Experimental and CFD Study of a Vertically Stirred Tubular Reactor Designed for Suspension Polymerization Reactions

摘要

A vertically stirred tubular reactor is designed and studied in this work to perform the styrene batch suspension polymerization. Computational fluid dynamic techniques are applied to acquire information regarding the heat transfer and fluid flow behavior along the reactor. The simulated findings are used to support the experimental results (particle size distribution- PSD) obtained by varying the stirring system configuration, stabilizing agent concentration, and system holdup (styrene/water ratio v/v). According to the results, an efficient temperature control is attained due to the tubular geometry of the equipment. In addition, the PSD broadens by increasing the size of the shaft and the number of impellers installed along the reactor. An evaluation of the particle sedimentation throughout the reaction demonstrates that the PSD and the stirring rate play an important role in the sedimentation kinetics. Such findings demonstrate the potential of the proposed reactor to be explored in order to perform suspension polymerizations semicontinuously or continuously by applying suitable operation strategies.