Spherizone technology

The Spheripol process was a significant step change in the polypropylene process, allowing a broadening of product capabilities and a considerable saving in terms of investment costs as well as operating costs. 

The Spheripol process has been very successful in the PP technology market -since 1982, when the first plant was started up in Brindisi, Italy, over 100 plants have come into operation or are under construction worldwide. 

The Spheripol process has been recognized as an environmentally friendly process, being listed in the Polymers BREF, European Commission - IPPC Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Best Available Techniques in the production of Polymers dated October 2006. 

Despite the success of the Spheripol process, Basell continue research aimed at improving product characteristics, widening the range of grades and developing the next generation of PP technology, the Spherizone process. 

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Fluidized-bed gas-phase reactor, in Spherizone technology, 20 543-544 Fluidized-bed incinerators, 13 176-177 Fluidized-bed process technology, butane-based, 15 502-504... 

Polypropionate synthesis, 20 138 Polypropylene (PP), 20 523-548 24 272. See also Olefin fibers Propylene polymer entries Spheripol technology Spherizone technology advanced material, 2 693 asbestos substitute, 3 314t, 315 can coatings, 26 39 catalyst systems for, 20 525-528 catalyst yield for, 20 531-532 coatings, 7 40 conducting, 7 525... 

The development of the Spherizone technology started in 1995 and was subsequently scaled up from pilot plant to commercial size in 2002, when the new multi-zone circulating reactor (MZCR) was installed at Basell s plant in Brindisi, Italy. 

The Spherizone technology can be operated using either polymer- or chemical-grade propylene. 

Application To produce polypropylene-based polymers, including homopolymer polypropylene, random, heterophasic impact and specialty dual composition copolymers, using Spherizone process technology. 

Description The Spherizone process is Basell s new proprietary gas-loop reactor technology based on a Multi-Zone Circulating Reactor (MZCR) concept. Inside the reactor (1) the growing polymeric granule is continuously recirculating between two interrelated zones, where two distinct and different fluodynamic regimes are realized. 

The next scale-up phase was the construction of a IGOktpa reactor that retrofitted the existing, two-loop reactor Spheripol plant with one MZCR (Spherizone process) in Brindisi, Italy (Figure 17.6). The remainder of the plant remained unchanged. Of course, even at that time, there were no counter indications to building an entirely new plant. However, this choice allowed the industrial demonstration of the new technology with the minimum investment cost. 

This industrial demonstration of the Spherizone process prompted commercialization of the technology, which was then made available for licensing to third parties. The development of units with capacities of up to 450 kta, presently under construction, represents a world-scale size for PP plants Spherizone maintains industry cost leadership with the capacity of the Spheripol technology. Up to the end of2007, nine Spherizone licenses, for a total capacity near 3 million ton per year, have been granted. 

A recent advancement in reactor technology has been the development of a fluid bed, multizone circulating reactor (MZCR) by Basell, called Spherizone. 

A recent development in this technology is the multizone circulating reactor (MZCR) developed by Basell ( Spherizone process), in which a given polymer particle flows back and forth between two reaction zones of a loop reactor, in each of which the conditions are different... 

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