The effect of particle size distribution on the olefin polymer reactor dynamics

Mass and energy balances in a reactor have been derived to study the effect of particle size distribution (PSD) for each reaction mechanism on the reactor dynamics. It was observed that the PSD affects both bed height and particle volume. A feasible region for reactor operation has been calculated by using physical constraints. In a nonisothermal polymerization system, the reactor temperature does not change appreciably as catalyst injection rate increases. A unique steady state solution is found in a gas-phase continuous stirred-bed propylene polymerization reactor. The eigenvalues of the system of equations indicate that the steady state is unstable. A comparison with published data allows the observation that the actual reactor dynamics may be readily explained by using only the PSD derived from a simple reaction mechanism.