Mathematical Modeling, Optimization, and Quality Control of High-Pressure Ethylene Polymerization Reactors

Abstract Polyethylene (PE) is the most widespread polymer and also the most studied by macromolecular scientists. In 1990, polyethylene world production was estimated at approximately 25 × 106 tonnes per year: 65% of this was lowdensity, made in high-pressure reactors, and 35% was high-density homopolymer and linear low-density polyethylene produced in low-pressure reactors.

[1]  M. Roedel.  The Molecular Structure of Polyethylene. I. Chain Branching in Polyethylene during Polymerization1 , 1953 .

[2]  H. Benzler,et al.  Ein Zustandsdiagramm für Äthylen bis zu 10000 ata Druck , 1955 .

[3]  E. W. Comings.  High pressure technology , 1956 .

[4]  A. Willbourn.  Polymethylene and the structure of polyethylene: Study of short-chain branching, its nature and effects , 1959 .

[5]  P. Ehrlich,et al.  A kinetic study of the oxygen‐initiated polymerization of ethylene , 1960 .

[6]  K. W. Doak,et al.  Crystalline olefin polymers , 1964 .

[7]  S. Katz,et al.  Some problems in particle technology: A statistical mechanical formulation , 1964 .

[8]  K. Eiermann.  Modellmäßige Deutung der Wärmeleitfähigkeit von Hochpolymeren , 1965 .

[9]  Azelaaldehydic acid‐glycerol compounds: Potential polymer intermediates , 1965 .

[10]  M. J. Box.  A New Method of Constrained Optimization and a Comparison With Other Methods , 1965, Comput. J..

[11]  P. Ehrlich,et al.  Viscosities of moderately concentrated solutions of polyethylene in ethane, propane, and ethylene , 1969 .

[12]  P. Ehrlich,et al.  Fundamentals of the free-radical polymerization of ethylene , 1970 .

[13]  G. Mortimer,et al.  Another Look at Long-Chain Branching , 1970 .

[14]  Effects of long-chain branching on distribution of degree of polymerization , 1972 .

[15]  W. Harmon Ray,et al.  On the Mathematical Modeling of Polymerization Reactors , 1972 .

[16]  F. Bovey,et al.  Carbon-13 Observations of the Nature of the Short-Chain Branches in Low-Density Polyethylene , 1972 .

[17]  Die Anwendung der formalkinetischen Analyse zur Erzielung bestimmter Polymerstrukturen , 1972 .

[18]  E. Sörvik,et al.  Thermal degradation of polyethylene in a nitrogen atmosphere of low oxygen content. II. Structural changes occuring in low-density polyethylene at an oxygen content less than 0.0005% , 1974 .

[19]  J. Prausnitz,et al.  Thermodynamic properties of liquid polyethylene , 1974 .

[20]  Analysis of the high pressure polyethylene tubular reactor with axial mixing , 1975 .

[21]  P. A. Small.  Long-chain branching in polymers , 1975 .

[22]  Computer model for tubular high‐pressure polyethylene reactors , 1976 .

[23]  M. Cudby,et al.  Determination of chain branching in low density polyethylene by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance and infra-red spectroscopy , 1976 .

[24]  F. Bovey,et al.  Short-Chain and Long-Chain Branching in Low-Density Polyethylene , 1976 .

[25]  R. Reid,et al.  The Properties of Gases and Liquids , 1977 .

[26]  Calculation of phase equilibria for ethylene/low-density polyethylene mixtures , 1977 .

[27]  G. Luft,et al.  Effectiveness of Organic Peroxide Initiators in the High-Pressure Polymerization of Ethylene , 1977 .

[28]  K. Yamamoto,et al.  Rate Constant for Long-Chain Branch Formation in Free-Radical Polymerization of Ethylene , 1979 .

[29]  M. Buback,et al.  The high pressure polymerization of pure ethylene , 1980 .

[30]  Reaction mechanism of oxygen‐initiated ethylene polymerization at high pressure , 1980 .

[31]  B. Djordjević,et al.  Phase equilibrium calculations for ethylene-multicomponent polyethylene mixtures at high pressures , 1981 .

[32]  G. Odian,et al.  Principles of polymerization , 1981 .

[33]  D. Romanini.  Synthesis Technology, Molecular Structure, and Rheological Behavior of Polyethylene , 1982 .

[34]  K. Yamamoto,et al.  An Analytical Method for Long-Chain Branching in Free-Radical Polymerization of Ethylene , 1982 .

[35]  Synthesis conditions and structure of low density polyethylene. I. Short and long chain branching , 1982 .

[36]  Absolute rate constants for the free radical polymerization of ethylene in the supercritical phase , 1982 .

