Commercial Batchwise Production of Polyester Resins.

Abstract

The work reported in this thesis was undertaken as part of the second Teaching Company Programme set up between BIP Chemicals and Aston University. The objective of the scheme was to optimise the commercial batch production of unsaturated polyester-resins. The chemistry of polyester resins is discussed and the commercial process is described. Laboratory investigations were carried out to establish the optimum operating conditions of the production process. In particular, the operation of the existing separation equipment installed to reduce raw material losses was examined. The use of an inert gas to protect reactants was found to significantly reduce the efficiency of the separation equipment and an investigation was carried out to minimise this effect. In addition, alternative sources of inert gas were considered, but no change was recommended under prevailing commercial conditions. A detailed study of the separation equipment already in use on the manufacturing process revealed that much of the equipment was oversize and operated inefficiently. This led to the development of a design method for a suitable partial condenser system which was then designed and installed in the commercial process. The operation of this system resulted in raw material savings, a reduced product cycle time and an increased batch yield. The associated benefits are estimated to be in excess of £158 000 per annum and the equipment had a payback time of less than six months.