Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser – Synthetic resins – Polymerizing in tubular or loop reactor
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-26
2001-04-24
Wu, David (Department: 1713)
Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser
Synthetic resins
Polymerizing in tubular or loop reactor
C526S073000, C526S116000, C526S119000, C526S123100, C526S160000, C526S943000, C526S352000, C526S348500, C526S348600, C502S104000, C502S152000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06221982
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process for the production of polyethylene in particular high density polyethylene (HDPE) having a bimodal molecular weight distribution.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
For polyethylene, and for high density polyethylene (HDPE) in particular, the molecular weight distribution (MWD) is a fundamental property which determines the properties of the polymer, and thus its applications. It is generally recognised in the art that the molecular weight distribution of a polyethylene resin can principally determine the physical, and in particular the mechanical, properties of the resin and that the provision of different molecular weight polyethylene molecules can significantly affect the rheological properties of the polyethylene as a whole.
Since an increase in the molecular weight normally improves the physical properties of polyethylene resins, there is a strong demand for polyethylene having high molecular weight. However, it is the high molecular weight molecules which render the polymers more difficult to process. On the other hand, a broadening in the molecular weight distribution tends to improve the flow of the polymer when it is being processed at high rates of shear. Accordingly, in applications requiring a rapid transformation employing quite high inflation of the material through a die, for example in blowing and extrusion techniques, the broadening of the molecular weight distribution permits an improvement in the processing of polyethylene at high molecular weight (this being equivalent to a low melt index, as is known in the art). It is known that when the polyethylene has a high molecular weight and also a wide molecular weight distribution, the processing of the polyethylene is made easier as a result of the low molecular weight portion and also the high molecular weight portion contributes to a good impact resistance for the polyethylene film. A polyethylene of this type may be processed utilising less energy with higher processing yields.
The molecular weight distribution can be completely defined by means of a curve obtained by gel permeation chromatography. Generally, the molecular weight distribution is defined by a parameter, known as the dispersion index D, which is the ratio between the average molecular weight by weight (Mw) and the average molecular weight by number (Mn). The dispersion index constitutes a measure of the width of the molecular weight distribution. For most applications, the dispersion index varies between 10 and 30.
It is known in the art that it is not possible to prepare a polyethylene having a broad molecular weight distribution and the required properties simply by mixing polyethylenes having different molecular weights.
As discussed above, high density polyethylene consists of high and low molecular weight fractions. The high molecular weight fraction provides good mechanical properties to the high density polyethylene and the low molecular weight fraction is required to give good processability to the high density polyethylene, the high molecular weight fraction having relatively high viscosity which can lead to difficulties in processing such a high molecular weight fraction. In a bimodal high density polyethylene, the mixture of the high and low melting weight fractions is adjusted as compared to a monomodal distribution so as to increase the proportion of high molecular weight species in the polymer. This can provide improved mechanical properties.
It is accordingly recognised in the art that it is desirable to have a bimodal distribution of molecular weight in the high density polyethylene. For a bimodal distribution a graph of the molecular weight distribution as determined for example by gel permeation chromatography, may for example include in the curve a “shoulder” on the high molecular weight side of the peak of the molecular weight distribution.
The manufacture of bimodal polyethylene is known in the art. It is known in the art that in order to achieve a bimodal distribution, which reflects the production of two polymer fractions, having different molecular weights, two catalysts are required which provide two different catalytic properties and establish two different active sites. Those two sites in turn catalyse two reactions for the production of the two polymers to enable the bimodal distribution to be achieved. Currently, as has been known for many years, as exemplified by EP-A-0057420, the commercial production of bimodal high density polyethylene is carried out by a two step process, using two reactors in series. In the two step process, the process conditions and the catalyst can be optimised in order to provide a high efficiency and yield for each step in the overall process.
In the applicant's earlier WO-A-95/10548 and WO-A-95/11930, it was proposed to use a Ziegler-Natta catalyst to produce polyethylene having a bimodal molecular weight distribution in a two stage polymerisation process in two liquid full loop reactors in series. In the polymerisation process, the comonomer is fed into the first reactor and the high and low molecular weight polymers are produced in the first and second reactors respectively. The introduction of comonomer into the first reactor leads to the incorporation of the comonomer into the polymer chains in turn leading to the relatively high molecular weight fraction being formed in the first reactor. In contrast, no comonomer is deliberately introduced into the second reactor and instead a higher concentration of hydrogen is present in the second reactor to enable the low molecular weight fraction to be formed therein.
These prior processes suffer from the technical disadvantages that some unreacted comonomer can pass through from the first reactor to the second reactor thereby to react with the ethylene monomer therein leading to an increase in the molecular weight of the fraction produced in the second reactor. This in turn can deteriorate the bimodality of the molecular weight distribution of the combined high and low molecular weight polymers leading to a reduction in mechanical properties.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims to provide a process for producing polyethylene having a large molecular weight distribution, and in particular a bimodal molecular weight distribution, which overcomes or at least mitigates some of the problems in the prior art discussed above.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a process for producing high density polyethylene in the presence of a Ziegler-Natta catalyst system in two liquid full loop reactors in series, wherein in a first reactor a first polyethylene product is polymerised substantially by homopolymerisation of ethylene and hydrogen, optionally with a minor degree of copolymerisation of ethylene with an alpha-olefinic comonomer comprising from 3 to 8 carbon atoms, and in a second reactor serially connected to the first reactor downstream thereof a second polyethylene product is copolymerised from ethylene and an alpha-olefinic comonomer comprising from 3 to 8 carbon atoms, and a hydrogenation catalyst is introduced into the reactants downstream of the first reactor.
Preferably, the hydrogenation catalyst is introduced into the process stream passing from the first reactor to the second reactor.
The degree of copolymerisation in the first reactor is preferably limited to an amount whereby the first polyethylene product has a density of not less than 0.960 g/cc.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention is predicated on the surprising discovery by the present inventor that the production of, respectively, low and high molecular weight fractions of a polyethylene in first and second reactors of two liquid full loop reactors in series can unexpectedly yield high density polyethylene having a bimodal molecular weight distribution with improved mechanical properties.
Without being bound by theory, it is believed that this unexpected technical effect results from the absence, or presence in only minor amounts, of comonomer in the fir
Debras Guy
Messiaen Michel
Fina Research S.A.
Harlan R.
Wheelington Jim D.
Wu David
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