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Computational scheme for the calculation of molecular weight distributions for nylon 6 polymerization in homogeneous, continuous‐flow stirred‐tank reactors with continuous removal of water
Author(s) -
Ramagopal A.,
Kumar Anil,
Gupta Santosh K.
Publication year - 1982
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.760221312
Subject(s) - moment closure , work (physics) , moment (physics) , materials science , polymerization , molar mass distribution , residence time distribution , flow (mathematics) , homogeneous , closure (psychology) , mechanics , vaporization , thermodynamics , residence time (fluid dynamics) , physics , classical mechanics , composite material , polymer , turbulence , engineering , geotechnical engineering , economics , market economy
An efficient computational scheme has been established for obtaining the molecular‐weight distributions (MWDs) for Nylon 6 polymerization in homogeneous, continuous‐flow stirred‐tank reactors (HCSTRs) with water vaporization. A three‐step procedure is used: the moment equations are solved by a sequential application of Brown's algorithm, the moments so calculated are used to give an empirical Flory‐Schultz distribution and, finally, this empirical distribution is used as a starting guess in Brown's algorithm applied to species mass‐balance equations to give the exact MWD. The moment‐closure approximations normally used for hutch reactors have been found to work equally well with HCSTRs for residence times of industrial significance.