Patent ID: 7910637
Filing Date: 2011-03-22
Classification: C08F

Abstract:
1. An in-line blending process for plasticized polymers comprising: (a) providing a single reactor train including one reactor or two or more serially configured reactors, a high-pressure separator downstream fluidly connected to the reactor train, and one or more storage tanks, wherein the reactor train produces one or more base polymers and the one or more storage tanks store one or more off-line-produced plasticizers; (b) contacting in the reactors of the reactor train 1) olefin monomers having two or more carbon atoms 2) one or more catalyst systems, 3) optional one or more comonomers, 4) optional one or more scavengers, and 5) one or more diluents or solvents, wherein the reactor train is at a temperature above the solid-fluid phase transition temperature of the polymerization system and a pressure no lower than 10 MPa below the cloud point pressure of the polymerization system and less than 1500 MPa, wherein the polymerization system for the reactor train is in its dense fluid state and comprises the olefin monomers, any comonomer present, diluent or solvent at more than 60 wt. %, any scavenger present, and the polymer product, wherein the one or more catalyst systems for the reactor train comprise one or more catalyst precursors, one or more activators, and optionally, one or more catalyst supports, wherein the one or more catalyst systems are chosen from Ziegler-Natta catalysts, metallocene catalysts, nonmetallocene metal-centered, heteroaryl ligand catalysts, late transition metal catalysts, and combinations thereof; (c) forming a polymer reactor effluent including a homogeneous fluid phase polymer-monomer mixture in the reactor train; (d) passing the polymer reactor effluent comprising the homogeneous fluid phase polymer-monomer mixture from the reactor train through the high-pressure separator; (e) maintaining the temperature and pressure within the high-pressure separator above the solid-fluid phase transition point but below the cloud point pressure and temperature to form a fluid-fluid two-phase system comprising a polymer-rich phase and a monomer-rich phase; (f) separating the monomer-rich phase from the polymer-rich phase in the high-pressure separator to form an enriched polymer phase and a separated monomer-rich phase; and (g) feeding the one or more off-line produced plasticizers from the one or more storage tanks to the high-pressure separator, one or more low-pressure separators, or combinations thereof to form a plasticized polymer blend stream.