Process for purging propane in a polypropylene manufacturing process

• Main Authors: RICHET MARC, JANSSENS ELS, AVAULLEE LAURENT
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 01.09.2015
• Subjects: CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; 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; SEPARATION; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; TRANSPORTING

A process can include polymerizing propylene in a polymerization zone, withdrawing an effluent, and sending the effluent to a separation zone. A stream can be sent from the separation zone to a splitter to produce an overhead and a bottom stream. The overhead can be recycled to the polymerization zone, and the bottom stream can be sent to a membrane separation zone to produce a permeate and a purge. Optionally, the bottom stream can be washed in a scrubber, and an overhead of the scrubber can be sent to the membrane separation zone. The permeate can be recycled to the polymerization zone. A process can include providing a membrane separation zone to a polypropylene manufacturing facility that includes a polymerization zone, a separation zone, a splitter, and optionally a scrubber. The membrane separation zone can be fed a bottoms stream of the splitter or an overhead of the scrubber.