Kinetic study of olefin polymerization with a supported metallocene catalyst. IV. Comparison of bridged and unbridged catalyst in gas phase

A kinetic study of ethylene/1-hexene (E/1-H) copolymerization is conducted with a supported bridged metallocene catalyst in a gas phase reactor. The investigation into the kinetics of ethylene/1-hexene copolymerization includes the effects of operational parameters such as the reaction temperature, pressure, and comonomer concentration. On-line perturbation techniques are implemented to determine key kinetic parameters such as the activation energies for propagation and catalyst deactivation. A comparison of the kinetic parameters and behavior is made between the bridged and a previously studied unbridged catalyst. Finally, a two-site model is proposed to explain the observed kinetic behavior with changing reaction temperature and comonomer concentration. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 1451–1459, 2001