Dynamic Modeling and Analysis of Process Constraints for Improvement for Unipol® Polypropylene Fluidized Bed Reactor

This work presents a dynamic model for Unipol® polypropylene fluidized bed reactor (FBR) using Aspen Polymer Plus® with industrial data. The model was developed by routing recently developed corresponding steady-state model into Aspen Dynamics®. Industrial operational scenarios of the plant FBR were utilized for model validation. The previous steady-state analysis focused on reaching the optimum operating scheme. However, neglecting the time factor may lead to inadequacy in application. Upon, the current dynamic model was used to identify process constraints obstructing process improvement. An automated HAZOP study based on process control system protection layer analysis was applied. This quantitative study illustrated that reduction of superficial gas velocity by 10% to apply the scheme recommended by the steady-state analysis may cause hazardous consequences and increase waste production. Thus, revamping the existing FBR cooling system is essential for applying the recommended scheme while ensuring safety and cleaner production in the process.