Continuous diabatic free-radical solution polymerization reactors: Search engines for non-linear dynamical solutions. (2nd February 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Clavijo, Nayher A.; Pinto, José Carlos; Melo, Príamo A.
• Is Part Of: Chemical engineering science. Volume 248:Part B(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-02-02
• Subjects: Free-radical polymerization -- Nonlinear responses -- Dynamical analysis -- Hopf bifurcation -- Chaos; Chemical engineering -- Periodicals; Génie chimique -- Périodiques; Chemical engineering; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 660
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2021.117221
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0009-2509

Abstract

Highlights: Reactor cooling jacket affects the nonlinear responses in polymerization reactors. The jacket is not sufficient to eliminate the complex responses of the reactor. Complex dynamic responses are shifted towards smaller residence times. The procedure presents better performance in comparison with brute force approaches. The search for solutions is facilitated with the identification of Hopf bifurcation. Abstract: Two search engines are presented to calculate both periodic and aperiodic oscillations in a continuous diabatic free-radical polymerization reactor model. The first algorithm consists of a traditional direct-search stochastic procedure that uses direct integration of the process model, while the second algorithm incorporates a new eigenvalue analysis to locate Hopf bifurcations and speed-up the searching process with help of stochastic procedures. The second algorithm presents a better performance in respect to the computational time required for the searching process and allows the identification of a larger number of distinct nonlinear responses, also enabling the detection of different types of complex dynamics for this polymerization system. Particularly, the energy balance of the reactor cooling jacket is also taken into account and is shown to affect significantly the nonlinear responses of this chemical system, which had not been characterized in previous studies.