Process for post reactor purging of residual monomers from solid polymer resins

Abstract

A process for removing unpolymerized monomers from a solid olefin polymer containing the monomers by countercurrently feeding an inert purge gas through a bed of polymer in a cylindrical purge vessel having tapered walls wherein the vessel has a height to bottom diameter ratio of 0.5:1 to 10:1 and the walls have a tapered angle based on a vertical axis of 0.5 to 15 degrees. An apparatus for removing unpolymerized monomers from a solid olefin polymer containing the monomers which comprises, a cylindrical purge vessel having tapered walls wherein the vessel has a height to bottom diameter ratio of 0.5:1 to 10:1 and the walls have a tapered angle based on a vertical axis of 0.5 to 15 degrees; a solids inlet disposed in an upper portion of the vessel; a solids discharge disposed in a lower portion of the vessel; gas entry means disposed within or below a bed of solids, and gas discharge means disposed in the upper portion of the vessel.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.