Modelagem e simulação de um reator de polimerização do monocloreto de vinila.

Abstract

Vinyl chloride is an important industrial chemical used mainly to produce polyvinyl chloride, commonly known by its abbreviation PVC, which represents one of the most produced plastic materials today. It is present in numerous applications due to its physical properties that provide good durability, low cost and ease of handling. The aim of this work is the modeling of the dynamic process of VCM polymerization by suspension in batch reactor for PVC production. A robust kinetic model capable of describing the dynamic evolution of the polymerization reaction rate was used. The solution of the set of algebraic/differential equations allowed the analysis of the key parameters of the polymerization process, such as: the conversion rate of VCM in PVC, the monomer composition in each phase, temperature, pressure and thermal load profile. It was possible to prove the adequacy of the numerical model implemented by comparing the results of the model with experimental data available in the literature. It was also possible to correlate the results with techniques used in industry. The characteristic curve of the conversion is interesting industrially, because it allows the best use of the cooling system of the reactor. The fact that higher temperatures reach higher conversion values makes it possible to use optimization techniques and gain productivity such as heat kick. Finally, the modeling carried out in this work allowed the understanding of the phenomenon and can be used as an aid tool to study more specific design, operational trials or productivity gain techniques.