HIGH PRESSURE FLUID PHASE EQUILIBRIA IN LIGHT SOLVENT / POLY-ALPHA-OLEFIN SYSTEMS: A REVIEW

J.M MILANESIO; L.M. QUINZANI; M.S. ZABALOY

Foz de Iguazú, Brasil

Conferencia; Primera Conferencia Iberoamericana de Fluidos Supercríticos - PROSCIBA 2007; 2007

PLAPIQUI, UNICAMP, Universidad de Valladolid, Universidade Nova de Lisboa

Supercritical fluids (SFs) can be used for polymer processing, fractionation and purification. They can act as suitable media for polymerization processes and as reaction media in other polymer-related applications such as polymer conditioning for further use in mixture compatibilization required in polymer recycling. The literature on high-pressure light-solvent ? polymer systems is quite vast. In this work, we present a literature review focusing on the case of non polar or slightly polar light-solvent ? poly-alpha-olefin systems mainly at high pressure. We show the review results in a number of tables, which provide key information on available phase-equilibria experimental data. For each record, the tables identify: the solvent/s, the poly-alpha-olefin, the ranges for temperature, pressure, molecular weight, polidispersity and polymer mass fraction, and the nature of the reported experimental data. The tables also indicate the thermodynamic models used in references which report experimental data. We briefly discuss the key features of main stream modelling approaches for light-solvent ? poly-alpha-olefin systems We also present here preliminary modelling results corresponding to a new modelling approach applicable to high pressure phase equilibria of polymer-containing systems. This work may be useful to whom is planning to measure or to model the high pressure fluid phase equilibria for light solvent / poly-olefin systems or other related asymmetric systems.