Patent ID: 7034092

Claim:
A process for producing bimodal polyethylene resins in two reactors in series, the process comprising producing a first polyethylene resin fraction in a first slurry loop reactor in a diluent in the presence of a catalyst and producing a second polyethylene resin fraction in a second slurry loop reactor, serially connected to and downstream of the first reactor, in the diluent in the presence of the catalyst, the first polyethylene resin fraction being passed from the first reactor to the second reactor together with the catalyst, producing in one of the first and second reactors a resin fraction of higher molecular weight than the molecular weight of the resin fraction produced by the other of the first and second reactors, supplying the first reactor with a feed of ethylene and diluent having an ethylene content of at least 70 wt. % based on the weight of the diluent wherein in the first reactor the slurry of polyethylene in the diluent has a solids content of at least 30 wt. % based on the weight of the diluent.