Process for improving the devolatilization of polymer slurry produced in a polymerization reactor

A process for improving the devolatilization of polymer slurry produced in a polymerization loop reactor comprising:

• introducing ethylene monomer, one or more optional olefin co-monomers and a diluent into a loop polymerization reactor;
• introducing at least one polymerization catalyst into the reactor;
• polymerizing the ethylene monomer and the optional co-monomer to produce a polymer slurry comprising liquid diluent and solid ethylene polymer particles;
• periodically withdrawing the polymer slurry from the polymerization reactor;
• and passing withdrawn polymer slurry through a heated flash line into a flash tank,
• wherein a temperature of an interior surface of the flash line is adjusted to a temperature which is equal to or higher than a softening temperature of the polymer particles passing therethrough and wherein the temperature of the interior surface is higher in a first half of the length of the flash line than in a remaining length of the flash line.