Liquid catalyst injection

Claim 1

IN THE POLYMERIZATION OF ETHYLENE IN A TUBULAR REACTOR AT MAXIMUM OPERATING TEMPERATURES OF 220-300* C. AND PRESSURES OF 16,000-50,000 P.S.I.G. IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYTIC AMOUNT OF A FREE RADICAL GENERATING LIQUID CATALYST COMPONENT, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING DIVIDING THE ETHYLENE BEING INTRODUCED INTO THE REACTOR INTO A FEED GAS STREAM AND A COLD GAS STREAM, INTRODUCING THE FEED GAS STREAM INTO THE PREHEATER SECTION OF SAID REACTOR WHEREIN THE TEMPERATURE OF THE FEED GAS IS REAISED TO A TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST 150*C., SUBDIVIDING THE COLD GAS STREAM INTO N+1 STREAMS, WHEREIN N IS AN INTEGER HAVING A VALUE BETWEEN ONE AND TEN, INTRODUCING FINELY DIVIDED DROPLETS OF LIQUID CATALYST COMPONENT INTO EACH OF THE N STREAMS, WITH THE REMAINING 1 STREAM BEING CATALYST FREE, BY PASSING A MIXTURE OF LIQUID CATALYST COMPONENT AND ETHYLENE THROUGH A RESTRICTED TOTTUOUS PATH TO PROVIDE A UNIFORM DISPERSION OF LIQUID CATALYST COMPONENT IN COLD ETHYLENE GAS, SEPARATELY INTRODUCING AT SUCCESSIVE SPACED POINTS ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE REACTOR SAID N STREAMS AT A TEMPERATURE OF 0-50*C., THE AMOUNT OF COLD GAS BEING INTRODUCED AT EACH OF SAID SUCCESSIVE POINTS BEING INCREASED BY MEASURED INCREMENTS TO PROVIDE A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM TEMPERATURE DROP AT EACH SUCCESSIVE POINT OF INTRODUCTION ALONG THE REACTOR, AND REGULATING THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF COLD GAS IN SAID N STREMS BY INTRODUCING THE CATALYST-FREE STREAM OF COLD GAS INTO THE PREHEATER SECTION OF THE REACTOR AND VARYING THE AMOUNT OF GAS IN SAID CATALYST-FREE STREAM BETWEEN 2-15 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF SAID COLD GAS STREAM, THE RELATIVE PROPORTION OF COLD GAS IN SAID N STREAMS TO THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF ETHYLENE BEING INTRODUCED INTO THE REACTOR BEING SUCH AS TO PROVIDE AT EACH OF SAID SUCCESSIVE POINTS OF CATALYST INJECTION A MINIMUM TEMPERATURE GREATER THAN 140-170*C.