The concept of conversion distribution in reactive processing

A new concept of conversion distribution applied to the continuous chemical modification and polymerization of polymers in a twin screw extruder was discussed. The kinetics and the residence time distribution function ( RTD ) are two undissociable parameters in reactive extrusion because their combination reflects the degree of homogeneity of the modified polymer at the die die exit of the extruder. A function G defining the distribution of the modification rate allowed us to evaluate the distribution of the extent of the conversion around the mean conversion. This study has underlined the predominant role of the kinetics on the structural homogeneity of the modified product. This new concept was developed, within a framework of reactive processing, from previous works on chemical modification of polymers and polycondensation in corotating twin screw extruder.