Polystyrene Suspension Polymerization: The Effect of Polymerization Parameters on Particle Size and Distribution

Effects of polymerization parameters are studied to better understand interactions between parameters in stirred-tank polymerization reactors and to derive a regression model correlating polymer particle size and particle-size distribution with agitator speed, agitator diameter, tricalcium phosphate, dodecyl benzene sodium sulfonate concentrations, and mass cycle period. The derived equations give way to prediction of the polymerization conditions in order to obtain desired particle size and particle-size distributions which covers particle sizes between 0.3 and 5 mm. The roles of some other parameters and limiting agitation parameters are also investigated.