In order to understand the phenomenon taking place on the surface of the spinning disc reactor (SDR), a kinetic/mechanistic study of styrene free radical polymerisation was conducted in a SDR. The experiments were designed to enable assessing all kinetic parameters. Obtained experimental data were used in a modelling study. Once parameters (i.e. initiator efficiency f, rate constants k(d), k(p) and k(t)) were estimated for experimental runs carried out at different temperatures, the Arrhenius law was applied to estimate activation energies (E-a) and the pre-exponential factors (A). Calculated activation energies in the SDR were found to be smaller than corresponding batch values. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.