SEMINAR OVERVIEW PE620
Polyethylene & Polypropylene Manufacturing & Process Troubleshooting

Seminar Title
Polyethylene & Polypropylene Manufacturing & Process Troubleshooting

Seminar Date/ Venue
February 07-11, 2010/Royal Club, Le Meridien Hotel, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Seminar Reference
PE620

Seminar Duration/Credits
Five days / 3.0 CEUs

Seminar Description
Polyethylene and polypropylene are the synthetics champions. These inert, food-friendly and easy-to-recycle materials make up more than half of our 'plastic' world. They are economic to produce, the scale of production is enormous and offer security of supply along with diversification in hundreds of different grades. But it is not just a matter of quantity that underlies their popularity. Quality is also a key component. The properties of polyethylene and polypropylene make them exceptionally well suited for the processing to all kinds of packaging, from wraps to bags and from crates to bottles and vessels. The intrinsic absence of food-contamination risks plus their substantial strength makes them safe in many important respects.

Nowadays, polyethylene and polypropylene are increasingly becoming a rival to engineering plastics and, to a lesser extent, classical elastomers. This is primarily attributable to their flexibility. The stiffness and toughness of polyethylene and polypropylene can be varied using modern catalysts or developing blends and making compounds with fillers, fibres and nano-particles, and thus intrinsically improve the polyethylene and polypropylene. These materials are tending to replace the heavier steel or aluminium used in car construction to dramatically reduce the weight of the car and improving its fuel economy. Polyethylene, with ultra-high molecular weight, is already well known as the raw material for super strong fibres (Dyneema) and new uses are also being developed in knee and hip prostheses (patented by DPI). The inertness that is so crucial to food-packaging is also a key factor in medical applications. Polyethylene and Polypropylene have found a place in the world of fibres and fabrics. Carpets with a polypropylene underside are quite common, but the carpet’s upper side can also be made from it. Further, they are also used in special sportswear, gloves, ropes, woven bags, etc. Not forgetting the special foams, made of low-density polyethylene, used in many cars to make them safe and comfortable.

All of these applications, and more, are made possible by a vast research force around the world working on these materials, leading to more applications, new insights into molecular structures and the kind of properties that may be expected from a variety of processing techniques. A wide variety of technologies produces the different polyethylene and polypropylene, either by catalysis or initiated by radicals. With new catalysts being discovered every year, the production technologies are being steadily modernised. Recently, important progress has been made in the modeling of catalytically active surfaces and catalysts, particularly in the field of metallocenes. The polyethylene and polypropylene industry is now at a crossroads with a revolution directly attributable to these metallocenes. The metallocene constrained geometry catalysts offer the control of the polyolefin structure and molecular weight as never before witnessed. New polymers based on propylene and ethylene are still evolving and sometimes new monomers enter fields where special properties are a must, like optics (polymethylpentene) and special elastomers (copolyethylene/norbornene).

This seminar is designed to present the structure, morphology, and properties of polyethylene and polypropylene synthesis. It focuses on synthetic advances, the use of additives, polyolefin blends, composites and fibers, and surface treatment, including a discussion of the problem of interfacial and superficial phenomena. The seminar considers both the primary industrial and more novel routes of synthesis. It examines new additives, including stabilizers, nucleating and clarifying agents, fillers and reinforcements, and coupling agents. It also describes thermodynamic properties of polyethylene and polypropylene solutions, explains functionalized and controlled lifetime polyolefins and more.

The Polyethylene and Polypropylene manufacturing process covered by this seminar use ethylene and propylene feedstocks from refinery crackers to produce polyethylene or polypropylene. No other feedstocks sources will be discussed.

Seminar Objectives
Upon the successful completion of the seminar, participants will be knowledgeable of the following topics:-

• Have a strong working background and define the important concepts on polyethylene & polypropylene manufacturing & process troubleshooting

• Characterize and differentiate the mechanical properties of polyethylene & polypropylene

• Discuss the crystallography of polyethylene & polypropylene and describe the structural hierarchy and morphology of single crystals

• Compare the properties of copolymers and blends, and describe the polymer melt processing including its rheological properties and orientation in flowing polymer melts

• Demonstrate familiarity of catalyst technology, additives and the health, safety and environmental concerns related to the manufacturing and processing of polyethylene and polypropylene

Training Methodology
This interactive training seminar includes the following training methodologies as a percentage of total tuition hours:-
50% Lectures
30% Workshops, Group Work & Practical Exercises
20% Videos & Software

Who Should Attend
Chemical and design engineers; polymer, analytical, materials, petrochemical, and pharmaceutical chemists; environmental scientists and technologists.

Seminar Certificate
Haward Technology certificate will be issued to all attendees completing minimum of 75% of the total tuition hours of the seminar.

Seminar Accreditation
Haward Technology’s courses/workshops/seminars meet the professional certification and continuing education requirements for participants seeking Continuing Education Units (CEUs) in accordance with the rules & regulations of the International Association for Continuing Education & Training (IACET). IACET is an international authority that evaluates programs according to strict, research-based criteria and guidelines. The CEU is an internationally accepted uniform unit of measurement in qualified seminars of continuing education.

Haward Technology has been approved as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), 1760 Old Meadow Road, Suite 500, McLean, VA 22102, USA. In obtaining this approval, Haward Technology has demonstrated that it complies with the ANSI/IACET 1-2007 Standard which is widely recognized as the standard of good practice internationally. As a result of our Authorized Provider membership status, Haward Technology is authorized to offer IACET CEUs for its programs that qualify under the ANSI/IACET 1-2007 Standard.

Haward Technology Middle East will award 3.0 CEUs (Continuing Education Units) for participants who completed the total tuition hours of this program. One CEU is equivalent to ten Professional Development Hours (PDHs) or ten contact hours of the participation in and completion of Haward Technology programs. A permanent record of a participant’s involvement and awarding of CEU will be maintained by Haward Technology. Haward Technology will provide a copy of the participant’s CEU Transcript of Records upon request.

Seminar Fee
US$ 3,750 per Delegate. This rate includes Participant’s Pack (Folder, Manual, Hand-outs, etc.), buffet lunch, coffee/tea on arrival, morning and afternoon of each day.

Accommodation
Accommodation is not included in the seminar fees. However, any accommodation required can be arranged by Haward Technology at the time of booking.

Seminar Director
Dr. Mustafa Al-Jarrah PhD, MSc, BSc....More

Seminar Coordinator
Urooj, Tel: +971-2-44 88 301, Fax: +971-2-44 88 302, Email: urooj@petrolab.org