Premium
A Monte Carlo Method to Quantify the Effect of Reactor Residence Time Distribution on Polyolefins Made with Heterogeneous Catalysts: Part I—Catalyst/Polymer Particle Size Distribution Effects
Author(s) -
Soares João B. P.,
Romero Jazmín
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
macromolecular reaction engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.37
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1862-8338
pISSN - 1862-832X
DOI - 10.1002/mren.201700031
Subject(s) - residence time distribution , polymer , materials science , microreactor , particle (ecology) , polyolefin , particle size distribution , particle size , residence time (fluid dynamics) , continuous reactor , monte carlo method , chemical engineering , catalysis , polymer chemistry , chemistry , composite material , organic chemistry , mineralogy , mathematics , inclusion (mineral) , oceanography , geotechnical engineering , statistics , layer (electronics) , engineering , geology
Abstract Polyolefins are commercially produced in continuous reactors that have a broad residence time distribution (RTD). Most of these polymers are made with heterogeneous catalysts that also have a particle size distribution (PSD). These are totally segregated systems, in which the catalyst/polymer particle can be seen as a microreactor operated in semibatch mode, where the reagents (olefins, hydrogen, etc.) are fed continuously to the catalyst/polymer particle, but no polymer particle can leave. The reactor RTD has a large influence on the PSD of the polymer particles leaving the reactor, as well as in polymer microstructure and properties, polymerization yield, and composition of reactor blends. This article proposes a Monte Carlo model that can describe how particle RTD in a single or a series of reactors can affect the PSD of polymer particles made under a variety of operation conditions. It is believed that this is the most flexible model ever proposed to model this phenomenon, and can be easily modified to track all properties of interest during polyolefin production in continuous reactors with heterogeneous catalysts.