Modeling of transfer phenomena on heterogeneous ziegler catalysts. II. Experimental investigation of intraparticle mass transfer resistance during the polymerization of ethylene in slurry

✍ Scribed by T. F. McKenna; F. Barbotin; R. Spitz

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 554 KB
• Volume: 62
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-8995
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4628(19961212)62:11<1835::aid-app7>3.0.co;2-r

✦ Synopsis

An experimental investigation of mass transfer limitations on a single batch of high activity, heterogeneous catalysts used in the slurry polymerization of ethylene is presented. The viscosity of the continuous phase was varied, using trace amounts of inert copolymer in order to reduce the monomer diffusivity, and the activity levels were varied using hexene as a n activator. These changes were intended to clearly identify situations in which the polymerization becomes mass-transfer-limited due to diffusion resistance in the pores of the catalyst. Increasing the observed activity of the catalyst from approximately 9000 to 40,000 grams of polymer per gram of catalyst per hour (g/g/h) revealed no evidence of mass transfer resistance, even when the diffusivity of the monomer in solution was reduced by a factor of six. Analysis of the molecular weight as a function of particle size supported this conclusion but did suggest that there might be slight chemical differences between large and small particles.