Systems and methods for reducing heat exchanger fouling rate

Abstract

Systems and methods of reducing heat exchanger fouling rate and of producing polyolefins are provide herein. In some aspects, the methods include providing a first gas stream comprising a gas and entrained fine polyolefin particles to a gas outlet line; preferentially removing a portion of the entrained fine polyolefin particles from the gas outlet line to form a bypass stream comprising a higher concentration of the entrained fine polyolefin particles than is present in the first gas stream; providing the bypass stream to a bypass line comprising a bypass line inlet and a bypass line outlet, wherein the bypass line inlet is located upstream of a first heat exchanger, and wherein the bypass line outlet is located downstream of the first heat exchanger; providing at least a portion of the first gas stream to the first heat exchanger, which produces a first cooled gas stream; and combining the bypass stream and a second gas stream at the bypass line outlet to form a combined gas stream comprising one or more olefins or paraffins, wherein a temperature of the combined gas stream is below the dew point of the combined gas stream.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.