Dosing Supercritical Ethylene - Parallel Polyethylene Synthesis Reactor

Polyethylene is often synthesized in slurry-phase reactors under supercritical conditions. This was a particularly challenging application where supercritical ethylene is dosed to 24 parallel miniature batch reactors.

Ethylene is known to exhibit a strong Joule-Thomson effect upon expansion. Additionaly the rheological properties vary strongly as a result of even minor process variations (T&P) at the pressures of interest for polyethylene synthesis.

A high-temperature Badger valve was used in this application. The ethylene feed is pre-heated using electrical heat-tracing as is the valve seat itself.

The Badger valve implemented provides excellent pressure control of the 24-parallel polyethylene synthesis and the seals have shown no swelling from the supercritical ethylene employed.