Complete POLYESTER SSP Lines - (2) 50,000 ton Solid State Polymerization Plants (SSP), Bottle Grade, Buhler, 1988.
Process: Amorphous polymer (precursor) pellets are received at the plant via railcar. They are unloaded by a pneumatic conveyor to the precursor silo for storage. From the silo, the amorphous polymer is transported to the feed bin. It is passed into the crystallizer where hot gas is used to crystallize the pellets. The pellets are then metered into the solid stating vessel. A hot gas flowing through the polymer pellets in the solid stating vessel causes a molecular change which raises the I.V. (Intrinsic Viscosity) of the polymer creating a bottle grade polymer. The gas used to crystallize and solid state the polymer is continuously filtered and circulated through the heaters and cooler. The cooler reduces the temperature of the polymer to permit handling. The pellets are then conveyed to the product bin. Product quality is verified in the laboratory using state–of–the–art equipment. Once the product meets the specifications, pellets are pneumatically conveyed to the finished product bin. Railcars and road trucks are loaded for distribution to the customers.