[37]  Synthesis conditions and structure of low density polyethylene. II. Average molar mass and molar mass distribution , 1983 .

[38]  AN IMPROVED MODEL FOR TEMPERATURE AND CONVERSION PROFILES IN TUBULAR HIGH PRESSURE POLYETHYLENE REACTORS , 1983 .

[39]  Untersuchung der teilschritte der ethylen-hochdruck-polymerisation, 1. Druckabhängigkeit der einzelnen geschwindigkeitskonstanten , 1983 .

[40]  Influence of the structural order on thermodynamic properties for three different polyethylenes , 1984 .

[41]  Luigi Marini,et al.  Low‐density polyethylene vessel reactors: Part I: Steady state and dynamic modelling , 1984 .

[42]  Y. Ogo.  Polymerizations at High Pressures , 1984 .

[43]  C. Georgakis,et al.  THE EFFECT OF IMPERFECT MIXING ON POLYMER QUALITY IN LOW DENSITY POLYETHYLENE VESSEL REACTORS , 1984 .

[44]  D. Soong,et al.  Molecular weight distribution of products of free radical nonisothermal polymerization with gel effect. Simulation for polymerization of poly(methyl methacrylate) , 1985 .

[45]  Simulation of tubular low‐density polyethylene , 1985 .

[46]  W. Harmon Ray,et al.  Recent Developments in Transition Metal Catalyzed Olefin Polymerization–A Survey. I. Ethylene Polymerization , 1985 .

[47]  G. Luft,et al.  Prediction of molar mass distribution, number and weight average degree of polymerization and branching of low density polyethylene , 1985 .

[48]  Dennis J. Coyle,et al.  Finite element analysis of high conversion free-radical polymerization , 1985 .

[49]  Hyun-Ku Rhee,et al.  A STUDY OF THE HIGH PRESSURE POLYETHYLENE TUBULAR REACTOR , 1985 .

[50]  Hugo I. Lasa,et al.  Chemical Reactor Design and Technology , 1986 .

[51]  A mathematical model for the production of low density polyethylene in a tubular reactor , 1986 .

[52]  P. L. Mills,et al.  Determination of polymer chain length distributions by numerical inversion of z-transforms , 1986 .

[53]  B. E. Rodríguez,et al.  ORTHOGONAL COLLOCATION SOLUTION FOR THE FREE RADICAL POLYMERIZATION WITH DIFFUSIONAL LIMITATIONS , 1987 .

[54]  Computer Model for Tubular High-Pressure Polyethylene Reactors , 1987 .

[55]  Klavs F. Jensen,et al.  Estimation of the molecular weight distribution in batch polymerization , 1988 .

[56]  Second order model for low density polyethylene pipeline reactors , 1988 .

[57]  D. J. Walsh,et al.  Calculations of the phase diagrams of polyethylene dissolved in supercritical solvents , 1988 .

[58]  Mathematical model for high-pressure tubular reactor for ethylene polymerization , 1988 .

[59]  Alexander Penlidis,et al.  ON-LINE SENSORS FOR POLYMERIZATION REACTORS , 1990 .

[60]  Adriana Brandolin,et al.  High pressure tubular reactors for ethylene polymerization optimization aspects , 1991 .

[61]  Thomas E. Marlin,et al.  Multivariate statistical monitoring of process operating performance , 1991 .

[62]  T Michael,et al.  Maloney, and J. , 1992 .

[63]  B. Skagerberg,et al.  Multivariate data analysis applied to low-density polyethylene reactors , 1992 .

[64]  C. Kiparissides,et al.  Development of a unified mathematical framework for modelling molecular and structural changes in free-radical homopolymerization reactions , 1992 .

[65]  Jacques Villermaux,et al.  Free-radical polymerization engineering—III. Modelling homogeneous polymerization of ethylene: mathematical model and new method for obtaining molecular-weight distribution , 1992 .

[66]  A. Hamielec,et al.  A kinetic model for olefin polymerization in high-pressure tubular reactors : a review and update , 1992 .

[67]  Jacques Villermaux,et al.  Free-radical polymerization engineering—IV. Modelling homogeneous polymerization of ethylene: determination of model parameters and final adjustment of kinetic coefficients , 1992 .

[68]  Costas Kiparissides,et al.  Toward the Development of a General Framework for Modeling Molecular Weight and Compositional Changes in Free-Radical Copolymerization Reactions , 1992 .

[69]  G. Kalfas,et al.  A COMPREHENSIVE MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR A MULTIZONE TUBULAR HIGH PRESSURE LDPE REACTOR , 1993 .

[70]  Archie E. Hamielec,et al.  A kinetic model for olefin polymerization in high‐pressure autoclave reactors , 1993 .