【Ten Years of Great Progress in Chemical Engineering Technology】From 2013 to 2023, Zhejiang University established China’s ultra-high pressure continuous polymerization experimental platform

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This post was last edited by Desert Fish on 2023-7-12 at 08:47. Significant progress has been made in chemical technology over the past decade; let’s praise the prosperity and strength of modern China. By sharing our thoughts, we can encourage more people to participate and make the discussions more lively. The HaiChuan forum becomes even better with your involvement – we welcome everyone to join in the discussions and exchanges. It’s hot in July, so be careful to prevent fires. ********************************************* On July 7, 2023, reporters learned from the Ningbo Science and Innovation Center of Zhejiang University that, after two years of technical research and numerous experiments, the center’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Innovation Demonstration Platform for olefin polymers has successfully designed and built China’s first ultra-high pressure continuous polymerization experiment platform. This represents a crucial step toward replacing imported technologies with domestic alternatives. 　　It is reported that the complete set of technologies for ultra-high pressure polymerization processes is entirely monopolized by large foreign oil and chemical companies, with almost all of the required equipment, instruments, and pipe fittings relying on imports. In response to the urgent need for the development of ultra-high pressure polyolefin technologies and equipment, Professor Wang Jingdai from the School of Chemical Engineering at Zhejiang University led his team to independently design and build China’s first ultra-high pressure continuous polymerization experimental platform. This platform can achieve reaction pressures of up to 350 megapascals and reaction temperatures of up to 300°C, and it supports both continuous and batch polymerization modes. 　　According to Wang Jingdai, utilizing the ultra-high pressure continuous polymerization experimental platform, researchers can carry out high-pressure free radical homopolymerization and copolymerization of ethylene. This includes measuring basic physical property data, studying reaction kinetics, optimizing initiator formulations, evaluating comonomers, and developing new products, thereby providing theoretical and experimental support for technological innovation in ultra-high pressure free radical polymerization processes as well as the development of related technology packages. The platform can also be used for the research and development of general-purpose and high-end polyolefin materials, such as ultra-high voltage cable insulation and shielding materials, ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers, ionomers, and other series of products. 　　“High-pressure ethylene radical polymerization requires very high pressures in order to stably produce polyethylene products. ”Wang Jingdai explained that the operating pressure of industrial reactors was previously between 100 and 300 megapascals. By utilizing the ultra-high pressure continuous polymerization experimental platform, it is possible to explore polymerization at higher pressures, further regulate the molecular structure of the products, expand the range of product specifications, improve reactor efficiency, and develop new grades of products.