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Modeling of flash lines in industrial polymer production units

Coupez, Tom
(2023)

Files

Coupez_14681700_2023.pdf
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  • 12.27 MB

Details

Supervisors
Mignon, Denis
Faculty
Ecole polytechnique de Louvain
Degree label
Master [120] : ingénieur civil en chimie et science des matériaux, à finalité spécialisée
Abstract
Flash lines are evaporative separators used by TotalEnergies to vaporize the liquid in which the solid polymer produced in the reactor is immersed. Clogging phenomena caused by the accumulation of molten polymer often occur in these lines, but it is not clear why. The aim of this study is to develop a model that simulates the operation of these flash lines, to gain a better understanding of the phenomena involved and, perhaps, to avoid clogging. The simulation model of the flash line was modeled on Aspen Plus (AspenTech). A large part of the research work involved finding a rigorous way of representing the solid in operational units. Once we were sure we could work with a fluid-gas mixture within Aspen Plus, the heat exchange coefficients between the different phases were modeled via Fortran77 codes in block calculators available in Aspen Plus. The modeling of these coefficients revealed that the presence of solids has a significant influence on temperature profiles in the flash line. Considerable oversizing of the flash line was also identified. Finally, the temperature of the inside wall of the line was calculated and shown to be the potential cause of the clogging that occurs.