Chemical Reactor Automation as a way to Optimize a Laboratory Scale Polymerization Process
Abstract
The automation of the registration and control of variables involved in a chemical reactor improves the reaction process by making it faster, optimized and without the influence of human error. The objective of this work is to register and control the involved variables (temperatures, reactive fluxes, weights, etc) in an emulsion polymerization reaction. The programs and control algorithms were developed in the language G in LabVIEW®. The designed software is able to send and receive RS232 codified data from the devices (pumps, temperature sensors, mixer, balances, and so on) to and from a personal Computer. The transduction from digital information to movement or measurement actions of the devices is done by electronic components included in the devices. Once the programs were done and proved, chemical reactions of emulsion polymerization were made to validate the system. Moreover, some advanced heat-estimation algorithms were implemented in order to know the heat caused by the reaction and the estimation and control of chemical variables in-line. All the information gotten from the reaction is stored in the PC. The information is then available and ready to use in any commercial data processor software. This work is now being used in a Research Center in order to make emulsion polymerizations under efficient and controlled conditions with reproducible results. The experiences obtained from this project may be used in the implementation of chemical estimation algorithms at pilot plant or industrial scale.
- Publication:
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APS Texas Sections Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- October 2004
- Bibcode:
- 2004APS..TSF.A2002C