Bulk phase polymerization of propylene; Development of a model-based kinetic measurement method
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School of Chemical Engineering |
Master's thesis
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en
Pages
78
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Abstract
Polypropylene (PP), known for its unique properties, is a widely used thermoplastic in various industrial applications. The increasing market demand for diverse polypropylene characteristics has created a need for a deeper understanding and enhanced control of the polymerization process. This research specifically focused on examining the pre-polymerization step of PP production, to investigate the influence of time and temperature on polymer properties and reaction kinetics. The work was divided into experimental work for evaluating 9 different reaction conditions, and a computational model development for interpreting the experimental data and describing polymerization kinetics. The experimental findings showed that time and temperature both affected the polymer properties significantly, where mildest reaction conditions with low pre-polymerization degree resulted in the most morphologically desired polymer particles. The model was then developed based on the pressure decay observed in the batch reactor during the pre-polymerization, and the findings were aligned with experimental data and confirmed the possible influence of time and temperature on the polymerization rate and catalyst activity. The model was subsequently used to fine-tune the reaction rate constants, resulting in sets of reaction parameters corresponding to the Arrhenius equation. Results of this study could be further used for predicting the degree of pre-polymerization in the continuous process.Description
Supervisor
Niskanen, JukkaThesis advisor
Valaei, SinaMardani, Saeed