POLYMERIZATION CALORIMETER .2. PRACTICAL USE AND APPLICATION IN POLYMERIZATIONS

Part I of this series described the modeling and characterization of a reaction calorimeter designed for studying polymerizations under real process conditions. In this part, a calibration heater is used as a m odel reaction and it is shown how accurately the reaction rate can be determined with the calorimeter. Polymerization conditions strongly af fect the sensitivity of the calorimetric measurements, After careful c haracterization of the calorimeter, polymerization reactions can be ac curately followed, even when the reaction is started below the target temperature. The polymerization can be characterized during a small co nversion interval at the outset of the polymerization. The special fea tures of polymerizations are demonstrated and the typical process para meters such as viscosity, heat transfer properties and heat generation are presented for four types of polymerizations.