Patent ID: 8513478

Claim:
A process to produce a liquid poly-alpha-olefin comprising: a) contacting in a reaction zone, in the presence of below 20 psi hydrogen, one or more C3 to C20 alpha-olefin monomers with a non-coordinating anion activator, a single bridged meso-metallocene transition metal compound having less than about 35 wt % racemic isomer, and a co-activator selected from the group consisting of alkyl aluminum compounds and alkyl alumoxanes, provided that when the alkyl alumoxane is present it is present in a molar ratio of less than 0.1:1 of alkylalumoxane to meso-metallocene, and provided that when the alkyl aluminum compound is present it is present at a molar ratio of alkyl aluminum to meso-metallocene of from 2:1 to 10,000 to 1, where the molar ratio of activator to meso-metallocene is from 10:1 to 0.1:1, and provided that ethylene is not present at more than 30 volume % of the monomers entering the reaction zone, provided that the alpha-olefin monomers in the feed components are present in at least 20 weight % or more based upon the weight of the meso-metallocene, non-coordinating anion activator, co-activator, monomers, and solvent or diluent, and where: i) the productivity of the process is at least 50,000 g of total product per gram of transition metal compound (where the total product is defined to be the total amount of product exiting the reactor, minus unreacted monomers and solvents); ii) no more than 5% monomer is converted from olefin to alkane; iii) the yield of product is greater than 95%; and b) obtaining a liquid polyalphaolefin product having a pour point of less than 25° C., a KV 100 of 3 to 1000 cSt, 10 weight % dimer or less and a viscosity index of 60 or more.