What are the reasons for the runaway polymerization of synthetic acrylic resins?
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Our factory produces acrylic acid. Recently, an exothermic polymerization occurred in one of the reactors, and the final analysis showed that it was caused by an excessive amount of initiator being used. I would like to ask the experts: What are the common reasons for runaway polymerization during the synthesis of acrylic resins? Could it be summarized systematically?
Adding too much initiator can cause explosive polymerization, and using a temperature that is slightly too high for adding the initiator can also lead to explosive polymerization； Also, I’m not sure if your voltage is stable? Changes in stirring speed, usually caused by unstable voltage, can also lead to explosive polymerization; however, this idea has not yet been widely accepted by the academic community! :victory:
The main reason for the violent aggregation was poor temperature control. Since a large amount of heat is generated during the acrylic acid reaction, if no cooling measures are taken, the temperature will rise sharply, leading to runaway polymerization and the formation of a large amount of insoluble substances in the system
Thank you for the reply! According to the operator, the mixing was proceeding normally at that time, but the temperature rose rapidly in a very short period of time; only by discharging some of the material was it possible to prevent more serious accidents from occurring. Subsequent investigations showed that the amount of initiator remaining was insufficient, which led to the conclusion that the excess amount of initiator added by the operator was the cause. The real reason is unknown; I hope everyone can help analyze it – what possible reasons could lead to such a gathering?