Volume 19, Issue 6 e3129
RESEARCH ARTICLE

CFD simulation study of thermal runaway inhibition for styrene polymerization by jet mixing

Jiajia Jiang

Corresponding Author

Jiajia Jiang

Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Hazardous Chemicals Safety and Control, College of Safety Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211816 China

Correspondence

Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Hazardous Chemicals Safety and Control, College of Safety Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211816, China.

Email: [email protected]

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Yating Chen

Yating Chen

Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Hazardous Chemicals Safety and Control, College of Safety Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211816 China

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Rui Zhou

Rui Zhou

Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Hazardous Chemicals Safety and Control, College of Safety Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211816 China

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Guanrong Mao

Guanrong Mao

Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Hazardous Chemicals Safety and Control, College of Safety Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211816 China

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First published: 29 July 2024

FUNDING INFORMATION: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant/Award Numbers: 62333010; 51804167; Major Basic Research Project of the Natural Science Foundation of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Grant/Award Number: 21KJA620001.

Abstract

Thermal runaway of polymerization reactions causes serious accidents. To study the emergency inhibition process of thermal runaway, a styrene thermal polymerization reaction model is established by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) combined with a thermodynamic model. The DIV critical criterion is used to determine the critical point of the runaway reaction. The inhibitory effect of injection diameter, injection rate, and injection angle of inhibitor (ethylbenzene) on the styrene polymerization reaction is studied comprehensively. The injection mixing trajectory of the inhibitor is visualized by using the Lagrangian particle tracking method. The injection parameters are optimized to suppress thermal runaway by the response surface method. The result shows that a combination of injection parameters with 2 mm injection port diameter, 5 m/s injection rate, and 90° injection angle can improve the suppression effect of thermal runaway for the established model in this paper. This work provides a theoretical basis for preventing thermal runaway for polymerization reactions.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

The authors report that there are no competing interests to declare.

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