Chemical Engineering Journal, Vol.85, No.2-3, 339-349, 2002
Dynamic optimization of non-linear emulsion copolymerization systems - Open-loop control of composition and molecular weight distribution
Time optimal monomer and chain-transfer agent feed profiles were computed and implemented experimentally for the simultaneous control of copolymer composition and molecular weight distribution in non-linear emulsion copolymerization systems. Iterative dynamic programming was used for the off-line calculation of the optimal feed policies. This approach can deal with constrained optimization of systems described by complex mathematical models, as those needed for the emulsion copolymerization kinetics, especially when the computation of the whole molecular weight distribution is included. The proposed approach was applied to the semibatch methylmethacrylate (MMA)/n-butylacrylate (n-BA) emulsion copolymerization, using n-dodecanethiol as chain-transfer agent, and allowed the production of copolymers with constant composition and with well-defined molecular weight distributions.
Keywords:optimization;iterative dynamic programming;emulsion polymerization;MWD;copolymer composition;MMA/n-BA;chain-transfer agent