Method for the discontinuous thermal treatment of catalyst material

• US 6,683,022 B1
• Filed: 03/27/2000
• Issued: 01/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Basell Polyolefine GmbH (Lyondellbasell Industries NV)
• Original Assignee: Basell Polyolefine GmbH (Lyondellbasell Industries NV)
• Inventors: Feindt, Hans-Jacob, Kämmerer, Michael, Brauch, Thomas, Evertz, Kaspar, Kölle, Peter, De Lange, Paulus, Letzelter, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Wood, Elizabeth D.
• Application Number:
  US09/536,355
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: 502/237, 502/240, 502/254, 502/256, 502/305, 502/308, 502/309, 502/319, 502/320
• US Class Current: 502/305
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 10/00 Homopolymers and copolymers of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 4/24 Oxides

Abstract

Method for the discontinuous thermal treatment of catalyst material comprising the steps

(a) introducing the catalyst material into a reactor,

(b) heating the catalyst material,

(c) thermally treating the catalyst material in the reactor at the reactor temperature,

(d) discharging the catalyst material from the reactor and

(e) cooling the catalyst material,

wherein the reactor temperature is kept constant during the steps (a) to (e), step (b) is carried out during and/or after step (a), step (e) is carried out during and/or after step (d), and step (c) is carried out after step (b) and before step (e).

The method is used primarily for the calcination or activation of catalysts or catalyst supports which are used in polyolefin production.

Claims

1. A method for the discontinuous thermal treatment of a catalyst material comprising a chromium compound and a support material for olefin polymerization comprising the steps

(a) introducing the catalyst material for olefin polymexization into a preheated reactor;

(b) heating the catalyst material;

(c) thermally treating in the form of calcination the catalyst material in the reactor at a reactor temperature;

(d) discharging the catalyst material from the reactor; and

(e) cooling the catalyst material in nitrogen,

wherein the reactor temperature is kept constant during steps (a) to (e) and

wherein step (c) is carried out after step (b) and before step (e) and

step (d) is carried out before step (e) and

steps (a) to (d) are performed in the presence of oxygen.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein step (b) is carried out during and/or after step (a).

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein step (e) is carried out during and/or after step (d).

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heating of the catalyst material in step (b) is carried out inside of the reactor.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cooling of the catalyst material in step (e) is carried out outside of the reactor.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reactor used is a fluidized-bed reactor.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reactor used is a discontinuous mixing reactor.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the catalyst material is brought into intimate contact with liquids during the thermal treatment in step (c) in the reactor.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the catalyst material is brought into intimate contact with solids during the thermal treatment in step (c) in the reactor.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the catalyst material is brought into intimate contact with gases during the thermal treatment in step (c) in the reactor.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the catalyst material is brought into intimate contact with a mixture of gases and solids during the thermal treatment in step (c) in the reactor.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reactor temperature is kept constant at a temperature within the range of from 400 to 800°

C.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reactor temperature is kept constant at a temperature within the range of from 500 to 700°

C.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thermal treatment of the catalyst material in step (c) is carried out over a time period of at least 30 min.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thermal treatment of the catalyst material in step (c) is carried out over a time period within the range of from 1 to 5 h.

16. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thermal treatment of the catalyst material in step (c) is carried out over a time period within the range of from 1 to 3 h.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support material is an oxidic support material which is doped with a metal compound selected from the group comprising chromium, molybdenum, tungsten compounds or a combination of these.