Journal
AICHE JOURNAL
Volume 68, Issue 4, Pages -Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/aic.17572
Keywords
continuous reactor; molecular weight distribution; residence time distribution; segment probability method; step-growth polymerization
Categories
Funding
- National Key Research and Development Program of China [2017YFE0106700]
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Molecular weight distribution is an important factor in optimizing and controlling industrial polymerization processes. This study presents a segment probability method to calculate the MWD of polycondensates, and the results show good agreement with experimental measurements.
The molecular weight distribution (MWD) of polymers is a target of the optimization and control of industrial polymerization processes, as it dictates the processability and properties of polymers. A method, named as segment probability method, is developed to calculate the MWD of polycondensates produced by monomers of types A(2) and B-2 in a continuous reactor. It considers a growing chain as being composed of A and B segments in the middle of the chain and two terminal segments at the chain ends. It calculates the propagation probabilities of these different types of segments upon taking into account both the polycondensation and side reaction kinetics as well as the residence time distribution of the continuous reactor. The method is validated by poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) obtained from an industrial polymerization process composed of a continuous esterification reactor. The MWDs of the PBT calculated by this method are in agreement with those measured by size exclusion chromatography with mean square errors less than 10%.
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