing water from said condenser as a heavy condensed liquid fraction and refluxing back to the top of said tower as a lighter liquid fraction, condensed liquid monomer. Preferably the tower is a valve tray tower and the plates are valve trays.

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Andover, MA, United States of America

Peter J Lewis