MODELING AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF AQUEOUS SUSPENSION POLYMERIZATION PROCESSES .2. EXPERIMENTS IN BATCH REACTORS

The results from extensive studies of aqueous suspension homo- and copolymerizations with methyl methacrylate, styrene, and vinyl acetate in a lab-scale batch reactor are presented. Simulation results from homogeneous and two-phase free- radical polymerization kinetics models, using physical and kinetic parameter values from the bulk and solution polymerization literature were found to be in good agreement with batch suspension experimental results. The evolution of the particle size distribution was also observed and measured. The results suggest that polymerization kinetics and liquid-liquid dispersion phenomena can be decoupled in the cases of low dispersed phase fraction (phi < 0.25).