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Process monitoring of polymer melts using in-line spectroscopy

IRC in Polymer Science & Technology, School of Engineering, Design & Technology, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK

M.G. Sibley

IRC in Polymer Science & Technology, School of Engineering, Design & Technology, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK

H.G.M. Edwards

Division of Chemical and Forensic Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK, H.G.M.Edwards{at}Bradford.ac.uk

P.D. Coates

IRC in Polymer Science & Technology, School of Engineering, Design & Technology, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK

Over the last decade, there has been an increased drive in the polymer industry toward the development of in-line monitoring techniques for analysis of melt processing. Manufacture of high material volumes combined with stringent quality-control restrictions and the requirement for tailored end-user products, have made the implementation of analytical methods essential for measurement of material characteristics. This paper presents the application of a range of spectroscopic techniques for in-line analysis of polymer extrusion processes. Fourier transform near-infrared (FT-NIR), Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy have been successfully implemented as tools to monitor a range of processing characteristics including copolymer melt and additive composition, material residence time distribution and degree of polymerization. In combination with partial least squares (PLS) chemometric analysis, these spectroscopic techniques are demonstrated to be sensitive and robust tools for monitoring a wide range of chemical and physical parameters at high-temperature and pressure in a polymer-processing environment.

Key Words: extrusion • in-line • polymers • process monitoring • spectroscopy.

References

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Transactions of the Institute of Measurement and Control, Vol. 29, No. 5, 453-465 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0142331207084336


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Barnes, S.E. Articles by Coates, P.D. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?