US 12,460,028 B2
Process for the polymerization of olefins in solution with controlled activity of catalyst in reactor outlet stream
Mohammad Al-haj Ali, Porvoo (FI); Noureddine Ajellal, Porvoo (FI); and Charlotta Weber, Stockholm (SE)
Assigned to BOREALIS AG, Vienna (AT)
Appl. No. 17/790,541
Filed by Borealis AG, Vienna (AT)
PCT Filed Dec. 30, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/088021
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 1, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/136804, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 8, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 20150108 (EP), filed on Jan. 2, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0067585 A1, Mar. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. C08F 210/16 (2006.01)
CPC C08F 210/16 (2013.01) 14 Claims
 
1. A polymerisation process, comprising:
a) supplying a feed containing ethylene and at least one alpha-olefin having 3 to 12 carbon atoms in a hydrocarbon solvent to a polymerization reactor,
b) contacting the feed of step a) in the polymerization reactor with a catalyst to form a reaction mixture containing an ethylene-alpha-olefin co-polymer, whereby an average residence time in the polymerization reactor is chosen to be between 0.5 and 30 minutes,
c) withdrawing the reaction mixture from the polymerization reactor as a reactor outlet stream which comprises the ethylene-alpha-olefin co-polymer, unreacted monomer and comonomer, catalyst, and hydrocarbon solvent, and
d) separating hydrocarbon solvent, monomer and comonomer from the reactor outlet stream and recycling it back to the polymerization reactor without further purification steps,
wherein in step c) no more than 5 wt % of catalyst in an active state is leaving the polymerization reactor.