SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REDUCING HEAT EXCHANGER FOULING RATE

• Main Authors: Lowell, Jeffrey S, Price, Ralph J
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 01.04.2021
• Subjects: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVINGCARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS; METALLURGY; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; TRANSPORTING

Systems and methods of reducing heat exchanger fouling rate and of producing polyolefins are provide herein. In some aspects, the methods include providing a first gas stream comprising a gas and entrained fine polyolefin particles to a gas outlet line; preferentially removing a portion of the entrained fine polyolefin particles from the gas outlet line to form a bypass stream comprising a higher concentration of the entrained fine polyolefin particles than is present in the first gas stream; providing the bypass stream to a bypass line comprising a bypass line inlet and a bypass line outlet, wherein the bypass line inlet is located upstream of a first heat exchanger, and wherein the bypass line outlet is located downstream of the first heat exchanger; providing at least a portion of the first gas stream to the first heat exchanger, which produces a first cooled gas stream; and combining the bypass stream and a second gas stream at the bypass line outlet to form a combined gas stream comprising one or more olefins or paraffins, wherein a temperature of the combined gas stream is below the dew point of the combined gas stream.