System for removing heavies from diluent recycled to a slurry polymerization reactor
AssigneeChevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
InventorsDavid H. Burns, Donald W. Verser
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A recycling and recovery system and process comprising a flash gas separator that receives a slurry comprising liquid medium and solid polymer particles. The flash gas separator separates the diluent from the solid polymer particles as a vapor stream comprising at least diluent and heavies. A line receives the vapor stream from the flash gas separator. The line leads to a heavies removal system that yields a liquid that is relatively concentrated in heavies and a diluent vapor that is relatively free of heavies. The liquid is passed to a heavies column, while the diluent vapor is passed to a diluent recycle chamber and then recycled to a slurry polymerization reactor without additional treatment to remove heavies.
Claims9
A recovery and purification system for a liquid medium from a slurry polymerization, the system comprising:
- a first fluid passage connected at one end to a slurry polymerization reactor;
- a flash gas separator connected to an opposite end of the first fluid passage, for separating a vapor stream comprising solid polymer particles in a liquid medium;
- a vapor removal line connected at a top portion of the flash gas separator, for transporting the vapor stream from the flash gas separator;
- a first condenser downstream of the vapor removal line;
- a collection tank downstream of the first condenser;
- a vapor bypass line providing a bypass for a portion of the vapor stream around the condenser to the collection tank;
- a bypass valve for controlling the flow of vapor through the vapor bypass line;
- a liquid delivery line at a bottom portion of the collection tank;
- a vapor recycle line at a top portion of the collection tank;
- a second condenser fluidly connected to the vapor recycle line;
- and
- a second fluid passage connecting the output of the second condenser to the slurry polymerization reactor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.