Distribution of the mixture through the reactors cascade in the production of low molecular copolymers of butadiene with styrene

In the polymerization of butadiene with styrene heat removal is the main factor limiting the output of the cascade reactor. Thus the residence time of the monomers in the reactor exceeds significantly the time necessary to complete the process on the basis of kinetic regularities. To increase the output of the mixture the distribution in the reactor cascade is made. It is necessary to distribute the flow of mixture through the reactor of the cascade to have the resulting polymer of the same viscosity at the outlet of each reactor. The algorithm of distribution of the mixture in the reactor cascade with regard to the synthesis parameters (temperature in the reactor and the feed rate of the mixture, the ratio of the modifier and the initiator in the complex), the number of reactors and a determined dynamic viscosity is developed. In accordance with the developed algorithm the calculation of the velocity of the mixture feed in each reactor of the cascade is made. It is shown that the flow of mixture in each polymerization unit depends on the overall output of the installation and the number of reactors in the cascade. The algorithm for the distribution of the initial mixture in the reactor cascade is developed to provide maximum output of the installation and set the quality of the obtained polymer. To determine the degree of conversion of monomers and temperature conditions of the process of polymerization under the calculated speed of the feed mixture in the first polymerization cascade the basic technological parameters of the polymerization process in real time mode, the calculation using a mathematical model is made. The analysis of the simulation results shows that during the first hour, the concentration of monomers does not exceed of 0.085 mol/l, which corresponds to the degree of conversion of monomer to 99 %, while the temperature in the reactor corresponds to the optimal mode - from 65 to 85 0C.