(invited paper): In gas-phase ethylene polymerization reactors, tight temperature control is of utmost importance to ensure that the temperature in the reaction zone is kept above the dew point of reactants, yet below the melt point of the polymer. Another important point is that if the temperature was under open-loop conditions, these reactors are prone to instability and limit cycles, however can be easily stabilized with an appropriate temperature controller. In this work, a detailed study of the dynamic behavior of an industrial fluidized-bed polymerization reactor is carried out, with the location of bifurcation points and system stabilization by PID controller designed via optimization in the frequency domain.
Polymerization reactors; dynamic behavior; stability; temperature control
