Modeling of suspension polymerizations in continuous oscillatory baffled reactors (COBR) - Part I: Vinyl acetate polymerization

Abstract

In this work, a phenomenological model to represent suspension polymerizations in a continuous oscillatory baffled reactor is presented for the first time. The reactor is described as a series of tanks of equal volume connected. Additionally, a backflow stream is also included to simulate a backmixing mechanism. The proposed model considers mass, energy, statistical moments balances and regulatory control loops. Furthermore, the heat transfer coefficient is modeled as a function of the oscillatory conditions and the properties of the suspension. The model predictions are compared with available experimental data and good agreement is observed. The effects of key model parameters on model responses are also investigated. It is shown that initiator type and injection points must be carefully planned to avoid excessive temperature gradients along the reactor length. Given the thorough description of kinetic and heat transfer phenomena, the model can be used for reactor design and process scale up.