A COMPREHENSIVE MATHEMATICAL MODEL FOR A MULTIZONE TUBULAR HIGH PRESSURE LDPE REACTOR

Abstract

Abstract In this study a comprehensive mathematical model of high pressure tubular ethylene polymerization reactors is presented. A fairly general reaction mechanism is employed to describe the complex kinetics of ethylene polymerization. To determine the variation of molecular properties along the reactor length the method of moments is applied to the infinite set of species balance equations to transform it into a low order system of differential equations in terms of the leading moments of the number chain length distribution. Detailed algebraic equations are given describing the variation of kinetic rate constants, thermodynamic and transport properties of the reaction mixture with temperature, pressure and composition. A new correlation is derived to describe the change of reaction viscosity with reactor operating conditions. The model permits a realistic calculation of temperature and pressure profiles, monomer and initiator concentrations, molecular properties of LDPE (i.e. Mn, Mm, LCB and SCB) as well as the variation of inside film heat transfer coefficient with respect to the reactor length. Simulation results are presented illustrating the effects of initiator concentration, inlet pressure, chain transfer concentration and wall fouling on the polymer quality and reactor operation. The present model predictions are in good agreement with experimental observations in industrial high pressure tubular LDPE reactors.