Industrial reaction units

The first section of this chapter describes the most important high pressure process run under homogeneous conditions to manufacture Low Density PolyEthylene (LDPE). The radical polymerization of ethylene to LDPE is carried out in tubular reactors or in stirred autoclaves. Tubular reactors exhibit higher capacities than stirred autoclaves. The latter are preferred to produce ethylene copolymers having a higher comonomer content. The second section presents a review of studies concerning countercurrently and cocurrently downflow conditions in fixed bed gas-liquid-solid reactors operating at elevated pressures. The various consequences induced by the presence of elevated pressures are detailed for Trickle Bed Reactors (TBR). Hydrodynamic parameters including flow regimes, two-phase pressure drop and liquid hold-up are examined. The scarce mass transfer data such gas-liquid interfacial area, liquid-side and gas-side mass transfer coefficients are reported. In the third section an extensive writing on two types of slurry catalytic reactors is proposed: Bubble Slurry Column Reactors (BSCR) and Mechanically Stirred Slurry Reactors (MSSR). All the variables relevant in the design and for the scale-up and the scale-down of slurry catalytic reactors are discussed particularly from the point of view of hydrodynamics and mass transfer. Two examples of application are included at the end of the section. Finally, in the fourth section the fundamentals of the modelling concerning two basic olefin polymerization processes are examined: heterogeneous slurry polymerization and gas-phase polymerization. The SPERIPOL process for making High Impact PolyPropylene (HIPP) is then described as an illustrative example for combining fundamentals and elements of product and technology development.