# US 10,478,799 B2 · Heat transfer in a polymerization reactor

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- Number: US 10,478,799 B2
- Document ID: US10478799B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/704,929
- Filed: 2017-09-14
- Published: 2018-01-04
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2014-06-24
- Assignees: Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
- Applicants: Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
- Inventors: Scott E. Kufeld; Joel A. Mutchler; John D. Hottovy
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10478799B2

## CPC

- B01J 19/2435: {Loop-type reactors}
- B01J 19/245: {placed in series}
- C08F 2/01: characterised by special features of the polymerisation apparatus used
- C08F 2/12: Polymerisation in non-solvents (C08F2/32 takes precedence)
- C08F 2/14: Organic medium
- C08F 2/18: Suspension polymerisation
- G06F 30/00: Computer-aided design [CAD]
- G16C 10/00: Computational theoretical chemistry, i.e. ICT specially adapted for theoretical aspects of quantum chemistry, molecular mechanics, molecular dynamics or the like
- B01J 2219/00051: Controlling the temperature
- B01J 2219/00094: Jackets
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- C08F: MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING CARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G16C: COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY; CHEMOINFORMATICS; COMPUTATIONAL MATERIALS SCIENCE

## Abstract

A process comprises polymerizing an olefin monomer in a loop reactor in the presence of a catalyst and a diluent, and producing a slurry comprising solid particulate olefin polymer and diluent. The Biot number is maintained at or below about 3.0 within the loop reactor during the polymerizing process. The slurry in the loop reactor forms a slurry film having a film coefficient along an inner surface of the reactor wall, and the film coefficient is less than about 500 BTU·hr−1·ft−2·° F.−1.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A reactor comprising:
a continuous tubular shell comprising a thickness and a thermal conductivity, wherein the continuous tubular shell defines a continuous loop; wherein a ratio of the thermal conductivity to the thickness is greater than or equal to about 120 BTU·hr−1·ft−2·° F.−1; and
a slurry disposed within the continuous tubular shell, wherein the slurry comprises solid particulate olefin polymer and a diluent, and wherein the volume fraction of the solids in the slurry is greater than about 0.65.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein the ratio of the thermal conductivity to the thickness is greater than or equal to about 160 BTU·hr−1·ft−2·° F.−1.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein the ratio of the thermal conductivity to the thickness is greater than or equal to about 250 BTU·hr−1·ft−2·° F.−1.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein the ratio of the thermal conductivity to the thickness is greater than or equal to about 300 BTU·hr−1·ft−2·° F.−1.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein the thermal conductivity of the shell is between about 20 and about 40 BTU·hr−1·ft−1·° F.−1.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein the shell comprises a steel selected from the group consisting of: A106 Gr 8 (60), A516 Gr 70, A537 Cl 2, A106 Gr C (40), A202 Gr 8, A285 Gr C, A514 Gr 8, A/SA516 Gr 70, A515 Gr 70, A517 Gr A, A517 Gr 8, A533 Ty A C13, A542 Ty A C12, A678 Gr C, AISI 1010, AISI 1015, MIL-S 24645, and any combination thereof.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein the shell comprises a steel comprising iron and one or more of components selected from the group consisting of: carbon in an amount of from about 0.05 wt % to about 0.25 wt %, silicon in an amount of from about 0.5 wt % to about 0.75 wt %, manganese in an amount of from about 0.8 wt % to about 2.0 wt %, phosphorous in an amount of from about 0.01 wt % to about 0.1 wt %, sulfur in an amount of from about 0.01 wt % to about 0.1 wt %, aluminum in an amount of from about 0.01 wt % to about 0.04 wt %, chromium in an amount of from about 0.1 wt % to about 0.5 wt %, copper in an amount of from about 0.1 wt % to about 0.5 wt %, nickel in an amount of from about 0.1 wt % to about 0.5 wt %, molybdenum in an amount of from about 0.05 wt % to about 0.1 wt %, niobium in an amount of from about 0.005 wt % to about 0.02 wt %, titanium in an amount of from about 0.01 wt % to about 0.05 wt %, vanadium in an amount of from about 0.01 wt % to about 0.04 wt %, and any combination thereof.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein the continuous tubular shell has a diameter in the range of about 20 inches to about 36 inches.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein the inner surface of the continuous tubular shell has a surface smoothness of less than 100 RMS microinches.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein the inner surface of the continuous tubular shell has a surface smoothness of less than 30 RMS microinches.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein the inner surface of the continuous tubular shell has a surface smoothness of between about 10 RMS microinches and bout 30 RMS microinches.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein the slurry disposed within the continuous tubular shell forms a slurry film having a film coefficient along an inner surface of a reactor wall, and wherein the film coefficient is less than 500 BTU·hr−1·ft−2·° F.−1.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The reactor of claim 12, wherein a ratio of the film coefficient to the thermal conductivity is in a range of from about 8.0 ft−1 to about 50 ft−1.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The reactor of claim 12, wherein a ratio of the film coefficient to the thermal conductivity is in a range of from about 14 ft−1 to about 35 ft−1.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The reactor of claim 12, wherein a ratio of the film coefficient to the thickness is in a range of from about 1,400 BTU·hr−1·ft−3·° F.−1 to about 240,000 BTU·hr−1·ft−3·° F.−1.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the thermal conductivity to the thickness is in a range of from about 120 BTU·hr−1·ft−2·° F.−1 to about 10,000 BTU·hr−1·ft−2·° F.−1.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the thermal conductivity to the thickness is in a range of from about 120 BTU·hr−1·ft−2·° F.−1 to about 4,000 BTU·hr−1·ft−2·° F.−1.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein the slurry is circulated at a velocity in the range of about 25 ft/s to about 60 ft/s within the continuous tubular shell.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein the slurry is circulated at a velocity in the range of about 35 ft/s to about 50 ft/s within the continuous tubular shell.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein the slurry is circulated at a velocity greater than 40 ft/s within the continuous tubular shell.