Micromixing effects on the dynamic behavior of continuous free-radical solution polymerization tank reactors

The degree of mixing in polymerization reactions can be influenced by various factors that can also affect the reactor performance. For this reason, a detailed micromixing model was implemented to study the effects of micromixing on the dynamic behavior of continuous free-radical solution polymerization tank reactors. The reactor model was used to perform the bifurcation analysis of the reacting system, paying special attention to the effect of micromixing parameters on the reactor behavior. The bifurcation study showed that multiple steady-states and periodic oscillations can be observed under partially segregated micromixing conditions. Moreover, the micromixing model was able to describe the dynamic responses presented by perfectly mixed and completely segregated reactors. These results indicate that this class of reactors can exhibit more complex dynamic behavior than shown until now.