{"title":"Modelling and Simulation of Complex Aspects of Multicomponent Emulsion Polymerization","authors":"B. R. Barclay, A. Penlidis, J. Gao","doi":"10.1081/PRE-120026372","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1081/PRE-120026372","url":null,"abstract":"The focus of this work is the refinement of a general mechanistic simulator for multi‐component free radical emulsion polymerization. The effort includes three main areas of simulator development, namely, model development, database development and simulator verification. The model is general and can predict the dynamic evolution of emulsion polymerizations for a variety of monomer systems while giving the user as many “model options” as possible for fine tuning. The model has been extensively tested for several copolymerization systems including combinations of the monomers, styrene, methyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, acrylonitrile, 2‐ehtyl hexyl acrylate and vinyl acetate. The simulator has been developed using a mechanistic framework that is analogous to the multicomponent free radical bulk and solution polymerization model developed in Gao and Penlidis (1996&1998) and is a continuation of Gao and Penlidis ([2002]), which explored emulsion homopolymerization and preliminary copolymerization modelling. The model includes a rigorous thermodynamic approach for determining monomer partitioning, the inclusion of both homogeneous and micellar particle nucleation as well as the ability to simulate various reactor configurations including batch and semi‐batch operation. Database items used in the simulator are chosen based on direct experimental data (when available) or from analogous situations and parameter estimations. The model has been developed in a general fashion such that a monomer, initiator, emulsifier, transfer agent etc. can be added to the database at any time. Furthermore, the model has been extended to predict particle size distribution of the resulting emulsion. This model has been tested with many case studies against a variety of experimental data and can be used for design of experiments for production of emulsions with customized distributions. #This paper is dedicated to Professor Gary W. Poehlein whose papers had always something new to teach us, both practical and theoretical.","PeriodicalId":124648,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Reaction Engineering","volume":"12 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125944321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Simulation of Free Radical High‐Pressure Copolymerization in a Multizone Autoclave: Model Development and Application","authors":"M. Ghiass, R. Hutchinson","doi":"10.1081/PRE-120026882","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1081/PRE-120026882","url":null,"abstract":"A well‐mixed model has been formulated to study the steady‐state high pressure free‐radical homo‐ and copolymerization of ethylene and vinyl acetate in an industrial multi‐feed multi‐zone autoclave reactor system. Using a realistic set of kinetic mechanisms and coefficients, the multi‐zone system is modeled as a simple set of well‐mixed tank reactors in series. Results from this representation are compared to experimental data in order to estimate apparent initiator efficiencies in each zone. The model is used to calculate monomer conversion and initiator consumption rate, number and weight average molecular weights, and short and long chain branching frequencies at the exit point of each zone and the whole reactor. The effects of zone temperature, feed temperature, and initiator decomposition kinetics on the steady‐state reactor performance and polymer properties are considered and simulation results are compared with the industrial data. While estimated initiator efficiencies provide a clear indication of imperfect mixing in the system, the model representation is still able to provide a reasonable estimate of polymer properties.","PeriodicalId":124648,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Reaction Engineering","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124931382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
V. Kumar, U. Sundararaj, S. Shah, D. Hair, L. J. Vande Griend
{"title":"Multivariate Statistical Monitoring of a High‐Pressure Polymerization Process","authors":"V. Kumar, U. Sundararaj, S. Shah, D. Hair, L. J. Vande Griend","doi":"10.1081/PRE-120026883","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1081/PRE-120026883","url":null,"abstract":"The high pressure LDPE (low density polyethylene) industrial process operates under supercritical conditions, and so it is necessary to monitor its performance to prevent abnormal situations. Extreme deviations from the normal operating region lead to conditions such as: loss of normal reaction, decompositions of the reactants, and lost production due to outages. Multivariate Statistical Process Control strategies operate on top of the DCS (distributed control system) to detect and diagnose abnormal process behavior and provide the operators an opportunity to take preventative operational actions. Process engineers may also use it for off‐line diagnosis of poorly understood processes. In this work, data from a commercial LDPE/EVA (ethylene–vinyl acetate copolymer) high‐pressure unit using an OPC (Object linking and embedding for Process Control) server installed on the DCS is used to build empirical models and perform fault detection. Data transfer issues, preprocessing, process model development using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and first principles modelling of critical equipment are provided. In