Reactors continuous

Clearly, the potential hazard from runaway reactions is reduced by reducing the inventory of material in the reactor. Batch operation requires a larger inventory than the corresponding continuous reactor. Thus there may be a safety incentive to change from batch to continuous operation. Alternatively, the batch operation can be... 

After the mbber latex is produced, it is subjected to further polymerization in the presence of styrene (CgHg) and acrylonitrile (C H N) monomers to produce the ABS latex. This can be done in batch, semibatch, or continuous reactors. The other ingredients required for this polymerization are similar to those required for the mbber latex reaction. 

M ass Process. In the mass (or bulk) (83) ABS process the polymerization is conducted in a monomer medium rather than in water. This process usually consists of a series of two or more continuous reactors. The mbber used in this process is most commonly a solution-polymerized linear polybutadiene (or copolymer containing sytrene), although some mass processes utilize emulsion-polymerized ABS with a high mbber content for the mbber component (84). If a linear mbber is used, a solution of the mbber in the monomers is prepared for feeding to the reactor system. If emulsion ABS is used as the source of mbber, a dispersion of the ABS in the monomers is usually prepared after the water has been removed from the ABS latex. 

The following conditions are stipulated the catalyst decomposition rate constant must be one hour or greater the residence time of the continuous reactor must be sufficient to decompose the catalyst to at least 50% of the feed level the catalyst concentration must be greater than or equal to 0.002 x Q, where the residence time, is expressed in hours. An upper limit on the rate of radical formation was also noted that is, when the rate of radical formation is greater than the addition rate of the primary radicals to the monomers, initiation efficiency is reduced by the recombination of primary radicals. 

With a batch process, such as hot isostatic compaction (HIP), heat exchange as used in a continuous reactor is not possible, and it is common practice to provide a furnace within the pressure vessel which is thermally insulated to ensure that the temperature of the vessel does not rise above 300°C. Most HIP operations involve gas pressures in the range 70—200 MPa (10—29,000 psi) and temperatures of 1250—2000°C, occasionally 2250°C (74). The pressure vessel may have a bore diameter from 27 to 1524 mm (75) and is nearly always provided with threaded closures sealed with O-rings made of elastomer provided the temperature is low enough. 

Among continuous reactors, the dominant system used to produce parasubstituted alkylphenols is a fixed-bed reactor holding a soHd acid catalyst. Figure 3 shows an example of this type of reactor. The phenol and alkene are premixed and heated or cooled to the desired feed temperature. This mix is fed to the reactor where it contacts the porous soHd, acid-impregnated catalyst. A key design consideration for this type of reactor is the removal of the heat of reaction. 

Monoalkylphenols are generally produced in specialized plants that have both continuous reactors and continuous vacuum distillation trains. 

Batch vs Continuous Reactors. Usually, continuous reactors yield much lower energy use because of increased opportunities for heat interchange. Sometimes the savings are even greater in downstream separation units than in the reaction step itself Especially for batch reactors, any use of refrigeration to remove heat should be critically reviewed. Batch processes often evolve Httle from the laboratory-scale glassware setups where refrigeration is a convenience. 

The ratio of cycHc to linear oligomers, as well as the chain length of the linear sdoxanes, is controlled by the conditions of hydrolysis, such as the ratio of chlorosilane to water, temperature, contact time, and solvents (60,61). Commercially, hydrolysis of dim ethyl dichi oro sil a n e is performed by either batch or a continuous process (62). In the typical industrial operation, the dimethyl dichi orosilane is mixed with 22% a2eotropic aqueous hydrochloric acid in a continuous reactor. The mixture of hydrolysate and 32% concentrated acid is separated in a decanter. After separation, the anhydrous hydrogen chloride is converted to methyl chloride, which is then reused in the direct process. The hydrolysate is washed for removal of residual acid, neutralized, dried, and filtered (63). The typical yield of cycHc oligomers is between 35 and 50%. The mixture of cycHc oligomers consists mainly of tetramer and pentamer. Only a small amount of cycHc trimer is formed. 

In the low temperature process, the slurry is heated to 105—108°C and held at temperature for 5—10 minutes. The resulting 1—2 DE hydrolyzate is flashed to atmospheric pressure and held at 95—100°C for one to two hours in a batch or continuous reactor. Because the enzyme is not significantly deactivated at the first-stage temperature, a second enzyme addition is not needed. This process is used woddwide throughout the starch-based sweetener industry and has been judged the most efficient process for dextrose production. 

Many techniques have been developed to accomplish this, for example, the use of a cooled recirculating system in which the chlorine is dissolved in one part and the allyl chloride is dissolved and suspended in another (61). The streams are brought together in the main reaction zone and thence to a separator to remove water-insoluble products. Another method involves maintaining any organic phase present in the reaction zone in a highly dispersed condition (62). A continuous reactor consists of a recycle system in which make-up water and allyl chloride in a volume ratio of 10—50 1 are added... 

