Control of Polymerization Processes

• Published in: The Control Handbook pp. 345 - 368
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: United Kingdom CRC Press 2011; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: Electronics engineering; ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY; SCIENCE: GENERAL ISSUES; MPC; Online MPC; Ionic Polymerization; Nonlinear MPC; Robust Optimization; Polymerization Processes; Water Soluble Initiator; UV Resistance; Robust Optimal Solution; Plant Model Mismatch; Semibatch Reactor; Batch Polymerization; Number Average Molecular Weight; Free Radical Polymerization; Polymer Product; Polymer Properties; Base Regulatory Control; Online Control; Polymerization Reaction Mechanisms; Classical PID Controller; Input Profiles; Chain Transfer Agent; Kth Batch; Polymerization Reactor; Emulsion Polymerization
• ISBN: 9781420073607; 1420073605
• DOI: 10.1201/b10382-21

With an annual worldwide production well in excess of 100 million metric tons, synthetic polymers constitute a significant part of the modern chemical process industry. Polymer reactors-operated in continuous, batch, or semibatch mode-are therefore important processing units, but there are unique problems associated with controlling them effectively. The most significant characteristics of polymer reactors that make them one of the most challenging units to model, control, and optimize, are discussed in this chapter; we also provide a survey of the strategies that have been proposed, and those that have been successfully employed in industrial practice.