| abstract |
A process for in-line blending of plasticizers and polymers is provided. The process includes providing a single reactor train including one or more serially configured reactors, a high-pressure separator downstream fluidly connected to the reactor train, and one or more storage tanks, wherein the reactor train produces one or more base polymer components and the one or more storage tanks store one or more off-line produced plasticizers; contacting in the reactor train olefin monomers, catalyst systems, optional comonomers, optional scavengers, and optional diluents or solvents, at a temperature above the solid-fluid phase transition temperature of the polymerization system and a pressure no lower than 10 MPa below the cloud point pressure of the polymerization system and less than 1500 MPa, forming a reactor effluent including a homogeneous fluid phase polymer-monomer mixture; passing the reactor effluent through the separator to separate a monomer-rich phase from a polymer-rich phase; and feeding the plasticizers to the process after the reactor train and while the base polymer still has a substantial quantity of light components to form a plasticized polymer blend with improved blend quality. |