GB1394215A - Polymer-gas separation - Google Patents

Abstract

1394215 Separating high speed gas stream from high speed annular polymer stream IMPERIAL CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES LTD 26 April 1972 [3 May 1971] 12733/71 Heading B1M A process for the separation of a high velocity stream of gas from a high velocity stream of polymer flowing in an annular flow pattern adjacent the wall of a continuous polymerisation tubular reactor and surrounding the gas comprises passing the gas and polymer streams from the tubular reactor into a walled collection zone via a tubular polymergas separating means extending into the walled collection zone in a direction between 45‹ upwards or downwards of the horizontal, the separating means beng constructed and positioned such as to discharge the molten polymer and allow it to flow quietly and smoothly to a pool of molten polymer located in the walled collection zone under the separating means, while allowing the gas to separate from the polymer and to pass substantially freely to a gas outlet in the collection zone, without directly impinging on the pool of molten polymer. The separating means may be adapted to direct the flow of molten polymer onto the wall of the collection zone, the average gas velocity may be reduced to below 100 ft/min prior to the gas travelling more than about 75% of the distance around the periphery of the walled collection zone, and the level of pool of molten polymer may be controlled within predetermined limits by sensing means associated therewith which sensing means control the feed rate of the polymer-gas streams to the collection zone. The separating means may be constructed as shown in Fig 2, may be inclined down by about 30‹ from the horizontal and about 75‹ away from the radial direction.