Section 2.5 Pumping Slurries Liquid-Solid Systems

Slurry-phase polymerization involves a solid from the beginning of the polymerization process. An important example is the production of high-density polyethylene (HOPE) using immobilized, solid Ziegler-Natta catalysts in a solvent (typically liquid alkanes). Slurry phase polymerization is carried out in stirred tank reactors or loop reactors where the three-phase system is pumped with high flow velodties to reduce the probability of reactor fouling (for details see Section 6.20). 

---