Method of cleaning isobutylene

Claim 1

IN A POLYMERIZATION PROCESS, THE STEPS IN COMBINATION OF MIXING TOGETHER A MAJOR PROPORTION OF ISOBUTYLENE, A MINOR PROPORTION OF ISOPRENE AND SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF METHYL CHLORIDE DILUENT IN A CONTINUING STREAM, DELIVERING THE MIXED STREAM TO A REFRIGERANT-COOLED, WALLED-OFF POLYMERIZATION ZONE, SIMULTANEOUSLY DELIVERING A STREAM OF ALUMINUM CHLORIDE IN SOLUTION IN METHYL CHLORIDE AS POLYMERIZATION CATALYST TO THE SAME POLY-MERIZATION ZONE, DISCHARGING THEREFROM A STREAM OF SOLID POLYMER SLURRY IN METHYL CHLORIDE, CONTINUING THE STREAMS OF MIXED OLEFINS WITH DILUENT; CATALYST SOLUTION AND EMERGENT SLURRY UNTIL SUCH AN AMOUNT OF POLYMER HAS ADHERED TO THE BOUNDARIES OF THE SAID POLYMERIZATION ZONE BETWEEN ZONE AND REFRIGERANT, TO PRODUCE A TEMPERATURE GRADIENT THERETHROUGH UP TOWARD A VALUE OF 12* C.; THEN DISCONTINUING THE STREAM OF ALUMINUM CHLORIDE IN SOLUTION IN METHYL CHLORIDE, DIVERTING THE STREAM OF COLD MIXED OLEFINS THROUGH A ZONE CONTAINING A NON-VOLATILE AMINE WHICH IS BOTH A CATALYST DESTROYING AGENT AND AN OXIDATION INHIBITOR, WHEREBY THERE IS ADDED TO AND DISSOLVED IN THE COLD STREAM OF MIXED OLEFINS, AND THEREBY ADDED TO THE REACTOR CONTENTS, AN AMOUNT OF THE NON-VOLATILE AMINE SUFFICIENT TO DESTROY THE CATALYTIC EFFECT OF ALL OF THE ALUMINUM CHLORIDE REMAINING IN THE REACTION ZONE THEN REMOVING REFRIGERATION FROM THE MIXED OLEFIN MATERIAL AND REACTION ZONE, CONTINUING STREAM OF WARM MIXED OLEFIN-METHYL CHLORIDE MATERIAL UNTIL THE MAJOR PORTION OF POLYMER ADHERENT TO THE REACTION ZONE BOUNDARIES HAS BEEN LOOSENED AND REMOVED, THEN RE-APPLYING REFRIGERATION TO THE BOUNDARIES OF THE REACTION ZONE AND TO THE OLEFIN MIXTURE UNTIL THE CONTENTS OF THE REACTION ZONE ARE AT A TEMPERATURE MUCH LESS THAN 12* HIGHER THAN THE BOILING POINT OF LIQUID ETHYLENE, AND THEN RE-DELIVERING A CONTINUING STREAM OF ALUMINUM CHLORIDE IN METHYL CHLORIDE SOLUTION TO THE REACTION ZONE; UTILIZING THE AMINE IN THE DISCHARGED SOLID POLYMER AS OXIDATION INHIBITOR AFTER COMPOUNDING SAID CURING.