APPLICATION AND VALIDATION OF THE PSEUDO-KINETIC RATE-CONSTANT METHODTO HIGH-PRESSURE LDPE TUBULAR REACTORS

The present study is concerned with the application of the pseudo-kine tic rate constant method to high pressure LDPE tubular, reactors. The utilization of multiple monomers is of profound importance to the poly mer manufacturing industry since it leads to the production of an unli mited number of polymer types with a wide range of properties. However , by increasing the number of comonomers the kinetic rate expressions describing the appearance/disappearance of the various molar species b ecome fairly complex. In order to simplify the kinetic treatment of th e resulting expressions, the pseudo-kinetic rate constant method can b e employed, in combination with the method of moments, to model the mu lticomponent free-radical polymerization of ethylene in a high pressur e tubular reactor. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rig hts reserved.