Abstract
In previous papers of this work methodologies have been established i) to predict the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of living polymerisation processes in various reactor configurations, ii) and - in a reversed calculation process - to design reactor parameters and feed profiles for a single CSTR or a tubular reactor to meet a target MWD. In this paper a model of a series of continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) with various initiator and monomer feed strategies have been used to establish i) the possible MWD shapes with constant feed, ii) the MWD with the lowest possible polydispersity index, and iii) a methodology to design multimodal MWDs with a continuous steady state process. Both the MWD prediction and the design methodologies use a simplified, very fast, direct algorithm, well suited for control purposes.
Highlights
1 Introduction It is evident that polymer properties are related to the full molecular weight distribution (MWD)
In this paper an MWD design methodology has been established using a series of CSTRs with various monomer and initiator feed strategies
Integration can be carried out analytically (Da is constant in the steady state) and the MWD from the second stage is j
Summary
It is evident that polymer properties are related to the full molecular weight distribution (MWD). In most industrial processes, the average chain length or molecular weight is used to characterize the product. It has been shown that even the second moment of the MWD carries information not available from the reactor temperature profile or monomer conversion, and this information can be vital to control parameter tuning or product characterization [6]. In this paper an MWD design methodology has been established using a series of CSTRs with various monomer and initiator feed strategies. The amount of chains of length j is an integral of these fractions over the time period t0 to tend in question. After substituting the initial MWD for P1 and changing the parameter of integration from time to chain length μ = Da(t − t0). Integration can be carried out analytically (Da is constant in the steady state) and the MWD from the second stage is j
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