Polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) and vinyl acetate copolymers are the products in vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) polymerization process that are widely used as adhesives, intermediates, coatings, food, plastics, textiles and other industrial applications. Generally, solution and emulsion polymerizations are most applied in the VAM chemical process. During the PVAc process, VAM solution is a polymerizing monomer to decompose readily into free radicals and to induce the polymerization. This study attempts to analyze and compare the exothermal hazards during the polymerization for VAM reacting with various initiators under catalytic conditions. 50 and 70 wt.% VAM/methanol solution reacting with various initiators: 2,2‘–azobis (2-methylpropionitrile) (AIBN), benzoyl peroxide (BPO) and potassium persulfate (K2S2O8) for determining the reaction enthalpy changes by dynamic thermal scan and to ascertain kinetic data. Furthermore, two inhibitors−hydroquinone (HQ) and diphenylamine (DPA)−were the inhibition candidates for stopping the exothermic behaviors and also to terminate the polymerizing during operation failure. Understanding the thermal runaway hazards and elucidating the self-heating rates associated with kinetic model are beneficial to proactive safety protocol for the VAM polymerization process.

International Seminar on Fire and Explosion Hazards (9; 2019; Saint Petersburg, Russia). Proceedings of the Ninth International Seminar on Fire and Explosion Hazards [Электронный ресурс]: 21-26 April 2019, Saint Petersburg, Russia. Vol. 1 / Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Autonomous Non-Profit Organization "Fire and Explosion Safety", Gefest Holding Ltd ; [edited by A. Snegirev [et al.]. — Электрон. текстовые дан. (1 файл : 118 Мб). — Saint Petersburg, 2019. — Загл. с титул. экрана. — Свободный доступ из сети Интернет (чтение, печать, копирование). — Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0. — <URL:http://elib.spbstu.ru/dl/2/k19-45.pdf>. — <URL:http://doi.org/10.18720/SPBPU/2/k19-45>.