Applied Statistics in Polymer Reaction Engineering

本研究计划开发并应用统计方法，协助收集和分析开发化学过程数学模型所需的数据。由此产生的模型用于各种目的，包括化学过程的设计、优化和控制，以确保它们安全、有利可图地运行。这些技术还可用于设计新产品，如医院应用的消毒剂。它们还充当我们过程知识的储存库，并用于指导进一步的实验，为新的过程和产品开发新的信息。主要应用领域之一是聚合物的生产，用于生产大量商品，如油漆、粘合剂、地毯、汽车零部件（如保险杠、皮带和软管）以及食品包装。设计实验以提供高质量的信息性数据，以及开发将这些数据引入过程模型的方法，这是两个至关重要的问题，过程模型代表了我们对产品或过程的了解。根据缺乏信息的数据或不正确的推理程序做出的决定将导致仅仅基于猜测的决定。这可能对公司的盈利能力、过程或产品的安全和环境影响产生不利影响，并最终对员工和公众的健康产生不利影响。

This research program develops and applies statistical methods that assist in the collection and analysis of data required to develop mathematical models of chemical processes. The resulting models are used for various purposes including the design, optimization and control of chemical processes to ensure that they are operated safely and profitably. The techniques can also be used to design new products such as disinfectants for hospital applications. They also act as a repository of our process knowledge and are used to guide further experimentation to develop new information for new processes and products. One of the primary application areas is the production of polymers, which are used to produce a large number of commodities such as paints, adhesives, carpets, automotive parts such as bumpers and belts and hoses, and food wrap. The problem of designing experiments to provide high quality informative data and the development of methods for bringing these data into process models, which represent what we know about a product or process, are two vitally important problems. Decisions made on the basis of information-poor data or incorrect inferential procedures will lead to decisions, which are based on little more than speculation. This can have a detrimental effect on the profitability of a company, on the safety and environmental impacts of a process or product and ultimately on the health of the employees and the public.