Correlation of polymer particle size with droplet size in suspension polymerisation of methylmethacrylate in a batch oscillatory-baffled reactor

✍ Scribed by X. Ni; Y. Zhang; I. Mustafa

• Book ID: 104108071
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 207 KB
• Volume: 54
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0009-2509
• DOI: 10.1016/s0009-2509(98)00279-6

✦ Synopsis

We report our pioneering experimental investigation of polymer particle size and size distribution in suspension polymerisation of methylmethacrylate (MMA) in a batch 50 mm diameter stainless-steel jacketed oscillatory-baffled reactor. In such a reactor, fluid mixing is achieved by eddies that are generated when fluid passes through a set of equally spaced stationary orifice baffles. Those periodically formed vortices can be controlled by a combination of operational and geometrical parameters, such as oscillation frequency, oscillation amplitude, baffle diameter and baffle spacing. Based on a confidential and scaled-down formulation of a proprietary dental-grade MMA resin supplied by the Bonar Polymers, polymerisation reactions were performed under a controlled environment and the effects of the operational conditions on transient droplet size, final polymer particle size and their size distributions are studied. The mean particle size of polymer, d T , is compared with the Sauter mean size of droplet, d , obtained with no reaction taking place and a correlation between d and d T is established, which predicts the final particle sizes of polymer being made in such a reactor with a high degree of accuracy. In addition, a comparison of polymer particle size distribution, molecular weight distribution and residual initiator content is also carried out between our reactor and the traditional stirred-tank reactor.