How to Avoid Gas-Liquid Mass Transfer Limitations during Polymerization of Olefins

Propene was polymerized using a modern Ziegler-Natta catalyst dispersed in decane. The stirring rate was changed during polymerization, and the observed monomer feed rates were analyzed using a steady state and a dynamic mass balance to obtain mass transfer coefficients. A theoretically founded mass transfer model for a semi batch stirred laboratory reactor was developed. It is shown how the model can be used to secure minimal transport limitations in kinetic experiments during polymerization of olefins. It is found that introducing baffles and sparging considerably decrease the transport resistance at high stirring rates.