O trabalho consta do estudo da modelagem matematica da reacao de polimerizacao do nylon-6,6. Foram revistas informacoes da literatura a respeito do processo, da cinetica, da policondensacao e de modelos cineticos e de transferencia de massa. Apresentam-se possibilidades de modelagem dos balancos de massa em termos de grupos terminais amina e carboxila ou de especies polimericas, discutindo-se as vantagens e desvantagens de cada abordagem e as alternativas de metodos matematicos para sua resolucao. Testes de aplicacao foram feitos, para tornar claras vantagens e limitacoes de cada modelo. Numa segunda etapa, desenvolveu-se um modelo mais abrangente, que leva em conta a presenca de diferentes tipos de especies polimericas e que reproduz a distribuicao de massa molecular do polimero. Compararam-se dados experimentais da literatura, resultados obtidos do modelo e a distribuicao mais provavel de flory, concluindo-se que a distribuicao de massa molecular do nylon-6,6 e proxima a de flory. Pequenas diferencas surgem conforme utilizacao de monomeros monofuncionais na reacao. Posteriormente, modelou-se um reator tubular com dispersao axial, aplicando-se o modelo de determinacao da distribuicao de massa molecular. Observou-se que a abertura da distribuicao aumenta com a dispersao em relacao a de flory e que a conversao diminui em relacao a um reator tubular ideal.

A review in literature information was made, comprising nylon-6,6 process, polycondensation kinetics and kinetic and mass transfer models. Mas balance modeling alternatives are presentes, in terms of amine and carboxyl end groups oro f polymer species, and their advantages and disadvantages are discusses, as well as the alternatives for mathematical methods to solving the balance. Tests were made, in order to clear up each model limitations and advantages. In a second step, a more general model was developed, which considers the presence of diferente kinds of polymer species and is able to rebuild the polymer molecular weight distribution. A comparison was made between experimental data from literature, the results obtained with the model and the most-probable Florys distribution. It was possibel to conclude that the nylon-6,6 molecular weight distribution is close to Florys distribution. Small diferences appear due to monofunctional monomers presence in the reaction. After that, a tubular reator with axial dispersion was modeled, so as to illustrate the use of the molecular weight distribution determination model. It is observed that the distribution opening increases in relation to Florys distribution as dispersion does, and that the conversion lowers in relation to an ideal reactor.