Wall Layer Formation in Continuously Operated Tubular Reactors for Free-Radical Polymerizations

Polymer fouling is a major problem for the operation of continuous reactors. Therefore, it is important to understand and quantitatively describe the mechanisms leading to formation of fouling deposits. In this work, a CFD model for the radical polymerization of N-vinylpyrrolidone is presented, where the reaction kinetics, a viscosity model, and a transport model for polymer moments are determined from independent experiments. The model is compared to experimental obtained residence time distributions in capillary reactors over a wide range of concentrations. Model predictions are in good agreement with experimental findings.