Process for reducing fouling in high pressure polymerization

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for the reduction of reactor fouling in a high pressure polymerization reactor comprising a siloxane-bonded polymer layer adhered to at least one reactor wall, wherein the process comprises contacting the siloxane-bonded polymer layer with an alcohol in an amount of not more than 2 wt.-%, based on the total amount of the reactor feed, wherein the alcohol is in supercritical state. The alcohol may be selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, iso-propanol, n-butanol, and iso-butanol, or a combination thereof. The siloxane-bonded polymer layer may comprise an ethylene copolymer. The above process improves heat transfer at the reactor walls by reducing or removing said siloxane-bonded polymer layer and reducing fouling phenomena. This in turn improves product output, process control, product quality and reproducibility of the obtained polymers, and decreases down-time of the reactor.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.