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Polymer characterization apparatus

  • US 4,258,564 A
  • Filed: 12/06/1979
  • Issued: 03/31/1981
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/28/1979
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for obtaining from a polymerization reactor a sample of polymer dissolved in one or more hydrocarbon diluents and for determining the polymer content of said sample and a molecular weight of said polymer, which apparatus comprises:

  • (a) polymerization reactor means,(b) line for removing from said reactor means a polymeric product dissolved in one or more hydrocarbon polymerization diluents,(c) valve means for the removal from said line of an essentially constant volume sample of said polymeric product dissolved in said diluent,(d) means for storing hydrocarbyl solvent,(e) dilution means for adding hydrocarbyl solvent to and mixing said hydrocarbyl solvent with said essentially constant volume sample to provide an essentially constant volume of dilute polymer solution,(f) line for transferring said dilute polymer solution to a selector valve,(g) a first line from said selector valve for transferring a constant volume of said dilute polymer solution to a solution viscometer means which is maintained at an essentially constant temperature,(h) line for transferring hydrocarbyl solvent to said solution viscometer means,(i) a second line from said selector valve for transferring a constant volume of said dilute polymer solution to one or more gel permeation chromatographic columns,(j) line for transferring hydrocarbyl solvent to said gel permeation chromatographic columns,(k) means for causing said dilute polymer solution to flow through a capillary in said solution viscometer means and to activate a timing device to determine and record the flow time for the flow through said capillary of a constant volume of said dilute polymer solution,(l) means for causing said hydrocarbyl solvent to flow through a capillary in said solution viscometer means and to activate a timing device to determine and record the flow time for the flow through said capillary of a constant volume of said hydrocarbyl solvent,(m) means for causing the flow through said one or more gel permeation chromatographic columns of hydrocarbyl solvent at an essentially constant rate of flow,(n) means for determining and recording the refractive index difference as a function of time for the effluent from said one or more gel permeation chromatographic columns, said refractive index difference being the difference between the refractive index of the column effluent and that of a control fluid,(o) micro computer means programmed to control the operation of the apparatus, to determine and record said flow times from said solution viscometer means, to record said refractive index difference as a function of time and to calculate from said refractive index difference the polymer content of said sample and from said flow times and polymer content a molecular weight of said polymer, and(p) recorder/display means for providing the data calculated in (o).

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