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Schork, Francis J.

English

Engineering Conferences International

MONOMER TRANSPORT LIMITATIONS IN EMULSION POLYMERIZATION  F. Joseph Schork, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA fs8@gatech.edu  A simple mathematical model of the transport of monomer from the monomer droplets to the polymerizing polymer particles during emulsion polymerization is developed. A Damkohler Number for monomer transport in emulsion polymerization is proposed as the ratio of the maximum rate of polymerization (propagation) divided by the maximum rate of monomer transport out of the monomer droplets. This Damkohler Number is calculated from literature values for a number of common monomers. Following standard practice for the use of such a Damkohler Number in other reaction-with-transport systems, monomers with a Damkohler Number above 0.1 are considered to be transport limited.  Results of these calculations indicate that, while most monomers are not monomer transport limited, the higher molecular weight acrylates and methacrylates are.  The method is then simplified to the point of needing only two parameters (propagation rate constant and monomer-water solubility) to approximate the Damkohler Number.  The method for evaluating the Damkohler number for monomer transport during emulsion homopolymerization is extended to copolymerization. It is shown that monomers that are not monomer-transport limited during homopolymerization may become more so during binary copolymerization, and monomers that are monomer-transport limited during homopolymerization may become less so during binary copolymerization.  Finally, the analysis is extended to the more industrially relevant cases of batch terpolymerization, starved-feed copolymerization and the combination of the two (starved-feed terpolymerization). Extension beyond terpolymerization is described. 

Monomer transport limitations in emulsion polymerization

https://dc.engconfintl.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?filename=0&article=1021&context=prexi&type=additional

Monomer transport limitations in emulsion polymerization

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Engineering Conferences International