Measurement and control of polymerization reactors.pdf

Computers and Chemical Engineering 30 (2006) 1447–1463 Measurement and control of polymerization reactors John R. Richards∗, John P. Congalidis E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Experimental Station, Wilmington, Delaware 19880, USA Received 9 February 2006; received in revised form 2 May 2006; accepted 16 May 2006 Available online 25 July 2006 Abstract The measurement and control of polymerization reactors is very challenging due to the complexity of the physical mechanisms and polymerization kinetics. In these reactors many important variables, which are related to end-use polymer properties, cannot be measured on-line or can only be measured at low sampling frequencies. Furthermore, end-use polymer properties are related to the entire molecular weight, copolymer composition, sequence length, and branching distributions. This paper surveys the instrumentation technologies, which are of particular interest in polymerization reactors with emphasis on, for example, measurement of viscosity, composition, molecular weight, and particle size. This paper presents a hierarchical approach to the control system design and reviews traditional regulatory techniques as well as advanced control strategies for batch, semibatch, and continuous reactors. These approaches are illustrated by focusing on the control of a commercial multiproduct continuous emulsion polymerization reactor. Finally, the paper captures some of the trends in the polymer industry, which may impact future development in measurement and reactor control. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Process control; Polymerization reactors; Solution copolymerization; Emulsion copolymerization; Mathematical mod