Phase equlibiria and diffusivity of dense gases in various polyethylenes

• Properties of low and high density polyethylenes under pressure of CO2 and propane.
• Phase transitions of low and high density polyethylenes under pressure of CO2 and propane in pressure range from 0.1 to 90 MPa.
• Solubility and diffusivity of CO2 in low and high density polyethylenes by magnetic suspension balance (MSB).
• Thermal analyses of unprocessed and grinded polymers and polymers after exposure to CO2 by DSC.

The aim of this work was to investigate the properties of polyethylenes (PE) of various densities (low-density and high-density) under pressure of CO2 and propane. The phase equilibria of PE of different density in presence of CO2 and in presence of propane in dependence of pressure and temperature were investigated. The phase transitions of PE at atmospheric pressure were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Furthermore, phase transitions of polymers under pressure of gases were measured by using an optical high pressure cell. Measurements of phase transition were performed in range of pressure of 1–90 MPa. The results show that melting points of LDPE decreased in presence of CO2 and in presence of propane. For high-density polyethylene (HDPE) the melting point decrease was observed only in presence of propane, while in presence of CO2 melting point increases with increasing pressure. The melting points of LDPE and HDPE decrease in average for 10–20 K in presence of propane, while in presence of CO2 the melting point decrease for both LDPE was lower (5–10 K). Solubility and diffusivity of supercritical CO2 in two low-density polyethylenes (LDPE) and in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) were measured at temperature 373 K and pressures up to 30 MPa using a magnetic suspension balance (MSB). The solubility data were used for estimating the binary diffusion coefficients. The solubilities increased with increasing density. The diffusion coefficient shows strong CO2 density and CO2 solubility dependence. Diffusion coefficient starts to decrease with increasing density and solubility of CO2.

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