The present disclosure provides borate activators comprising cations having linear alkyl groups, catalyst systems comprising, and processes for polymerizing olefins using such activators. Specifically, the present disclosure provides polymerization activator compounds which may be prepared in, and which are soluble in aliphatic hydrocarbon and alicyclic hydrocarbon solvents.

Disclosed is a method for polymerization that copolymerizes ethylene and alpha-olefin. The method includes the steps of: copolymerizing ethylene and alpha-olefin of reaction raw materials in presence of solvents, to produce a polymerization product in which low molecular weight compounds containing unreacted ethylene and alpha-olefin, the solvents, ethylene and alpha-olefin copolymers and ethylene and alpha-olefin oligomers; separating the unreacted ethylene and alpha-olefin contained in the polymerization product by distilling; separating the solvents and the low molecular weight compounds having lower molecular weight than the ethylene and alpha-olefin copolymer and contained in the polymerization product by distilling, to obtain pure polymerization product; and separating the low molecular weight oligomers from the solvents and the low molecular weight compounds previously separated by distilling to recover the solvents, and then reusing the recovered solvents as solvents for polymerization.

Disclosed is a method for polymerization that copolymerizes ethylene and alpha-olefin. The method includes the steps of: copolymerizing ethylene and alpha-olefin of reaction raw materials in presence of solvents, to produce a polymerization product in which low molecular weight compounds containing unreacted ethylene and alpha-olefin, the solvents, ethylene and alpha-olefin copolymers and ethylene and alpha-olefin oligomers; separating the unreacted ethylene and alpha-olefin contained in the polymerization product by distilling; separating the solvents and the low molecular weight compounds having lower molecular weight than the ethylene and alpha-olefin copolymer and contained in the polymerization product by distilling, to obtain pure polymerization product; and separating the low molecular weight oligomers from the solvents and the low molecular weight compounds previously separated by distilling to recover the solvents, and then reusing the recovered solvents as solvents for polymerization.

The present disclosure generally relates to processes to produce alpha-olefin oligomers and poly alpha-olefins. In an embodiment, the present disclosure provides a process to produce a poly alpha-olefin (PAO), the process including: introducing a C.sub.6-C.sub.32 alpha-olefin and a catalyst system comprising activator and a metallocene compound into a continuous stirred tank reactor or a continuous tubular reactor under reaction conditions, wherein the alpha-olefin is introduced to the reactor at a flow rate of about 100 g/hr or more; and obtaining a product comprising PAO dimer and optional higher oligomers of alpha-olefin, or a combination thereof, the PAO dimer comprising 96 mol % or more of vinylidene, based on total moles of vinylidene, disubstituted vinylene, and trisubstituted vinylene in the product. In at least one embodiment, a process includes functionalizing and/or hydrogenating a PAO product of the present disclosure. In at least one embodiment, a blend includes a PAO product of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure generally relates to processes to produce alpha-olefin oligomers and poly alpha-olefins. In an embodiment, the present disclosure provides a process to produce a poly alpha-olefin (PAO), the process including: introducing a C.sub.6-C.sub.32 alpha-olefin and a catalyst system comprising activator and a metallocene compound into a continuous stirred tank reactor or a continuous tubular reactor under reaction conditions, wherein the alpha-olefin is introduced to the reactor at a flow rate of about 100 g/hr or more; and obtaining a product comprising PAO dimer and optional higher oligomers of alpha-olefin, or a combination thereof, the PAO dimer comprising 96 mol % or more of vinylidene, based on total moles of vinylidene, disubstituted vinylene, and trisubstituted vinylene in the product. In at least one embodiment, a process includes functionalizing and/or hydrogenating a PAO product of the present disclosure. In at least one embodiment, a blend includes a PAO product of the present disclosure.

A process for preparing an olefin polymer, including the steps of forming a particulate olefin polymer in a gas-phase polymerization reactor in the presence of a C.sub.3-C.sub.5 alkane as polymerization diluent, separating discharged polyolefin particles from concomitantly discharged gas at a pressure from 1 to 2.2 MPa, degassing the polyolefin particles at a pressure from 0.1 to 0.4 MPa with a gas made from or containing a C.sub.3-C.sub.5 alkane; and transferring the separated gas and the gas from the degassing to a work-up unit operated at a pressure from 0.001 to 0.2 MPa below the pressure of the separation, wherein the gas for degassing is continuously received from the work-up unit.

A process for preparing an olefin polymer, including the steps of forming a particulate olefin polymer in a gas-phase polymerization reactor in the presence of a C.sub.3-C.sub.5 alkane as polymerization diluent, separating discharged polyolefin particles from concomitantly discharged gas at a pressure from 1 to 2.2 MPa, degassing the polyolefin particles at a pressure from 0.1 to 0.4 MPa with a gas made from or containing a C.sub.3-C.sub.5 alkane; and transferring the separated gas and the gas from the degassing to a work-up unit operated at a pressure from 0.001 to 0.2 MPa below the pressure of the separation, wherein the gas for degassing is continuously received from the work-up unit.

The present disclosure provides a method of determining a relative decrease in catalytic efficacy of a catalyst in a test sample of a catalyst solution with unknown catalytic activity. The method includes (a) mixing the test sample with a test solvent to form a test mixture and (b) measuring the increase in the temperature of the test mixture at predetermined time intervals immediately after forming the test mixture. A predetermined feature is used to determine both a test value in the increase in temperature measured in (b) and a control value in a known increase in temperature of a control mixture of the test solvent with a control sample of a control catalyst solution. The relative decrease in catalytic efficacy of the catalyst in the test sample having the unknown catalytic activity is then determined from: Relative Decrease in Catalytic Efficacy=Control Value−Test Value/Control Value

The present disclosure provides a method of determining a relative decrease in catalytic efficacy of a catalyst in a test sample of a catalyst solution with unknown catalytic activity. The method includes (a) mixing the test sample with a test solvent to form a test mixture and (b) measuring the increase in the temperature of the test mixture at predetermined time intervals immediately after forming the test mixture. A predetermined feature is used to determine both a test value in the increase in temperature measured in (b) and a control value in a known increase in temperature of a control mixture of the test solvent with a control sample of a control catalyst solution. The relative decrease in catalytic efficacy of the catalyst in the test sample having the unknown catalytic activity is then determined from: Relative Decrease in Catalytic Efficacy=Control Value−Test Value/Control Value

The present disclosure provides a method of determining a relative decrease in catalytic efficacy of a catalyst in a test sample of a catalyst solution with unknown catalytic activity. The method includes (a) mixing the test sample with a test solvent to form a test mixture and (b) measuring the increase in the temperature of the test mixture at predetermined time intervals immediately after forming the test mixture. A predetermined feature is used to determine both a test value in the increase in temperature measured in (b) and a control value in a known increase in temperature of a control mixture of the test solvent with a control sample of a control catalyst solution. The relative decrease in catalytic efficacy of the catalyst in the test sample having the unknown catalytic activity is then determined from: Relative Decrease in Catalytic Efficacy=Control Value−Test Value/Control Value