1. Department of Chemistry, Mahidol University, , Bangkok, Thailand;2. LCPP‐CNRS/ESCPE, , 69616 Villeurbanne, France;3. Dutch Polymer Institute (DPI), , PO Box 902, 5600 AX Eindhoven, The Netherlands;4. Department of Chemical Engineering, Queen's University, Kingston, , Ontario, Canada
Abstract:
Inert condensing agents (ICAs) are used principally to cool down gas‐phase fluidized bed reactors used to polymerize ethylene over supported catalysts. While these ICAs are chemically inert, it appears that they might nevertheless increase the polymerization rate. n‐Hexane is used as an ICA, and an enhancement in the instantaneous rate of ethylene polymerization in the gas phase is observed. This is attributed to a rise in the local ethylene concentration in the amorphous polymer phase surrounding the active sites, due to increases in both the solubility and diffusivity of ethylene in the amorphous polymer. In addition, the polymer particles have a smoother surface with less formation of fiber‐like substructures as the n‐hexane concentration increases.
