Condensed Mode Cooling for Ethylene Polymerization: Part I. The Effect of Different Induced Condensing Agents on Polymerization Rate

The effect of commonly used induced condensing agents (ICAs) on the rate of polymerization of ethylene on a supported Ziegler–Natta catalyst in a gas‐phase process is investigated. It is observed that the instantaneous rate of ethylene polymerization is promoted in presence of all ICAs studied. This is attributed to the effect of the heavy ICAs in enhancing the local concentration of ethylene at the active polymerization sites that are dispersed within the growing polymer particles. It is found that the higher the solubility of ICA in the polymer, the greater the observed effect. It is also observed that the enhancement due to the presence of an ICA is greater during the initial phase of the polymerization.