Patent ID: 7687672
Filing Date: 2010-03-30
Classification: C07C,C08F,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 to said comonomer synthesis reactor; reacting said ethylene monomer and said catalyst in solvent 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 separate a gas stream from a bottoms stream, wherein said gas stream is a mixture of ethylene monomer, and said comonomer; adding ethylene to said gas/liquid phase separator below the feed entrance point of said effluent stream to separate said comonomer from said solvent; purging from said bottoms stream spent catalyst and purge heavies, and recycling said catalyst in solvent to said comonomer synthesis reactor; and passing said gas stream to said polyethylene polymerization reactor to provide a comonomer source.