Patent ID: 7982085
Filing Date: 2011-07-19
Classification: C07C,Y02P

Abstract:
1. An in-line method for generating comonomer for input to a polyethylene polymerization reactor comprising the following steps: providing an in-line comonomer synthesis reactor and a downstream gas/liquid phase separator prior to a polyethylene polymerization reactor; feeding ethylene monomer and a catalyst in a solvent and/or diluent to said comonomer synthesis reactor; reacting said ethylene monomer and said catalyst in solvent and or diluent under reaction conditions to produce an effluent stream comprising ethylene monomer and comonomer selected from the group consisting of 1-hexene, 1-octene, 1-decene, and mixtures thereof; passing said effluent stream from said comonomer synthesis reactor to said downstream gas/liquid phase separator to continuously separate a gas stream from a bottoms stream, wherein said gas stream is a mixture of predominately ethylene monomer, 1-hexene and 1-octene and said bottoms stream is a mixture of catalyst, decene and solvent and/or diluent; purging from said bottom stream spent catalyst and purge heavies, and recycling said catalyst in solvent and/or diluent to said comonomer synthesis reactor; and passing said gas stream to said polyethylene polymerization reactor to provide a comonomer source, wherein the catalyst comprises the combination of: 1) a ligand represented by the formula: wherein: N is nitrogen; R T is a bridging group, represented by the formula -(T′R J is an optionally substituted six-membered heterocycle, containing at least one nitrogen atom as part of the ring, or J is an optionally substituted five-membered heterocycle, containing at least one nitrogen atom as part of the ring; 2) a metal precursor compound characterized by the general formula Cr(L) n where each L is independently selected from the group consisting of halide, alkyl, substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, heteroalkyl, substituted heteroalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, substituted heterocycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, alkoxy, aryloxy, hydroxy, boryl, silyl, amino, amine, hydrido, allyl, diene, seleno, phosphino, phosphine, ether, thioether, carboxylates, thio, 1,3-dionates, oxalates, carbonates, nitrates, sulfates, ethers, thioethers and combinations thereof, wherein two or more L groups may be combined in a ring structure having from 3 to 50 non-hydrogen atoms; and n is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6; and 3) optionally, one or more activators.