Abstract
A flow reactor for the complex reaction network of the free radical solution polymerization of n-butyl acrylate was optimized by a combination of kinetic modeling, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and additive manufacturing. CFD was used to model a flow reactor with SMX mixing elements. An optimized geometry was 3D-printed from polypropylene. The modeled residence time behavior was compared to relevant experiments, giving a validation for the flow behavior of the reactor. A kinetic model for the free radical solution polymerization of n-butyl acrylate (BA) was in addition implemented into the CFD model. It was used to predict the polymerization behavior in the flow reactor and the resulting product properties. The experimental and computational results were in acceptable agreement.Graphical abstract
Highlights
Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) calculations have become increasingly important for obtaining insight into characteristics of flow reactors in particular, which are difficult to obtain experimentally
computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and polymerization kinetics were coupled to give a description of common polymerizations, like those of styrene or ethylene [7,8,9]
The choice of reactor geometry for butyl acrylate polymerizations with respect to the mixing by a varying number of two sizes of SMX elements was made after mapping the performance in CFD calculations as described earlier
Summary
Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) calculations have become increasingly important for obtaining insight into characteristics of flow reactors in particular, which are difficult to obtain experimentally. One of these characteristics is the mixing of fluids, which was addressed for both static mixing elements and more complex systems such as bubble columns [1, 2]. CFD allows to predict heat transfer and the outcome of reactions in chemical applications. This has made CFD useful for the description of the operation of larger industrial equipment as well as microscale reactors [3,4,5,6]. These investigations have usually been performed for commercially available reactors, in form of CSTRs or interdigital micromixers, and for some proprietary reactor designs [7, 9, 10]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
