Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation of Thermal Runaway Reaction of Styrene Polymerization

Thermal polymerization of styrene in a lab-scale batch reactor was simulated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The corresponding hydrodynamic model of thermal polymerization of styrene was combined with the fluid-solid coupling model of a simulated heat exchanger by using the CFD method to construct the corresponding reactor model. The effects of stirring rate, cooling temperature, and cooling flow rate were investigated under the runaway conditions of thermal polymerization of styrene. The results showed that the increase in temperature during the reaction was sensitive to different runaway conditions. The stirring rate and cooling flow rate greatly influenced the increase in temperature during the reaction. Based on the temperature distribution inside the reactor, the optimal location of the temperature monitor was determined by employing the divergence (DIV) criterion.