# US 11,299,563 B2 · Controlling reactor split and a product parameter

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- Number: US 11,299,563 B2
- Document ID: US11299563B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/345,758
- Filed: 2017-10-25
- Published: 2019-10-31
- Granted: 2022-04-12
- Earliest claimed: 2016-10-28
- Assignees: Univation Technologies, LLC
- Applicants: Univation Technologies, LLC
- Inventors: Timothy R. Lynn; Daniel N. Thomas, Jr.; Bruce J. Savatsky; John F. Szul
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11299563B2

## CPC

- C08F 10/02: Ethene
- C08F 210/16: Copolymers of ethene with alpha-alkenes, e.g. EP rubbers
- B01J 8/001: {Controlling catalytic processes (B01J8/1809 takes precedence)}
- B01J 8/0492: {Feeding reactive fluids (for solid material, see B01J8/0015)}
- B01J 2208/00654: by measures relating to the particulate material
- B01J 2208/00725: Mathematical modelling
- C08F 4/65912: {in combination with an organoaluminium compound}
- C08F 4/65916: {supported on a carrier, e.g. silica, MgCl2, polymer}
- C08F 2400/02: Control or adjustment of polymerization parameters
- C08F: MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING CARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS

## Abstract

A method including a) polymerizing at least one monomer in a gas phase reactor in the presence of a supported multimodal catalyst system to form a multimodal polyethylene product having a reactor split equal to respective weight fractions of resin components in the polyethylene product; b) applying a predetermined formula for a product parameter of the multimodal polyethylene product; c) obtaining incorporation data and production rate data from the reaction based upon the predetermined formula; d) determining an actual hydrogen leading indicator; e) comparing the actual hydrogen leading indicator to a target value for a hydrogen leading indicator to determine a deviation of the actual hydrogen leading indicator from the target value; and f) adjusting an amount of a catalyst precursor being fed to the gas phase reactor to control reactor split and a product parameter.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method to control reactor split and a product parameter of a polyethylene product in a multimodal polymerization reaction comprising:
a) polymerizing at least one monomer in a gas phase reactor in the presence of a supported multimodal catalyst system comprising at least two different catalyst compounds to form a multimodal polyethylene product having a reactor split equal to respective weight fractions of resin components in the polyethylene product;
b) applying a predetermined formula for a product parameter of the multimodal polyethylene product;
c) obtaining incorporation data and production rate data from the reaction based upon the predetermined formula;
d) determining an actual hydrogen leading indicator;
e) comparing the actual hydrogen leading indicator to a target value for a hydrogen leading indicator to determine a deviation of the actual hydrogen leading indicator from the target value for the hydrogen leading indicator; and
f) adjusting an amount of a catalyst precursor for forming at least one of the two different catalyst compounds and being fed to the gas phase reactor to control reactor split equal to respective weight fractions of resin components in the polyethylene product and the product parameter of the polyethylene product wherein the catalyst precursor is activated and forms at least one of the catalyst compounds of the supported catalysts in the gas phase reactor and wherein the adjusted amount of catalyst precursor is based upon data obtained in c) and the deviation determined in e).

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the catalyst precursor is an unsupported catalyst precursor compound.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the supported multimodal catalyst comprises at least one metallocene catalyst compound, a Group 15 metal-containing compound, or a combination thereof.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the multimodal catalyst system comprises two of more of (pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)(propylcyclopentadienyl)MX2, (tetramethylcyclopentadienyl)(propylcyclopentadienyl)MX2, (tetramethylcyclopentadienyl)(butylcyclopentadienyl)MX2, Me2Si(indenyl)2MX2, Me2Si(tetrahydroindenyl)2MX2, (n-propyl cyclopentadienyl)2MX2, (n-butyl cyclopentadienyl)2MX2, (1-methyl, 3-butyl cyclopentadienyl)2MX2, HN(CH2CH2N(2,4,6-Me3phenyl))2MX2, HN(CH2CH2N(2,3,4,5,6-Mesphenyl))2MX2, (propyl cyclopentadienyl)(tetramethylcyclopentadienyl)MX2, (butyl cyclopentadienyl)2MX2, and (propyl cyclopentadienyl)2MX2, wherein M is zirconium or hafnium, and X is selected from F, Cl, Br, I, Me, benzyl, CH2SiMe3, C2 to C5 alkyls, and C2 to C5 alkenyls.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the product parameter is flow index and the predetermined formula is
Flow Index=e{A+C[H2mol:C2mol]+D[C6mol:C2mol]+E(ICApp)}*(HMWmol:LMWmol)B
wherein A is an intercept determined from a best fit line, and B, C, D, and E are slope terms determined from the best fit line, H2mol:C2mol is the molar ratio of hydrogen to ethylene, C6mol:C2mol is the molar ratio of hexene to ethylene, ICApp is the induced condensing agent partial pressure, and HMWmol:LMWmol is the molar ratio of the high molecular weight fraction to the low molecular weight fraction.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the multimodal polyethylene product is a bimodal polyethylene.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrogen leading indicator is a H2/C2 flow ratio.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrogen leading indicator is a H2/C2 flow ratio divided by a H2/C2 molar composition ratio.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, including activating the catalyst precursor by contacting the catalyst precursor with methylaluminoxane in the gas phase reactor.

### Claim 10

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions to control reactor split and a product parameter of polyethylene product in a multimodal polymerization reaction that when executed by a processor are to:
a) polymerize at least one monomer in a gas phase reactor in the presence of a supported catalyst comprising at least two different catalyst compounds to form a multimodal polyethylene product having a reactor split equal to respective weight fractions of resin components in the polyethylene product;
b) apply a predetermined formula for flow index of the multimodal polyethylene product;
c) obtain incorporation data and production rate data from the reaction based upon the predetermined formula;
d) determine an actual hydrogen leading indicator;
e) compare the actual hydrogen leading indicator to a target value for a hydrogen leading indicator to determine a deviation of the actual hydrogen leading indicator from the target value for the hydrogen leading indicator; and
f) adjust an amount of a catalyst precursor for forming at least one of the two different catalyst compounds and being fed to the gas phase reactor to control reactor split equal to respective weight fractions of resin components in the polyethylene product and the product parameter of the polyethylene product wherein the catalyst precursor is activated and forms at least one of the catalyst compounds of the supported catalysts in the gas phase reactor and wherein the adjusted amount of catalyst precursor is based upon data obtained in c) and the deviation determined in e).