Basic Laboratory Polymerization Reactor Design

Some key features of a laboratory polymerization system designed for the preparation of approximately 50-100 g of polyethylene are as follows Location The complete polymerization system should be constructed in a walk-in type hood with a very good ventilation system. All glass reservoirs that contain liquids that will be transferred to the polymerization reactor need to be located within the hood. 

Reactor A stainless steel autoclave with a reactor diameter of about 20 cm is recommended for easy cleaning, with a total capacity of 1.0-2.0 

If a cocatalyst such as an aluminum alkyl is required in the experiment, this reagent may be added to the reactor through an addition port that is fitted with a ballvalve and under a slow nitrogen purge. The aluminum alkyl may be added through the addition port using a syringe.The addition port may then be rinsed with a small quantity (5-10 ml) of heptane, and then the ballvalve is closed. 

Catalyst Addition Process It is highly recommended that the catalyst xmder investigation is added to the polymerization reactor while the reactor is xmder the steady-state conditions for any particular experiment. Consequently, the last step reqxiired once the reactor has reached the necessary polymerization conditions is the injection of the soUd catalyst into the reactor. 

In order to eliminate nonsteady-state polymerization conditions, the max-imxxm polymerization rate should not exceed about 1-2 g/minute/liter of 

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