Abstract
The reversible step growth polymerization in homogeneous continuous flow stirred tank reactors (HCSTRs), in which the condensation product (W) leaves the reactor through flashing, has been analyzed. The molecular weight distribution (MWD) of the polymer formed is governed by nonlinear coupled algebraic relations to be solved simultaneously. To find the MWD numerically a large number of these are normally solved simultaneously using a suitable iterative procedure. In this paper, these have been decoupled using the technique proposed in our earlier works (1, 2) and the MWD can now be obtained sequentially without any trial and error. This leads to considerable saving in computation time compared to methods currently used. To demonstrate the efficacy of the algorithm, the polycondensation step of the poly(ethylene terephthal-ate) (PET) formed in HCSTRs has been analyzed. The MWD, the average chain length and the polydispersity index of the polymer have been computed and it takes 0.1 CPU seconds on a DEC 1090 as opposed to the earlier method which would take seventy minutes for similar computations. The simple model of the HCSTR for the PET formation gives the effect of reactor temperature and pressure and the quantitative results have been presented in this paper.
Published Version
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