Computational Fluid Dynamics for Design and Optimization of Tubular Low-density Polyethylene Reactors

Download or read book Computational Fluid Dynamics for Design and Optimization of Tubular Low-density Polyethylene Reactors written by Nitin Hiralalsa Kolhapure and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Results include temperature profiles, various species profiles and prediction of polymer quality with and without chain transfer mechanisms under various inlet and operating conditions, along with comparisons against pilot-plant scale data and/or comparison of various CFD techniques for accurate and efficient predictions of micromixing effects. Interesting features such as a bimodal temperature distribution and local hot-spots as well as global decomposition after an induction time or due to pulsating initiator feed are also observed under certain conditions using the full PDF simulations near critical points where instabilities occur. Considering the advantages of the two CFD methods, efforts axe also directed towards efficient combination of the two techniques in order to obtain reactor stability plots and catalyst efficiency profiles, which are extremely helpful in operational decisions as well as design of control strategies. Thus the study not only illustrates the importance of mixing effects on LDPE polymerization in tubular reactors, but also yields insight into choosing appropriate operating conditions for maximizing catalyst efficiency while controlling reactor dynamics and product quality in plant-scale tubular LDPE reactors.