Modeling of solid‐state polycondensation. II. Reactor design issues

The relative merits of the moving packed bed, fluidized bed, and stirred bed reactors for solid-state polycondensation are discussed along with methods for improving these designs. A general model to describe continuous solid-state polymerization reactors is then developed and illustrated by a case study of a moving packed bed reactor showing the relative importance of operating variables. The model also predicts the dynamic behavior in response to several process inputs. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 69: 1775–1788, 1998