Polymerization process and associated apparatus
View Patent ↗There are disclosed polymerization processes and associated apparatuses. The polymerization processes involve both making a polymeric material in a fluidized bed reactor having a feed distributor and catching a spitwad with a spitwad catcher, and the apparatuses are those corresponding to such processes.
1. A polymerization process comprising:
(a) making a polymeric material in a fluidized bed reactor, which comprises a feed distributor located near the bottom of the reactor and an enlarged disengaging zone located near the top of the reactor;
(b) passing unreacted gases leaving the fluidized bed reactor to a recycle loop, which connects the enlarged disengaging zone to a part of the reactor below the feed distributor; and
(c) collecting spitwads in or removing spitwads from the recycle loop with a spitwad catcher,
wherein a spitwad is a solid that would plug at least one aperture of the feed distributor if not collected or removed, and
wherein the spitwad catcher is located in a portion of the recycle loop that has no intervening piece of process equipment before entering the fluidized bed reactor.
2. The polymerization process of claim 1 , wherein the fluidized bed reactor is a continuous, gas phase reactor.
3. The polymerization process of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric material comprises a polyolefin.
4. The polymerization process of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric material comprises a homopolymer of ethylene or an interpolymer of ethylene and at least one other olefin.
5. The polymerization process of claim 1 , wherein the spitwad catcher comprises a screen, filter, or strainer.
6. The polymerization process of claim 1 , wherein the spitwad is in the form of a string, sheet, or agglomerate.
7. The polymerization process of claim 1 , wherein the recycle loop comprises a by-pass line around the spitwad catcher.
8. The polymerization process of claim 7 , wherein the by-pass line comprises another spitwad catcher.