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Process Intensification of Emulsion Polymerization Using a Compartment Reactor
Author(s) -
Ohmura N.,
Horie T.,
Kumagai N.,
Esaki T.,
Yamazaki T.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
chemical engineering and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.403
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1521-4125
pISSN - 0930-7516
DOI - 10.1002/ceat.201200034
Subject(s) - compartment (ship) , impeller , continuous stirred tank reactor , mixing (physics) , emulsion polymerization , chemical engineering , dispersity , emulsion , particle (ecology) , materials science , flocculation , monomer , chemistry , polymer , thermodynamics , polymer chemistry , composite material , oceanography , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering , geology
Attempts were made to intensify continuous emulsion polymerization using a compartment reactor consisting of three well‐mixing compartments. The goal of this intensification is to obtain a stable and monodisperse particle size as well as high monomer conversion, by controlling the mixing under continuous operation. A two‐bladed paddle impeller was used in the first compartment to intensify the dispersibility and reactivity in the aqueous phase, while a rotating disk was used in the third compartment to avoid excessive flocculation of the polymer particles. In the second compartment, a two‐bladed turbine impeller or a rotating disk was used. The compartment reactor successfully obtained much higher monomer conversion and also more stable and monodisperse particles than a single continuous stirred‐tank reactor. The oscillations of the mean particle size were greatly suppressed by spatially different mixing operations.