AUTOMATIC CONTROL OF A REACTOR FOR BULK POLYMERIZATION OF STYRENE

Abstract
Automatic temperature and initiator feed control of a reactor for styrene bulk polymerization, initiated by A.I.B.N., was achieved. We show that suitable temperature and/or initiator feed policies allow production with high conversions (>50%) of a polymer with narrower molecular weight distribution. The good fit of experimental data on mathematical model (taking in account viscosity effect) allow us to find experimental conditions required to obtain a polymer with a predetermined molecular weight distribution (especially polydispersity).