Technology

^History

Innovene has been for years the name of BP's polyethylene technology^[1]. 

By Dec 2005, INEOS announced to have completed the purchase of BP's Innovene business for $9bn, said to fit well with the INEOS strategy to create a petrochemical company. Only ten months later, INEOS decided to drop the Innovene name, rebranding the business activities into Ineos Refining, Ineos Olefins, Ineos Polyolefins, Ineos Olefins & Polymers USA, Ineos Nitriles, Ineos Technologies, and Ineos Oligomers^[2].

By June 2015, INEOS claims to have licensed 5.7 million tonnes annually with 39 lines running and 4.8 million tonnes (13 lines) under design or construction^[3].  

Meanwhile, Ineos Technologies has stopped licensing activities.  

Process Description

The Innovene™ G process utilises a Fludized-Bed Reactor (FBR) to polymerize ethylene in the presence of a comonomer and Hydrogen Gas and the use of Z/N, metallocene or Cr catalyst for the production of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE)^[3,4].

Figure 1 - Innovene™ G simplified process flow diagram^[3]
Red: Gas & Polymer @ polymerisation temperature; Blue: Cold gas and condensate; Yellow: Clean gas @ polymerisation temperature; Green: Cold clean gas; Pink: Cold liquid.

The process features are claimed to be^[3]: 

• mLLDPE and HAO LLDPE products
• C₄-C₆-C₈ comonomer versatility
• Clean Loop Process
• High reliability / Low maintenance
• Low Opex and Capex

In particular, the clean loop technology with cyclones is said to offer the benefits of no circulating fines eliminating cleaning shutdown requirements, and the injection of condensation liquid into the reactor leads to effective liquid vaporisation directly into the reactor, thus avoiding fuidisation issues and liquid pooling.  

Products

Innovene™ G technology is suitable for the production of a range of metallocene VLDPE, LLDPE and MDPE, Z/N LLDPE, MDPE and HDPE, and Cr-HDPE going into applications such as extrusion coating, film, injection molding, pipe, W&C, and rotomolding^[3].

References

1. CHEMICAL & ENGINEERING NEWS, 30^th Jan 2006, Ineos changing Innovene name.
2. INEOS, Press Releases, 16th Dec 2005, INEOS completes purchase of BP's Innovene business for $9bn.
3. Dr. Fabian Siberdt, Jun 2015, Innovene™ G & S technologies: Recent advances and global positioning, PEPP 2015, Zürich.
4. Sidpec, Polyethylene Plant.