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On‐line conversion monitoring through ultrasound propagation velocity measurements in emulsion polymerization
Author(s) -
Canegallo S.,
Apostolo M.,
Storti G.,
Morbidelli M.
Publication year - 1995
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.1995.070571110
Subject(s) - monomer , gravimetric analysis , methyl methacrylate , materials science , emulsion polymerization , polymerization , emulsion , calibration , vinyl acetate , line (geometry) , methacrylate , analytical chemistry (journal) , polymer chemistry , chemical engineering , chemistry , chromatography , composite material , organic chemistry , copolymer , polymer , statistics , mathematics , geometry , engineering
An on‐line sensor for estimating conversion from measurements of ultrasound propagation velocity in emulsion polymerizations has been developed. The sensor does not require a sampling circuit, because it can be directly plugged in the reacting mixture. The performance of the sensor has been tested by comparison with off‐line gravimetric measurements of conversion under various operating conditions. These include the homopolymerization of methyl methacrylate and vinyl acetate, with different values of the monomer to water ratio and the initial concentrations of emulsifier and initiator. The results obtained using either an empirical calibration curve or a suitable a priori model indicate excellent reliability of the sensor with somewhat lower accuracy at low conversion values, i.e., when monomer droplets are present. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.