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Simulation of reversible AA + B′B″ polycondensations in wiped film reactors
Author(s) -
Gupta Santosh K.,
Kumar Anil,
Ghosh Anup K.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.1983.070280313
Subject(s) - reactivity (psychology) , reaction rate constant , constant (computer programming) , polymer , function (biology) , materials science , chemistry , polymer chemistry , thermodynamics , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemical engineering , composite material , organic chemistry , physics , kinetics , computer science , engineering , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology , quantum mechanics , evolutionary biology , biology , programming language
Wiped‐film reactors carrying out AA + B′B″ type reversible polycondensations (where A, B′, and B” are functional groups, with B′ and B” reacting with A at different rates) have been simulated. The governing mass balance equations have been solved for two transport models of this reactor (one by Ault and Mellichamp and the other by Amon and Denson) using a combination of finite difference and the Runge–Kutta methods. The increase in the number‐average chain length μ n of the polymer formed in the reactor is computed as a function of the various rate constants and the parameters characterizing the reactor. μ n is found to be most sensitive to the surface area of the film and to the temperature used, both for the equal reactivity as well as for the unequal reactivity cases. For the latter, the effect of the reactivity ratio for the forward rate constants is more significant than that of the equilibrium constants. Results of the two models are also compared under similar conditions and it is found that under equivalent conditions, the Amon–Denson model gives slightly higher μ n than the Ault–Mellichamp model.