Slug Characteristics in a Bubbling Fluidized Bed Reactor for Polymerization Reaction

Fluidization processes in which solid particles vividly move like gas or liquid have been widely used in various industrial sectors, such as thermochemical energy conversion and polymerization processes for general purpose polymer resins. One of the general purpose polymer resins, LLDPE(Linear low-density polyethylene) resins have been produced in bubbling fluidized bed processes in the world. In a bubbling fluidization polymerization reactors, LLDPE particles with relatively larger particle size and low density are fluidized by hydrogen gas for polymerization reaction. Though LLDPE polymerization reactors are one of bubbling fluidization processes, slugs that have negative impact for reaction exist or occur in these processes. Therefore, the fluidization state of LLDPE particles was investigated in a simulation model similar to a pilot-scale polymerization reactor (0.38 m l.D., 4.4 m High). In particular, the effect of gas velocity (0.45-1.2 m/s), solid density (900-199 kg/m(3)), solid sphericity (0.5-1.0), and average particle size (120-1230 mu m), on bed height and fluidization state were measured by using a CPFD(Computational particle-fluid dynamics) method. With CPFD analysis, the occurrence of a flat slug was visualized. Also, the change in particle properties, such as particle density, sphericity, and size, could reduce the occurrence of slug and bed expansion.