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Modeling of industrial styrene polymerization reactors
Author(s) -
Makwana Y.,
Moudgalya Kannan M.,
Khakhar D. V.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.11752
Subject(s) - materials science , styrene , polystyrene , polymerization , plug flow reactor model , diluent , parametric statistics , volumetric flow rate , nuclear engineering , thermal , chemical engineering , polymer chemistry , thermodynamics , continuous stirred tank reactor , composite material , organic chemistry , chemistry , copolymer , polymer , engineering , statistics , mathematics , physics
Steady‐state modeling and simulation of thermally initiated bulk polymerization of styrene in a train of existing industrial reactors is presented. Two reactors of different geometry and flow arrangement, which operate in series, are modeled as plug flow reactors. The model of Arai et al. (8) for the kinetics of thermal polymerization of polystyrene is used. The model predictions agree well with plant data for different operating conditions. A parametric study shows the feed rate, diluent (ethyl benzene) concentration and reactor temperatures to have a significant effect on final conversion and molecular weight.