Measurement Based Modeling and Control of Bimodal Particle Size Distribution in Batch Emulsion Polymerization

In this article, a novel modeling approach is proposed for bimodal Particle Size Distribution (PSD) control in batch emulsion polymerization. The modeling approach is based on a behavioral model structure that captures the dynamics of PSD. The parameters of the resulting model can be easily identified using a limited number of experiments. The resulting model can then be incorporated in a simple learning scheme to produce a desired bimodal PSD while compensating for model mismatch and/or physical parameters variations using very simple updating rules. (C) 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 56: 2122-2136, 2010