Modeling the Effect of Polymerization Rate on the Intraparticle Mass and Heat Transfer during Propylene Polymerization in a Loop Reactor

Abstract

In the present study, propylene polymerization using a solid Ziegler–Natta catalyst in a loop reactor is described on the basis of a polymeric multilayer model. The simulated results obtained by using the polymeric multilayer model are found to be in agreement with reference results obtained by using a multigrain particle model. In addition, the effect of the polymerization rate on the intraparticle mass and heat transfer is investigated by considering the polymeric multilayer model and the dependence of the intraparticle monomer concentration and temperature profiles on the polymerization rate is examined.