Fundamental Kinetics of Supercritical Coal Liquefaction: Effect of Catalysts and Hydrogen-Donor Solvents.
Most research on polymer degradation is for single polymers, even though the thermal decomposition of polymer mixtures is of interest both practically and theoretically. Polymer degradation rates depend on the mixture type, and adding a polymer can increase, decrease, or leave unchanged the degradation rate of the first polymer. We show how distribution-kinetics theory, based on molecular-weight distributions (MWDs), provides expressions for degradation rates of binary polymer mixtures. The approach accounts for initiation, termination, hydrogen abstraction, and radical chain scission in the governing equations for MWDS. Molecular-weight moments yield expressions for molar and mass concentrations and rate coefficients for combinations of random and chain-end scission. Experimental data show the concentration effect of poly((x-methyl styrene)) (PAMS) on the degradation of polystyrene dissolved in mineral oil at 275 {degrees}C in a batch reactor. Samples analyzed by gel permeation chromatography yielded the time evolution of the MD. The results indicated that, owing to the interaction of mixed radicals with polymer by hydrogen abstraction, polystyrene degradation rate decreases with increasing PAMS concentration.
- Research Organization:
- California Univ., Davis, CA (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG22-94PC94204
- OSTI ID:
- 643507
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/PC/94204-T9; ON: DE98050346
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 21 Jul 1997
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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