High performance gas-phase ethylene polymerization metallocene catalyst investigation in a pilot-plant fluidized bed reactor (1) experimental analysis

Abstract

This work aims to explore the scaling up process of lab developed heterogeneous metallocene catalyst in a pilot-plant scale fluidized bed reactor in comparison of benchmark catalyst producing polyethylene. The catalyst performance has been evaluated through copolymerization behaviors and polymerization kinetics. The produced polymers are analyzed in revealing the scale up effect of the catalyst. It was found that the catalyst particle size distribution shows very similar size distribution compared to the industrial catalyst and good particle morphology, which will benefit the gas phase fluidized bed operation. Compared to the benchmark HP-100, PME-18 shows better catalytic parameters in the ethylene/1-hexene polymerization behavior and reaction kinetics. The final product demonstrates very similar particle size distribution and polymer properties, which will obviously influence the product quality and production state.