Propylene and ethylene polymerization in liquid and gss media are described by a multigrain particle model. External boundary layer heat and mass transfer effects are investigated for various catalysts and operating conditions. For high-activity catalysts used in slurry, external film mass transfer effects may be significant. For gas-phase polymerization of propylene or ethylene, the model predicts significant particle overheating at short times, which may explain the particle sticking and agglomeration problems sometimes observed in industrial reactors.