Polyolefin process monitoring and control

Abstract

Methods of controlling olefin polymerization reactor systems are provided herein. In some aspects, the methods include a) selecting n input variables, each input variable corresponding to a process condition for an olefin polymerization process; b) identifying m response variables, each response variable corresponding to a measurable polymer property; c) adjusting one of more of the n input variables in a plurality of polymerization reactions using the olefin polymerization reactor system, to provide a plurality of olefin polymers and measuring each of the m response variables as a function of the input variables for each olefin polymer; d) analyzing the change in each of the response variables as a function of the input variables to determine the coefficients; e) calculating a Response Surface Model (RSM) using general equations for each response variable determined in step d) to correlate any combination of the n input variables with one or more of m response variables; f) applying n selected input variables to the calculated Response Surface Model (RSM) to predict one or more of m target response variables, each target response variable corresponding to a measurable polymer property; and g) using the n selected input variables Ito Ito operate the olefin polymerization reactor system and provide a polyolefin product.