Patent ID: 8552125

Claim:
A process for preparing a particulate polyethylene product in a polymerization loop reactor, comprising the steps of: (a) feeding ethylene monomer, a liquid hydrocarbon diluent, optionally hydrogen, and optionally olefin co-monomer into said loop reactor; (b) feeding a polymerization catalyst into said loop reactor; (c) polymerizing said monomer and said optionally co-monomer to produce a polyethylene slurry in said diluent in said loop reactor; (d) allowing said polyethylene slurry to settle into one or more settling legs connected to said loop reactor; (e) discharging the settled polyethylene slurry from said one or more settling legs out of said loop reactor; wherein said polymerization catalyst comprises a particulate metallocene-alumoxane catalyst immobilized on a porous silica support wherein said alumoxane is heterogeneously distributed on said support.