Dynamic simulation of a tubular reactor for the production of low-density polyethylene using adaptive method of lines

The dynamic mathematical model of a tubular reactor for the production of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is introduced and simulation studies of a LDPE plant are presented. The plant consists of the tubular reactor, compressors, heat exchangers and material recycles. The overall model formulation comprises differential, partial differential and algebraic equations. This model formulation is transformed into a DAE system using an adaptive method of lines approach, where the grid points may change their position but their number remains constant. With this technique a solution on a standard PC is possible.