The ethane level in the recycle gas of UNIPOL’s polyethylene plant is above the specified limit. Has anyone encountered this issue before? Could you help analyze it?
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After the maintenance of UNIPOL’s polyethylene plant, excessive ethane was detected in the circulating gas within the polymerization reactor during startup. Could someone help analyze the reasons for this? How to solve it? It has been checked that the ethylene feed is normal, and the patent holder was also contacted. The explanation provided by the patent holder is that rust from the recycle gas cooler may have entered the reactor, where it was reduced to iron metal by hydrogen, thereby causing partial catalytic hydrogenation of the ethylene. Is this explanation reasonable?
Is this a suggestion from the patent holder? How did you determine that the heat exchanger is leaking?
The hydrogen/ethylene ratio is too high; the side reaction is ethane