Reactors for Polymerization Processes

The kind of reactor and its characteristics have a dramatic influence not only on
productivity, conversion, and yield but also on the properties of the polymer.
The reactor extremely important to know the influence of the reactor
characteristics like residence time, mixing, temperature, pressure, surface, and
so on, on the polymer structure.

Polymerization Reactor Types :

A variety of polymerization reactors, including continuous, batch, and semi-

batch reactors, are used in industrial polymer manufacturing.

1- Batch Reactor (BR)

In general, batch reactors are usually employed for small-to-intermediate

production of polymers or specialty grades .

Batch reactors are operated with all the material placed in the reactor prior to
the start of reaction, and all the material is removed after the reaction has been
completed. There is no addition or withdrawal of material during the reaction
process.

The batch reactor has the advantage of high conversions that can be obtained
by leaving the reactant in the reactor for long periods of time, but it also has
the disadvantages of high labor costs per batch, the variability of products
from batch to batch, and the difficulty of large-scale production .

Figure 1(a) Simple batch

homogeneous batch reactor
(BR).
 Figure 1(b) Batch reactor
mixing patterns.

2- Semi-Batch Reactors (Semi-BR)

The Semi-Batch Reactor combines attributes of the batch and the continuous-
stirred tank. The reactor is essentially batch but has either a continuous input or
output stream during operation.

Figure 2
 3- Continuous Reactor systems

Continuous reactors (alternatively referred to as flow reactors) carry material as

a flowing stream. Reactants are continuously fed into the reactor and emerge as
continuous stream of product. Continuous reactors are used for a wide variety of
chemical and biological processes within the food, chemical and pharmaceutical
industries.

Continuous reactor systems are suitable for large-volume production of

commodity polymers such as polyolefins, high-impact polystyrene, and
poly(methyl methacrylate).

e.g., Continuous Stirred Tanks Reactor (CSTR)

Figure 4 Continuous Stirred-

Tank Reactor (CSTR)
The choice of the reactor type or reactor configuration for a given
polymerization depends on many factors, including :

1- the polymerization process (e.g., solution, suspension, and emulsion).

2- the polymerization mechanism (e.g., free radical and catalytic).
3- The number of phases present in the polymerization system and
thermodynamic partitioning of the various reactive species (e.g.,
monomer, solvent, and initiator in the different phases, gas, liquid, and
solid, present in the polymerization).
4- reaction conditions (e.g., temperature, pressure, and viscosity).
5- heat removal rate.
6- polymer product properties
7- The operating cost