A rheokinetic study of bulk free radical polymerization performed with a helical barrel rheometer

The Trommsdorff effect is a non‐linear autoacceleration phenomenon in bulk free radical polymerizations. It is undesired in processes on industrial scale, as is causes hot spots and erratic behavior. In this paper a rheokinetic investigation of the Trommsdorff effect is performed with a helical barrel rheometer. This rheometer can be considered a small‐scale model of large reactors, particularly extruders. The rheokinetic measurements show that the Trommsdorff effect can be reduced when the polymerization is performed at a high rotational velocity of the screw. This confirms a previous study performed with a cone and plate rheometer and is encouraging with a view to designing better‐controlled bulk free radical polymerization processes on industrial scale.