Structural Framework for Modelling Emulsion Polymerization Reactors

Although emulsion polymerization has been carriedout for at least 50 years and has enormous economic importance, the detailed quantitative behavior of these reactors is still not well understood. For example, there are many more mechanisms and phenomena reported experimentally than have been incorporated in the existing theories. Considerations such as non- micellar particleformation, non-uniform particle morphologies, polymer chain end stabilization of latex particles, particle coalescence, etc. have been discussed qualitatively, but not quantitatively included in existing reactor models. Our purpose in this paper is to present a general modelling framework capable of including these and other possible mechanisms and testing their effect on the model predictions. We shall illustrate the application of this framework through the modelling of a polymethylmethacrylate emulsion polymerization reactor. The Mathematical Model As a means of beginning our discussion, let us choose to illustrate the model with a rather standard free radical kinetic mechanism: Initiation: I