NOVEL KINETIC AND STRUCTURAL STUDIES OF WAX CRYSTALLIZATION

To understand fully the behaviour of a crystallising system, it is necessary to relate the structure of the crystalline products to growth kinetics. We have carried out a study based on binary mixtures of n-eicosane and n-docosane and their individual components crystallised from the melt and from solution. Structural analyses were carried out using X-ray powder diffraction and kinetic studies were made from turbidity measurements. From this we have developed an approach with the potential of providing structural and kinetic information simultaneously and in-situ. Preliminary results are reported and a crystallisation cell of a novel design is presented. © 1990.