ONLINE PARTICLE-SIZE DISTRIBUTION MEASUREMENTS FOR LATEX REACTORS

The on-line measurement of the particle size distribution has been an outstanding problem in the design, analysis and control of latex reactors. Most available techniques have long time delays associated, primarily, with sample preparation and/or the actual measurements. Recent developments in the interpretation of turbidity spectra have resulted in a technique for the measurement of the complete particle size distribution with instrumentation that can be easily implemented in a plant environment. In this paper, the effects of process variables such as sampling time and dilution factors are analyzed within the context of continuous on-line turbidity measurements. Important results for the design of sampling/measurement strategies are presented and discussed.