Journal
PROCESS SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Volume 166, Issue -, Pages 257-268Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.psep.2022.08.031
Keywords
Styrene polymerization; Thermal runaway; Composite initiators; Calorimetric techniques; Thermal hazard
Categories
Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [51874181, 21436006, 51834007, 51804167]
- Major projects of Natural Science Foundation of colleges and universities in Jiangsu Province [17KJA620002]
- Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institution
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study investigates the thermal hazards of styrene polymerization using composite initiators and found that the ratio of AIBN to TBPB of 1:1 leads to the lowest thermal risk in the reaction.
Styrene is an important monomer for synthetic resins, ion exchange resins and synthetic rubber. Styrene polymerization requires the use of initiators to increase the reaction rate, with composite initiators showing promise for increased reaction rates. However, increased reaction rates in polymerization, if uncontrolled, can lead to thermal runaway with disastrous consequences. Numerous runaway incidents have been documented, indicating inadequate awareness of the thermal hazards of polymerization reactions. This study focuses on determining via calorimetric techniques the thermal hazards of styrene polymerization using azodiisobutyronitrile (AIBN) and tert-Butyl peroxybenzoate (TBPB) composite initiators. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is employed to investigate the thermal decomposition properties of composite initiators with varying composition. Nonisothermal experiments and adiabatic experiments are used to determine the thermal hazard parameters including initial exothermic temperature and heat release of styrene polymerization. The risk of secondary reactions is evaluated by reaction calorimetry (RC1e) and product thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Key safety parameters of the exothermic reaction, such as the onset temperature, heat release, time to maximum rate under adiabatic condition as well as activation energy, are presented. The results show that the thermal hazard of the polymerization reaction is lowest when the ratio of AIBN to TPPB in the composite initiator is 1:1. In this scenario, the temperature reached by the uncontrolled reaction does not provoke the decomposition of the products, yet the runaway consequences are still unacceptable. This work provides extensive data as a reference for the process optimization of styrene polymerization from the perspective of safety.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available