Modelling of multicomponent olefins solubility in polyolefins using Sanchez-Lacombe equation of state

The Sanchez-Lacombe equations of state (SL EoS) was employed to predict the solubility of different alpha-olefins in their corresponding mixtures with polyolefins. Its predictive capabilities depend on binary alpha-olefin/polyolefin interaction parameters, which are extracted from the corresponding binary systems. These parameters can be used directly unless polymer crystallinity is high where fine adjustment is needed. It was found that model predictions were in excellent agreement with the available experimental data for different multicomponent systems over a wide range of pressure, temperature and mixture composition. An accurate quantitative knowledge of olefins solubility in polyolefins is essential for the detailed design and modelling of polymerization reactors. Nevertheless, there are a limited number of studies that deal with modelling of multicomponent alpha-olefins/polyolefin systems. This work can be considered as a part of a comprehensive plant-scale modelling approach for industrial polyolefin manufacturing processes. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.