Component separations in polymerization
AssigneeChevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
InventorsScott E. Kufeld, John D. Hottovy, Ai-fu Chang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for component separation in a polymer production system, comprising separating a polymerization product stream into a gas stream and a polymer stream, wherein the gas stream comprises ethane and unreacted ethylene, distilling the gas stream into a light hydrocarbon stream, wherein the light hydrocarbon stream comprises ethane and unreacted ethylene, contacting the light hydrocarbon stream with an absorption solvent system, wherein at least a portion of the unreacted ethylene from the light hydrocarbon stream is absorbed by the absorption solvent system, and recovering a waste gas stream from the absorption solvent system, wherein the waste gas stream comprises ethane, hydrogen, or combinations thereof.
Claims20
A process for component separation in a polymer production system, comprising:
- polymerizing olefin monomers in a first polymerization reactor to yield a mid-polymerization product stream;
- flashing, in a flash tank, the mid-polymerization product stream to yield a mid-polymer stream;
- distilling a vapor stream recovered from the flash tank to yield a mid-gas stream;
- and
- polymerizing the mid-polymer stream in a second polymerization reactor,
- wherein the mid-polymerization product stream comprises hydrogen, ethane, unreacted ethylene, isobutane, and polyethylene,
- wherein the mid-polymer stream comprises the polyethylene and the isobutane, and
- wherein the mid-gas stream comprises the unreacted ethylene and the ethane.
A process for component separation in a polymer production system, comprising:
- polymerizing olefin monomers in a first polymerization reactor to yield a mid-polymerization product stream;
- separating the mid-polymerization product stream into a mid-gas stream and a mid-polymer stream;
- contacting the mid-gas stream with an absorption solvent system, wherein at least a portion of the unreacted ethylene from the mid-gas stream is absorbed by the absorption solvent system;
- routing unabsorbed ethane from the absorption solvent system to a processing device;
- and
- converting the unabsorbed ethane to ethylene in the processing device,
- wherein the mid-polymerization product stream comprises hydrogen, ethane, unreacted ethylene, isobutane, and polyethylene,
- wherein the mid-polymer stream comprises the polyethylene and the isobutane, and
- wherein the mid-gas stream comprises the unreacted ethylene and the ethane.
A system comprising:
- a first polymerization reactor for polymerizing olefin monomers to yield a mid-polymerization product stream;
- a flash tank for flashing the mid-polymerization product stream to yield a mid-polymer stream;
- a distillation column for distilling a vapor stream recovered from the flash tank to yield a mid-gas stream;
- and
- a second polymerization reactor for polymerizing the mid-polymer stream,
- wherein the mid-polymerization product stream comprises hydrogen, ethane, unreacted ethylene, isobutane, and polyethylene,
- wherein the mid-polymer stream comprises the polyethylene and the isobutane, and
- wherein the mid-gas stream comprises the unreacted ethylene and the ethane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.