Experimental investigation of vinyl chloride polymerization at high conversion—conversion and tracer response relationships

✍ Scribed by T. Y. Xie; A. E. Hamielec; P. E. Wood; D. R. Woods; H. Westmijze

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 875 KB
• Volume: 41
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-8995
• DOI: 10.1002/app.1990.070410934

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

A model for suspension polymerization which relates the conversion of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) to polymerization conditions and a tracer response measured by online gas chromatography has been developed. This model can be used to determine monomer conversion with measurements of tracer response by gas chromatograph. A series of experiments using inert mixtures of H~2~O/PVC/VCM/n‐butane and using suspension polymerization of VCM with n‐butane as tracer were carried out to evaluate the model. The solubility of n‐butane in vinyl chloride was determined in the temperature range 40–70°C. The solubility of n‐butane in polyvinylchloride (PVC) was estimated using nonlinear regression comparing model and experimental data for both inert mixtures and for suspension polymerization. Correlations of the solubility constants of n‐butane in VCM and PVC, respectively, were obtained from the experimental data. Under the present experimental conditions, conversions can be measured online every 7–8 min using the n‐butane tracer method.