Oligomerization process

Abstract

Embodiments described herein provide a method for cleaning a reactor during the oligomerization of ethylene to one or more linear alpha-olefins. The method includes: a) reacting ethylene to produce one or more linear alpha-olefins via oligomerization by contacting ethylene in a liquid solvent phase comprising a solution of an oligomerization catalyst at a temperature in the range from about 25° to 150° C. until a heat transfer coefficient of the reactor intercoolers is in the range of from about 100 to about 160 BTU/hr/ft2/° F. and/or until a pressure drop across the reactor intercoolers increases by about 25%; b) reducing the flowrate of the oligomerization catalyst solution; c) increasing the temperature of the reaction to a range from about 125 to 145° C. to place a polymer product produced in step a) into a phase comprising one or more linear alpha-olefins; d) returning the reactor to the conditions of step a).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.