Patent ID: 7304125
Filing Date: 2007-12-04
Classification: C08G,C08L

Abstract:
1. A process for purifying a high molecular weight (Mw) polymer in a reaction mass containing less than 20% by weight of contaminants, after the reaction mass is discharged from a polymerization reactor, the process comprising the steps of, (1) feeding the reaction mass including the polymer having (Mw/Mc)>1, wherein Mc is the critical molecular weight of entanglement, and unwanted contaminants to a disentangling means; (2) extensively shear-thinning the reaction mass to produce modified polymer in a shear-thinned reaction mass until the polymer in the reaction mass has a viscosity at least 5% lower than that of the polymer fed to the inlet; (3) feeding the sheer-thinned reaction mass including modified polymer to a polymer recovering means; (4) removing the unwanted contaminants; and, (5) recovering decontaminated, modified, undegraded, substantially pure polymer having a melt flow index at least 10% lower than that of unmodified polymer, and, having substantially the same molecular weight Mw as that of the polymer before it is modified.