Process for recovering hydrocarbons in a solution polymerisation process

1. A process for producing a polymer composition comprising the steps of:

(A) polymerizing, in a first polymerization reactor ( 2 ) in a first solvent,

a first olefin monomer having two or more carbon atoms and

optionally a first comonomer,

in the presence of a first polymerization catalyst and optionally a chain transfer agent for producing a first solution comprising a first polymer of the first olefin monomer and the optional first comonomer and the first solvent;

(B) withdrawing a first stream of the first solution from the first polymerization reactor ( 2 );

(C) passing the first stream of the first solution into a first separator ( 4 ) wherein a first liquid phase comprising the polymer and a first vapor phase coexist;

(D) withdrawing a first vapor stream and a first concentrated solution stream comprising the polymer from the first separator ( 4 );

(E) passing at least a part of the first vapor stream to a first fractionator ( 5 );

(F) withdrawing a first overhead stream and a first bottom stream from the first fractionator ( 5 );

(G) recovering at least a part of the first overhead stream as a first recycle stream and passing it to the first polymerization reactor ( 2 );

(H) passing the first concentrated solution stream from the first separator ( 4 ) to a second separator ( 8 ) wherein a second liquid phase comprising the polymer and a second vapor phase coexist;

(I) withdrawing a second vapor stream and a second concentrated solution stream comprising the polymer from the second separator ( 8 );

(J) passing at least a part of the second vapor stream to a second fractionator ( 12 );

(K) withdrawing a second overhead stream and a second bottom stream from the second fractionator ( 12 );

(L) recovering at least a part of the second overhead stream as a second recycle stream and passing it to the first polymerization reactor ( 2 );

(M) passing the second concentrated solution stream from the second separator ( 8 ) to a third separator ( 11 ) wherein a third liquid phase comprising the polymer and a third vapor phase coexist;

characterised in that the mass flow rate of the first recycle stream is at least 80% of the mass flow rate of the first vapor stream and the mass flow rate of the second recycle stream is at least 70% of the mass flow rate of the second vapor stream.

2. The process according to claim 1 wherein the first bottom stream is passed from the first fractionator ( 5 ) back to the first separator ( 4 ).

3. The process according to claim 1 wherein at least a part of the second bottom stream is passed from the second fractionator ( 12 ) back to the first separator ( 4 ).

4. The process according to claim 1 comprising the additional steps of:

(N) passing at least a part of the third vapor stream to a third fractionator;

(O) withdrawing a third overhead stream and a third bottom stream from the third fractionator;

(P) passing at least a part of the third overhead stream to solvent recovery.

5. The process according to claim 1 comprising the additional steps of:

(Q) passing the first recycle stream and optionally at least a part of the second recycle stream to a first feed vessel ( 1 );

(R) withdrawing a first feed stream from the first feed vessel ( 1 );

(S) passing the first feed stream via a first cooling step to the first polymerization reactor ( 2 ).

6. The process according to claim 1 comprising the additional steps of:

(T) polymerizing, in a second polymerization reactor ( 14 ) in a second solvent,

a second olefin monomer having two or more carbon atoms and

optionally a second comonomer,

in the presence of a second polymerization catalyst and optionally a chain transfer agent for producing a second solution comprising a second polymer of second olefin monomer and the optional second comonomer and the second solvent;

(U) withdrawing a first stream of the second solution from the second polymerization reactor ( 14 );

(V) passing the first stream of the second solution into a fourth separator ( 16 ) wherein a fourth liquid phase comprising the polymer and a fourth vapor phase coexist;

(W) withdrawing a fourth vapor stream and a fourth concentrated solution stream comprising the polymer from the fourth separator ( 16 );

(X) passing at least a part of the fourth vapor stream to a fourth fractionator ( 18 );

(Y) withdrawing a fourth overhead stream and a fourth bottom stream from the fourth fractionator ( 18 );

(Z) recovering at least a part of the fourth overhead stream as a fourth recycle stream and passing it to the second polymerization reactor ( 14 );

(AA) passing the fourth concentrated solution stream from the fourth separator ( 16 ) to the second separator ( 8 ) wherein the second liquid phase comprising the polymer and the second vapor phase coexist;

characterised in that the polymerization in the first polymerization reactor ( 2 ) in step (A) and the polymerization in the second polymerization reactor ( 14 ) in step (T) are conducted in parallel configuration; and

the mass flow rate of the fourth recycle stream is at least 80% of the mass flow rate of the fourth vapor stream.

7. The process according to claim 6 wherein the fourth bottom stream is passed from the fourth fractionator ( 18 ) back to the fourth separator ( 16 ).

8. The process according to claim 6 wherein at least a part of the second bottom stream is passed from the second fractionator ( 12 ) to the fourth separator ( 16 ).

9. The process according to claim 6 comprising the additional steps of:

(AB) passing the fourth recycle stream and optionally at least a part of the second recycle stream to a second feed vessel ( 13 );

(AC) withdrawing a second feed stream from the second feed vessel ( 13 );

(AD) passing the second feed stream via a second cooling step to the second polymerization reactor ( 14 ).

10. The process according to claim 1 comprising the additional steps of:

(T′) polymerizing, in a second polymerization reactor ( 14 ) in a second solvent,

a second olefin monomer having two or more carbon atoms and

optionally a second comonomer,

in the presence of a second polymerization catalyst and optionally a chain transfer agent for producing a second solution comprising a second polymer of second olefin monomer and the optional second comonomer and the second solvent;

(U′) withdrawing a first stream of the second solution from the second polymerization reactor ( 14 );

(V′) combining the first stream of the second solution from the second polymerization reactor ( 14 ) with the first stream of the first solution from the first polymerization reactor ( 2 ) to produce a combined first stream of the first solution and the second solution;

(W) passing the combined first stream of the first solution and the second solution into a first separator ( 4 ) wherein a first liquid phase comprising the polymer and a first vapor phase coexist;

characterised in that the polymerization in the first polymerization reactor ( 2 ) in step (A) and the polymerization in the second polymerization reactor ( 14 ) in step (T′) are conducted in parallel configuration.

11. The process according to claim 6 wherein the first solvent and the second solvent are the same.

12. The process according to claim 6 wherein the first comonomer and the second comonomer are the same.

13. The process according to claim 6 wherein the first polymerization catalyst and the second polymerization catalyst are the same.

14. The process according to claim 1 wherein the first olefin monomer and optionally the second olefin monomer are the same and are ethylene or propylene.

15. The process according to claim 1 wherein the first comonomer or optionally the second comonomer or optionally the first comonomer and the second comonomer is selected from the group consisting of alpha-olefins different from the olefin monomer having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms; polyenes, such as non-conjugated alpha-omega-dienes, having from 4 to 10 carbon atoms, cyclic olefins having from 6 to 20 carbon atoms and cyclic polyenes having from 6 to 20 carbon atoms.

16. The process according to claim 1 wherein the first and second separators ( 4 ), ( 8 ) and the optional fourth separator ( 16 ) are flash units.

17. The process according to claim 1 wherein the first separator ( 4 ) and the optional fourth separator ( 16 ) are operated at a pressure of from 5 to 15 bar and the second separator ( 8 ) is operated at a pressure of from 1 to 5 bar.

18. The process according to claim 1 wherein the first and second fractionators ( 5 ), ( 12 ) and the optional fourth fractionator ( 18 ) are distillation columns or stripping columns.