Disclosed is a reactor for solution polymerization process using a metallocene catalyst for preparing polyolefin. The reactor includes: a reaction vessel for mixing a hydrocarbon-based solvent and an olefin monomer to produce polyolefin; a feed inlet installed at a lower portion of the reaction vessel to feed a feed including an unreacted monomer, a solvent, and a catalyst into the reaction vessel; a guide pipe having a cylinder shape being open at respective ends, installed along a central axis of the reaction vessel, and dividing an internal space of the reaction vessel into an up-flow region where a reaction mixture flows upward and a down-flow region where the reaction mixture flows downward; a swirling flow-inducing blade attached to the exterior surface of the guide pipe, causing the reaction mixture in the reaction vessel to rise along the exterior surface of the guide pipe while forming a swirling flow.

Methods for simultaneously determining the concentrations of transition metal compounds in solutions containing two or more transition metal compounds are described. Polymerization reactor systems providing real-time monitoring and control of the concentrations of the transition metal components of a multicomponent catalyst system are disclosed, as well as methods for operating such polymerization reactor systems, and for improving methods of preparing the multicomponent catalyst system.

Methods of controlling olefin polymerization reactor systems may include a) selecting n input variables, each input variable corresponding to a process condition for an olefin polymerization process; b) identifying m response variables corresponding to a measurable polymer property; c) adjusting one of more of the n input variables using the olefin polymerization reactor system and measuring each of the m response variables as a function of the input variables for olefin polymers; d) analyzing the change in each of the response variables as a function of the input variables to determine coefficients; e) calculating a Response Surface Model (RSM) for each response variable determined in step d); f) applying n selected input variables to the calculated RSM to predict one or more of m target response variables; and g) using the n selected input variables to operate the olefin polymerization reactor system and provide a polyolefin product.

A method for monitoring and controlling the polymerization in a polymerization vessel by using a camera viewing unit to (a) detect features of the polymer particles, or the particles' environment, (b) compare the features to pre-defined acceptable values of these features or the environment, and (c) if a variation from the pre-defined values is detected, act on process parameters to reduce or eliminate the variation.

In one embodiment, a reactor includes a reactor body and a reactor head. The reactor head has a reactor head body and one or more inlets disposed tangentially to the reactor head body. In one embodiment, a polymerization process for forming polymer includes introducing in a first direction a stream including a monomer. The stream and a catalyst system are flowed in a second direction through at least one internal heat exchanger. The second direction is substantially orthogonal to the first direction. The reaction zone includes at least one internal heat exchanger. At least a portion of the monomer of the stream is polymerized in the reaction zone to produce a polymer product. The polymer product is recovered from the reaction zone.

An apparatus for carrying out a gas-phase olefin polymerization having a first polymerization zone having a cylindrical segment of diameter D01, a second polymerization zone having a cylindrical upper part of diameter D05 and a cylindrical lower part of diameter D06, a separation zone of diameter D04, a first connecting element of diameter D03, which is a bend of radius R03 or has a bend part of radius R03, a gas recycle line of diameter D08, a transition segment of diameter D02, and a second connecting element of a diameter D09, which is a bend or has a bend part, wherein the ratio D04 to D05 is 1.0 to 1.5, the ratio D05 to D06 is 1.2 to 2, the ratio R03 to D03 is 1 to 6, the ratio D03 to D01 is 0.3 to 0.85, and the ratio D08 to D02 is 1.0 to 2.2.

A process and system for maintaining optimum polymerization production in a loop polymerization reactor by continuously and periodically obtaining polymerization results, such as melt index (MI), production rate and ash content of the polymer produced, determining whether each of the results is within desired ranges, storing and averaging recently obtained results in a database within a reaction rate controller program, and when one of the results is out of the desired range modifying at least one reaction parameter set-point such as monomer concentration, catalyst feed rate and reactor temperature to drive any out-of-range polymerization result(s) toward the desired range for that result.

A process for maintaining an optimum polymerization process in a continuous loop polymerization reactor by driving a catalyst feed range set-point around a bad catalyst set-point range using a bad catalyst feed rate program to vary the catalyst feed rate for differing periods of time between previously determined good catalyst feed rates.

A solar-driven methanol reforming system for hydrogen production includes a water storage tank, high-temperature solar collector tubes, a thermocouple, valves, preheaters, an evaporator, a reactor, a heat exchanger, a mixed solution (methanol and water) storage tank, a gas separator, a pump, a carbon dioxide storage tank, a hydrogen storage tank, and pipes; the present invention utilizes solar energy to provide heat required for hydrogen production by methanol reforming, and stores some heat in a phase change material to supply heat for the methanol reforming reaction when sunlight is weak; the system does not need additional energy supply, thus saving energy consumption from traditional electric heating or fuel heating.

A process for producing alkoxylates features a high growth ratio without the need of interim storage of a pre-polymer produced in a first reactor. The process may involve reacting a monomeric educt in the presence of a catalyst and a starting material in a first reactor equipped with a first circulation loop and thereafter passing a pre-polymer that is produced of the first circulation loop to a second reactor equipped with a second circulation loop, where a desired polymer is produced. The first reactor may comprise a smaller volume than the second reactor. The growth ratio, defined as a final batch volume of the second reactor divided by a minimum initial volume of the starting material in the first reactor, is at least 80:1.