MONOMER/SOLVENT SEPARATION AND RECYCLE PROCESS FOR PROPYLENE CONTAINING POLYMERS

摘要

Monomer / solvent separation and recycle processes for continuous supercritical, solution and advanced solution polymerization processes for propylene-containing polymers and their blends are provided. The advantageous monomer/solvent separation and recycle process includes heating a polymer-lean recycle stream coming from a gravimetric separator positioned downstream of the reactor to form a heated polymer-lean recycle stream, and subsequently combining the heated polymer-lean recycle stream with the one or more homogenous reactor effluent streams to form a heated reactor effluent mixed stream. The heated reactor effluent mixed stream may then be passed through a pressure let-down valve followed and a gravimetric separator, such as to provide for reduced fouling propensity of the polymer-rich phase and sufficient heating of the polymer-rich phase to be able to pass through the remainder of the processing steps to form a propylene based polymer product without additional heat.