Solution spinning of UHMW poly (alpha-olefin) with recovery and recycling of volatile spinning solvent

1. A process comprising the steps of:

a) forming a solution of a UHMW PO in a solvent, said solvent comprising cis-decahydronaphthalene, trans-decahydronaphthalene or mixtures of cis-and trans-decachydronaphthalene, said UHMW PO having an intrinsic viscosity in decalin at 135° C. of from 5 dl/g to 35 dl/g, said solvent having an atmospheric pressure boiling point of from 125° C. to 250° C.;

b) spinning the solution through a spinneret at a temperature between 115° C. and the atmospheric pressure boiling point of said solvent to form a solution filament;

c) cooling the solution filament to a temperature below the gelation temperature to form a gel filament;

d) evaporating said solvent from the gel filament and optionally from the solution filament into one or more gas streams to form a dried filament, the evaporation continuing until the solvent concentration in the dried filament is less than 5 percent by weight of UHMW PO plus solvent;

e) stretching at least one of the solution filament, the gel filament and the dried filament to a combined stretch ratio of at least 10:1, wherein at least 2:1 of the combined stretch is of the dried filament; and

f) recovering solvent for reuse by separating at least 90% of said solvent from the gas stream(s) by condensation;

g) recycling said solvent to the solution forming device; and

h) recycling the gas streams; wherein at least 95% of said solvent is recycled; wherein the volumetric flows of the gas streams are sufficent sufficient to prevent the concentration of the evaporated solvent in a gas stream from from being greater than the lower flammability limit of that solvent in air at 100° C. as measured by ASTM E681-94.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the UHMW PO is UHMW PE.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the solvent is further separated from the gas streams by adsorption after condensation, said adsorption separating at least 10% of the solvent remaining in the gas streams after condensation.

4. The process of claim 3 wherein said adsorption separates at least 20% of the solvent remaining in the gas streams after condensation.

5. The process of claim 2 wherein the gas streams consist of at least 50 volume percent of inert gases selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, carbon dioxide and their mixture.

6. The process of claim 2 wherein the gas streams consist of at least 90 volume percent of inert gases selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, carbon dioxide and their mixture.

7. The process of claim 2 , wherein the solvent used to form the UHMW PE solution contains less than 0.008 percent by weight of water at 20° C.

8. The process of claim 2 , wherein the solvent concentration in the recycled gas streams resulting from step f) is at most 0.4 vol. %.

9. The process of claim 2 , wherein the solvent concentration in the recycled gas streams resulting from step f) is at most 0.2 vol. %.

10. The process of claim 2 , wherein the solvent concentration in the recycled gas streams resulting from step f) is at most 0.1 vol. %.

11. The process of claim 2 , wherein the solvent concentration in the recycled gas streams resulting from step f) is at most 0.05 vol. %.

12. A process comprising the steps of:

a) forming a solution of a UHMW PE in a solvent comprising decalin, said UHMW PE having an intrinsic viscosity in decalin at 135° C. of from 5 dl/g to 35 dl/g, said solvent having an atmospheric pressure boiling point of from 125° C. to 250° C.;

b) spinning the solution through a spinneret at a temperature between 115° C. and the atmospheric pressure boiling point of said solvent to form a solution filament;

c) cooling the solution filament to a temperature below the gelation temperature to form a gel filament;

d) evaporating said solvent from the gel filament and optionally from the solution filament into one or more gas streams to form a dried filament, the evaporation continuing until the solvent concentration in the dried filament is less than 5 percent by weight of UHMW PE plus solvent; e) stretching at least one of the solution filament, the gel filament and the dried filament to a combined stretch ratio of at least 10:1, wherein at least 2:1 of the combined stretch is of the dried filament; f) separating at least 90% of said solvent from the gas stream(s) by condensation;

g) recycling said solvent to the solution forming device; and

h) recycling the gas streams; wherein at least 95% of said solvent is recycled;

wherein the volumetric flows of the gas streams are sufficient to prevent the concentration of the evaporated solvent in a gas stream from being greater than the lower flammability limit of that solvent in air at 100° C. as measured by ASTM E681-94.

13. The process of claim 12 wherein the solvent is further separated from the gas streams by adsorption after condensation, said adsorption separating at least 10% of the solvent remaining in the gas steams after condensation.

14. The process of claim 13 wherein said adsorption separates at least 20% of the solvent remaining in the gas streams after condensation.

15. The process of claim 12 wherein the gas streams consist of at least 90 volume percent of inert gases selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, carbon dioxide and their mixture.

16. The process of claim 12 , wherein said solvent used to form the UHMW PE solution contains less than 0.008 percent by weight of water at 20° C.

17. The process of claim 12 , wherein the solvent concentration in the recycled gas streams resulting from step f) is at most 0.1 vol. %.