Advances on Research and Development of Ethylene Gas Phase Polymerization Process Technology
Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Chemical Engineering Manufacture Technology, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Abstract：Polyethylene has become the largest volume and most widely used synthetic material all over the world. Due to the advantages of concise production process and lower equipment investment, fluidized bed gas phase polymerization process is the main means of polyethylene production, which meanwhile has been extensively researched and developed. The historical development and state of the art of ethylene gas phase polymerization technology at home and abroad were reviewed in this paper, especially China's key contribution to the gas phase polyethylene technology. Seven different operation modes of gas-phase polymerization process were summarized, including dry gas-phase model, super dry gas-phase mode, condensed mode operation, super condensed mode, gas-liquid-solid cloudy operation mode, dew point polymerization mode, and comonomer-swing polymerization mode. The scientific fundamentals and engineering solutions involved in each mode were analyzed, such as the modeling of reactor space-time yield, the determination of operation point for condensed mode, cosolvent effect, prediction of melting temperature of particles with solvent absorption, quality control of fluidization, coexistence of multi-pattern of gas-liquid-solid three phase flow, one reactor with multipurpose and acoustic emission monitoring, especially the analysis and modeling of sticky particle agglomeration, bubble movement, the new underlying mechanism of the different fluidized bed operation, as well as a new way to control the structure of polymer resins—ethylene polymerization at dew point and a comonomer-swing (co)polymerization of ethylene. It is pointed out that the discipline of polymerization reaction engineering is developing from focusing on traditional process intensification to giving consideration to both process intensification and product flexibility.
YANG Yongrong,WANG Jingdai. Advances on Research and Development of Ethylene Gas Phase Polymerization Process Technology [J]. 化学反应工程与工艺, 2021, 37(1): 73-88.
