Open AccessDecompositions in the production of low density polyethylene: Reasons, consequences and prevention
Author(s) -
Dragoslav Stoiljković,
M. Stoiljković Dragoslav,
B. Đorđević Jovica,
Slobodan Jovanović,
M. Jovanović Slobodan,
Jovica Djordjevic,
Budimir Damjanovic,
Damjanović Budimir Lj
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
hemijska industrija
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.147
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 2217-7426
pISSN - 0367-598X
DOI - 10.2298/hemind0706357s
Subject(s) - polyethylene , polymerization , ethylene , hydrogen , materials science , work (physics) , methane , coordination polymerization , polymer chemistry , chemistry , polymer science , chemical engineering , catalysis , radical polymerization , polymer , organic chemistry , thermodynamics , composite material , physics , engineering
In the production of low density polyethylene by free radical polymerization of ethylene at high pressure, ethylene and polyethylene occasionally decompose to carbon, hydrogen and methane resulting in an enormous increase of pressure and temperature. Huge explosions occur in a polymerization reactor and in other parts of the installation. In addition to the well known reasons of decompositions, in this work it is pointed out that the polymerization under critical entropy conditions is an additional cause of explosions, which has not been recognized and elaborated in scientific literature and industrial practice