http://lattes.cnpq.br/1896215395230925; SOUZA, Heloísa do Nascimento.
Abstract:
Non-ionic surfactants are important chemical products, they are raw materials in the production
of solvents, detergents, paints etc. They are produced through the ethoxylation reaction, that
takes place in semi-batch reactors, by reacting between ethylene oxide with an organic substrate
in the presence of a basic catalyst such as KOH. Due to the instability and reactivity of ethylene
oxide, ethoxylation is a highly exothermic reaction, which requires the presence of a heat
exchange system, with strict control of temperature and pressure that prevents explosions. In
this paper, the ethoxylation of nonylphenol to obtain nonylphenol 9 EO (nonoxynol 9) was
simulated in Aspen Plus Dynamics® where temperature, pressure, and batch flow controls were
implemented and evaluated. The results obtained showed that the control from the response of
∆P (difference between the operating limit pressure and the real reactor pressure) is effective,
consequently, the reactor pressure remains controlled and lower than the limiting pressures of
the system throughout the reaction process.
