Computer control of a batch process for resin manufacture

Abstract

The aim of the project is to investigate the provision of automatic control for the batch reactors of the type presently used in industry for the production of butylated melamine formaldehyde resins. For that purpose a pilot plant was built at Aston University that was interfaced with the Departmental Honeywell 316 Computer for data acquisition and control purposes. The computer control of the plant supplied an easy and effective way to operate the plant and shorter and more consistent batches were achieved. A new design of the distillation system was used in the pilot plant and the operating data were compared with industrial data. A reaction model was developed to simulate the chemical changes of the resin during the process. The formulation of the reaction model and the experimental data from previous research supplied the necessary background for a scientific discussion of the functional groups involved in the reactions of the melamine resins. As a consequence, a deeper understanding of the process was achieved and the previously empirical operation procedure could be explained in a new perspective. Further extensions of this work are recommended as regards the kinetic model, the plant and computer control.