addition to showing grade transitions in the latent variable space, the models were used to detect process shifts. Process data from various real faults were considered and it was established that PCA could be employed to predict and diagnose process faults. The study gives recommendations for process monitoring strategies.","PeriodicalId":124648,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Reaction Engineering","volume":"55 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122848662","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Emulsion Polymerization and Related Processes","authors":"G. Poehlein","doi":"10.1081/PRE-120026876","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1081/PRE-120026876","url":null,"abstract":"Shortly after joining the Lehigh University Chemical Engineering Department in 1965, I began the normal ritual of trying to secure external research funding, an activity that was less important in the 1960’s than it is today. Emulsion polymerization was the research area of choice for several reasons. First, it combined my interests in reaction kinetics and polymer science. Second, I had seen an article that included a description of a bottle polymerizer and I thought that the process must be simple if mixing were that easy—low viscosity and modest stirring. One of the reviewers of that first proposal tended to confirm my original opinion of process simplicity. I do not remember the exact reviewer’s comment but it went something like, ‘‘this proposal should not be funded because emulsion polymerization is a mature field with little left to be discovered.’’ That comment, in some","PeriodicalId":124648,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Reaction Engineering","volume":"33 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116705678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Personal History of Chemically Functional Polymer Colloids: Formation, Characterization, and Applications","authors":"R. M. Fitch","doi":"10.1081/PRE-120026381","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1081/PRE-120026381","url":null,"abstract":"This is an historical review of some of the most important developments in the field of polymer colloids—primarily of those with chemical functionality, with emphasis on their formation, characterization and some applications. The salient researches, which brought about our current understanding of how polymer colloids are formed by homogeneous or heterogeneous nucleation and by subsequent emulsion polymerization, are covered. The early studies of the chemistry and physics of these fascinating systems, especially their surface chemistry, also is dealt with. Included are early work on electron microscopy, light scattering, and neutron scattering by some of the great polymer colloid scientists of this era. The author has taken a rather personal perspective, no doubt slighting many significant historical developments which others may feel are also important. Because this chapter is perforce limited in length, the author apologizes in advance for any omissions.","PeriodicalId":124648,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Reaction Engineering","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127893786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Continuous Emulsion Copolymerization of Styrene and Methyl Methacrylate Using Sodium Lauryl Sulfate as Emulsifier. I. Effect of Operational Variables","authors":"Shi-jiang Fang, W. Xue, M. Nomura","doi":"10.1081/PRE-120026373","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1081/PRE-120026373","url":null,"abstract":"Continuous emulsion copolymerizations of styrene(St) and methyl methacrylate(MMA) were carried out at 50°C in a single continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) using sodium lauryl sulfate as emulsifier and potassium persulfate as initiator, respectively. The effect of operational variables such as the initiator and emulsifier concentrations in the feed and the mean residence time on the kinetic behavior was examined with the weight ratio of St/MMA in the monomer feed fixed at 1.0. It was found that 1) oscillation in monomer conversion takes place, although its amplitude is comparatively small compared with that usually observed in the continuous emulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate in a CSTR, 2) the (time‐average) steady‐state total monomer conversion is proportional to the 1.7 power of the emulsifier, to the − 0.2 power of the initiator concentrations and to the 1.0 power of the mean residence time, and 3) the (time‐average) steady‐state number of polymer particles produced is proportional to the 2.5 power of the emulsifier concentration, to the − 0.4 power of the initiator concentration and to the − 0.7 power of the mean residence time.","PeriodicalId":124648,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Reaction Engineering","volume":"28 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127703696","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mathematical Modeling of Batch Emulsion Copolymerization Processes","authors":"E. L. Casella, O. Araujo, R. Giudici","doi":"10.1081/PRE-120026379","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1081/PRE-120026379","url":null,"abstract":"A general mathematical model for emulsion copolymerization processes in batch reactor is presented. The model predicts the time‐history of monomer conversion, average particle size, copolymer composition and number of particles. The model was tested and validated with experimental data of four different copolymerization systems: S/MMA (styrene/methyl methacrylate), S/BA (styrene/butyl acrylate), MMA/BA (methyl methacrylate/butyl acrylate) and MMA/VA (methyl methacrylate/vinyl acetate). The influence of several process variables, such as initiator concentration, emulsifier concentration, monomer‐to‐water ratio, and composition has been examined. Model predictions presented satisfactory agreement with the experimental data. Despite the model simplicity and the reduced number of adjustable parameters, the model accounts for the basic features of emulsion polymerization processes and can be useful for practical applications.","PeriodicalId":124648,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Reaction Engineering","volume":"53 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130935267","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Industrial Process Monitoring of Polymerization and Spray Drying Processes","authors":"W. Hergeth, Christiane M. Jaeckle, M. Krell","doi":"10.1081/PRE-120026369","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1081/PRE-120026369","url":null,"abstract":"Radical polymerizations in emulsion, suspension and solution are very important industrial production processes. To be able to control these processes to achieve good product quality makes the development of methods to observe these reactions in situ a very important topic not just in academia, but also in industry. In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of different methods to follow emulsion and suspension polymerization reactions as well as spray drying processes are discussed from an industrial point of view. Calorimetry, near infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy are the methods with the highest potential for on‐line applications. Droplet formation in spray drying can be observed by laser light scattering methods. Spectroscopic methods have used data analysis methods (principal component analysis, partial least squares) for a number of years. These methods can also be used as “soft sensors” with standard process data. Examples how these soft sensors can be applied to emulsion polymerization processes are shown.","PeriodicalId":124648,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Reaction Engineering","volume":"41 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127861360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dynamic Modeling of Non‐equilibrium Latex Particle Morphology Development During Seeded Emulsion Polymerization","authors":"O. Karlsson, J. Stubbs, R. Carrier, D. Sundberg","doi":"10.1081/PRE-120026365","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1081/PRE-120026365","url":null,"abstract":"We have developed software to simulate the development of non‐equilibrium latex particle morphologies produced by seeded emulsion polymerization. The diffusion of second stage polymer radicals within seed particles controls the development of morphology in a large number of systems. Knowledge of the conditions present within the latex particles during the reaction is required in order to model this diffusion process, and this makes it necessary to first simulate the kinetics of the polymerization. The program considers both the water phase and particle phase reactions, and can simulate polymerizations carried out under either batch or semi‐batch conditions. The model predictions agree well with experimental results both in terms of the polymerization kinetics and the development of particle morphology.","PeriodicalId":124648,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Reaction Engineering","volume":"10 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115785489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Semibatch Emulsion Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate with a Neat Monomer Feed","authors":"S. Sajjadi, M. Yianneskis","doi":"10.1081/PRE-120026371","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1081/PRE-120026371","url":null,"abstract":"Semibatch emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) with neat monomer feed in the presence of sodium lauryl sulphate as emulsifier and potassium persulphate as initiator was investigated. The effects of the monomer feed rate (R a ), the emulsifier concentration, and the monomer distribution ratio between the initial charge and feed on the kinetic features of MMA emulsion polymerization in a semibatch reactor were studied. Under monomer‐starved conditions particles did not undergo an appreciable growth during polymerization and as a result a large number of particles were formed. The number of particles increased significantly as R a decreased. The number of polymer particles formed under starved conditions showed an exponent of − 1.98 against R a , which is larger than the value of − 0.67 that is theoretically obtained for the styrene monomer. The average molecular weights decreased and the molecular weight distribution became narrower with decreasing R a . The steady state rate of polymerization (R pss ) was confined to the correlation of the type R pss ≈ R a when a high concentration of the emulsifier was used. The rate of polymerization under monomer‐starved conditions was found to depend on the size of polymer particles formed. The experimental results suggest that models, which can take account of more specified size‐dependent kinetic parameters, should be developed for prediction of kinetic behavior of MMA in semibatch reactors.","PeriodicalId":124648,"journal":{"name":"Polymer Reaction Engineering","volume":"48 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2003-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131589695","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}