Avoiding thermal degradation in polymer production
Turning temperature control into a competitive advantage
Author: Jamie Zachary
Thermal degradation is a quiet but costly challenge in polymer manufacturing. It doesn’t announce itself with a single, obvious failure. Instead, it gradually erodes product quality, clogs downstream equipment and limits throughput.
The difference between a smooth, stable process and one plagued by off-spec resin often comes down to one factor: how well heat is managed.
“Temperature uniformity and control are critical at every step of polymer production,” says Jill Caskey, Global Sales Director at Solex Thermal Science.
“Even slight overheating can cause chain scission or oxidation, which ultimately degrades the polymer’s mechanical properties and changes its appearance.”
In polypropylene and polyethylene production processes, polymer powder or pellets must be cooled slowly following polymerization or before storage and packaging. Inconsistent cooling may lead to hot spots that create thermal degradation, discolouration and reduced melt strength. Caskey notes this can lead to downstream quality control issues, such as extrusion inconsistencies and injection molding defects.
“Traditional air- or water-cooled systems often struggle to maintain stable temperatures of powders and pellets, particularly in high-throughput polymer plants,” she says. “This creates inefficiency and wasted energy, as systems must respond to unstable process conditions.”
Indirect cooling: A smarter approach
Plate-style polymer heat exchangers, such as Solex Thermal Science’s moving bed heat exchangers (MBHEs), offer a more consistent and efficient solution. Indirect heat transfer between the polymer and a controlled heat transfer fluid in these systems protects the polymer from direct exposure to cooling media. This eliminates the risk of contamination or moisture absorption and enables highly precise temperature control.
This is how it’s done: In a typical MBHE system, polymer powder or pellets flow downward by gravity between a series of vertical, hollow ‘pillow’ plates. Heat from the polymer is indirectly transferred to the heat transfer fluid — such as water or thermal fluid — that continuously passes through the plates. This configuration offers uniform, controlled cooling across the entire product bed, with low residence time variation.
Because there are no moving mechanical parts in the heat transfer zone, the process is gentle on the polymer and highly reliable, with little wear and tear over time.
“Indirect cooling helps processors avoid degradation issues and ensures they can run closer to optimal temperature limits,” adds Caskey. “The result is better product consistency and less downtime caused by buildup or cleaning.”
Performance and process benefits
Compared with air and water-cooled methods, plate-style MBHE technology provides several key product quality advantages:
- Gently handles all forms of solid polymer particles, which reduces fines and product damage.
- Maintains precise temperature control, which prevents polymer degradation and ensures consistent physical properties.
- Avoids contamination risks, which minimizes off-spec material.
Plate-style MBHEs also offer operational advantages to polymer cooling:
- Fewer moving parts and maintenance requirements increase uptime and reduce operating costs.
- Better thermal efficiency and process consistency support higher production rates without compromising product quality.
In addition, plate-style MBHEs are more attractive for polymer producers in that they create capacity in current facilities or increase operational reliability.
“When processors can prevent degradation, they’re not just protecting the polymer. They’re safeguarding performance, minimizing rework and building lasting customer confidence in product quality,” says Caskey.
“At the end of the day, it’s about ensuring that what leaves the reactor has the same quality when it leaves the plant. That’s the real value of precise, reliable heat exchange.”
Download our case study
Learn how Solex helped a U.S. producer increase production capacity and product quality year-round with a Solex heat exchanger for polyethylene powder.
Ready to take the next step?
If you have questions about preventing thermal degradation in your polymer processes or want to explore how our moving bed heat exchangers can be tailored to your operation, connect with our team today.
This entry was tagged Cooling, and last updated on 2025-10-15