The majority of the cyanuric acid produced commercially is made via pyrolysis of urea [57-13-6] (mp 135°C) primarily employing either directiy or indirectly fired stainless steel rotary kilns. Small amounts of CA are produced by pyrolysis of urea in stirred batch or continuous reactors, over molten tin, or in sulfolane. The feed to the kilns can be either urea soHd, melt, or aqueous solution. Since conversion of urea to CA is endothermic and goes through a plastic stage, heat and mass transport are important process considerations. The kiln operates under slight vacuum. Air is drawn into the kiln to avoid explosive concentrations of ammonia (15—27 mol %). 

Beside continuous horizontal kilns, numerous other methods for dry pyrolysis of urea have been described, eg, use of stirred batch or continuous reactors, ribbon mixers, ball mills, etc (109), heated metal surfaces such as moving belts, screws, rotating dmms, etc (110), molten tin or its alloys (111), dielectric heating (112), and fluidized beds (with performed urea cyanurate) (113). AH of these modifications yield impure CA. 

Reactors may be operated batchwise or continuously, e.g. in tubular, tubes in shell (with or without internal catalyst beds), continuous stirred tank or fluidized bed reactors. Continuous reactors generally offer the advantage of low materials inventory and reduced variation of operating parameters. Recycle of reactants, products or of diluent is often used with continuous reactors, possibly in conjunction with an external heat exchanger. 

Figure 4-8 shows a continuous reactor used for bubbling gaseous reactants through a liquid catalyst. This reactor allows for close temperature control. The fixed-bed (packed-bed) reactor is a tubular reactor that is packed with solid catalyst particles. The catalyst of the reactor may be placed in one or more fixed beds (i.e., layers across the reactor) or may be distributed in a series of parallel long tubes. The latter type of fixed-bed reactor is widely used in industry (e.g., ammonia synthesis) and offers several advantages over other forms of fixed beds. 

Use continuous reactors if possible. It is usually easier to control continuous reactors than batch reactors. If a batch reaction system is required, minimize the amount of unreacted hazardous materials in the reactor. Figures 12-40 and 12-41 show typical examples. 

Wiped film stills in place of continuous still pots —Centrifugal extractors in place of extraction columns —Flash dryers in place of tray dryers —Continuous reactors in place of batch —Plug flow reactors in place of CFSTRs —Continuous in-line mixers in place of mixing vessels... 

Ovenall and Uschold215 have recently measured the concentration of branch points (tertiary F, Scheme 6.32) in PVF by, 9F NMR. These were found to account for between 0.5 to 1.5% of monomer units depending on reaction conditions. Branching was found to be favored by lower reactor pressures or higher reactor temperatures. More branching was observed for polymers produced in batch as opposed to continuous reactors. This effect was attributed to longer residence time of the polymer in the reactor. 

On an industrial scale, PA-6 is synthesized from e-caprolactam with water as the initiator. The process is very simple if the reaction is earned out at atmospheric pressure. The polymerization is earned out in a VK-reactor (Fig. 3.23), which is a continuous reactor without a stirrer, with a residence time of 12-24 h at temperatures of 260-280°C.5,28 Molten lactam, initiator (water), and chain terminator (acetic acid) are added at the top and the polymer is discharged at the bottom to an extruder. In this extruder, other ingredients such as stabilizers, whiteners, pigments, and reinforcing fillers are added. The extruded thread is cooled in a water bath and granulated. The resultant PA-6 still contains 9-12%... 

Continuous emulsion polymerization systems are studied to elucidate reaction mechanisms and to generate the knowledge necessary for the development of commercial continuous processes. Problems encountered with the development of continuous reactor systems and some of the ways of dealing with these problems will be discussed in this paper. Those interested in more detailed information on chemical mechanisms and theoretical models should consult the review papers by Ugelstad and Hansen (1), (kinetics and mechanisms) and by Poehlein and Dougherty (2, (continuous emulsion polymerization). 

In order to be economically viable, a continuous emulsion polymerization process must be able to produce a latex which satisfies application requirements at high rates without frequent disruptions. Since most latex products are developed in batch equipment, the problems associated with converting to continuous systems can be significant. Making such a change requires an understanding of the differences between batch and continuous reactors and how these differences influence product properties and reactor performance. 

Continuous reactor systems usually consist of stirred tanks connected in series with all the recipe ingredients fed into the first reactor and the product removed from the last reactor. 

The influence of inhibitor on the performance of a semi-continuous reactor can be, in some ways, similar to both batch and continuous systems. A dead time is usually observed upon addition of the initial charge. When the secondary stream flow is started after some reaction of the initial charge, additional inhibitor flows into the reactor and the initiation rate drops. When this programmed addition is stopped the initiation rate increases sometimes enough to cause temperature control problems. 

Semi-continuous reactors can be used to produce very narrow or quite broad particle size distributions depending on the nature of the secondary feed stream and how it is added to the reactor. 

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