Modeling of Diffusional Limitations in Styrene Acrylonitrile Bulk Copolymerizations and MultiObjective Optimization of SAN Reactors

Abstract

Polymers have become an integral part of our life due to their lower cost and better properties. In copolymerization, two or more monomers are combined in a desired proportion in the presence of some initiator to produce copolymers having the desired physical and chemical properties. The control of these properties requires a thorough knowledge of the polymerization kinetics as well as the associated transport processes. The desired properties of the polymers can be obtained by maintaining the optimal temperature history in industrial reactors. The present study focuses on the modeling and multi-objective optimization of diffusional limitations in random bulk copolymerization of styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN). newline