Optimal Reactor Regimes for Isoprene Polymerization Process in Bulk

Abstract

The temperature regimes of reactors for the catalytic isoprene polymerization process in bulk are considered, specifically periodic reactors with a stationary thin layer of the reaction mixture and a cascade of apparatuses consisting of forepolymerizers and reactors with a stationary layer. The optimal temperature regimes are determined based on minimizing the processing time while maintaining constraints on the maximum polymerization temperature and the allowable temperature gradient across the height of the layer. Using computational experimentation, the optimal temperature regimes for bulk polymerization of isoprene up to a final conversion of 90% are determined for two different process equipment configurations. The optimal temperature regime for reactors with a stationary layer involves a single-step increase in the temperature of the coolant in the jacket. The optimal polymerization regime in the cascade of reactors involves a two-stage process: in the first stage, the reaction occurs in a stirred reactor until a conversion of 15%, and in the second stage, the process takes place in reactors with a stationary layer at a constant coolant temperature in the jacket.