US 11,940,384 B2
Device and methods for determination of molecular weight distributions of polymers and distributions of other polymer properties without physical separation
Wayne Frederick Reed, New Orleans, LA (US); Rick D. Montgomery, New Orleans, LA (US); Michael Felix Drenski, New Orleans, LA (US); and Aide Wu, New Orleans, LA (US)
Assigned to Yokogawa Fluence Analytics, Inc., Stafford, TX (US); and THE ADMINISTRATORS OF THE TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND, New Orleans, LA (US)
Filed by Yokogawa Fluence Analytics, Inc., New Orleans, LA (US); and THE ADMINISTRATORS OF THE TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND, New Orleans, LA (US)
Filed on Sep. 23, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/951,721.
Application 17/951,721 is a continuation of application No. 16/094,542, granted, now 11,474,044, previously published as PCT/US2017/028919, filed on Apr. 21, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/325,847, filed on Apr. 21, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2023/0144017 A1, May 11, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01N 21/75 (2006.01); B01J 19/00 (2006.01); C08F 20/56 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 21/75 (2013.01) [B01J 19/0006 (2013.01); C08F 20/56 (2013.01); B01J 2219/00186 (2013.01); B01J 2219/002 (2013.01); B01J 2219/00218 (2013.01); B01J 2219/00231 (2013.01); C08F 2400/02 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
monitoring an instantaneous average property of polymers being produced by a polymerization reaction occurring in a reaction vessel a plurality of times during the polymerization reaction;
determining a corresponding change in polymer concentration in the reaction vessel based at least in part on successive measurements of the instantaneous average property of the polymers;
computing an instantaneous polymer property distribution corresponding to the most recently measured instantaneous average property using a statistical distribution; and
adding together the instantaneous distributions of the polymer with their amplitudes proportional to the change in polymer concentration between successive values of instantaneous average polymer property, to obtain a cumulative polymer property distribution of up to the latest measured value of the instantaneous average polymer property and change in polymer concentration.