GB1131528A - Ethylene polymerisation process and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

1,131,528. Polymerizing ethylene. E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS & CO. 1 Aug., 1966, No. 34444/66. Heading C3P. Ethylene polymers are prepared by a process comprising introducing monomer feed dissolved in an inert non-polymerizable solvent for the monomer and polymer to be prepared into an agitated reactor, introducing a co-ordination catalyst into the agitated reactor, polymerizing the monomer while maintaining the temperature and pressure sufficient to maintain the polymer in solution, passing the reaction mixture through a trimmer reactor, the volume of which is at least 5% of that of the agitated reactor and in which no reactants are added or removed, in series with and immediately following said agitated reactor, deactivating the catalyst after the reaction mixture has passed through the trimmer reactor and before ethylene polymer is recovered, and recovering the ethylene polymer. The volume of the trimmer reactor may be 5 to 60% of that of the agitated reactor. The ethylene may be copolymerized with propylene, butene-1, octene-1 or 4-methylpentene-1, and suitable inert solvents are heptane, toluene and cyclohexane. Polymerization may be effected in the presence of catalysts comprising titanium, zirconium or vanadium compounds and a reducing component. Apparatus suitable for carrying out the process of the invention is described and illustrated and in Examples (1) ethylene, and (2) ethylene and butene-1 are polymerized in cyclohexane in the presence of hydrogen and a catalyst formed from titanium tetrachloride, vanadium oxychloride and aluminium triisoprenyl, which is subsequently deactivated with acetylacetone.