Production of polychloroethenes

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR DEHYDROCHLORINATING A POLYCHLOROETHANE HAVING THE GENERAL FORMULA C2HXCLY WHEREIN X IS AN INTEGER FROM 1 TO 4 INCLUSIVE, Y IS AN INTEGER FROM 2 TO 5 INCLUSIVE, AND THE SUM OF X AND Y IS 6, WHICH COMPRISES: CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING SUCH POLYCHLOROETHANE IN THE LIQUID PHASE AND AN AQUEOUS ALKALINE EARTH METAL HYDROXIDE SLURRY INTO A CLOSED CHAMBER SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY FILLED WITH AN AGITATED BODY OF LIQUID REACTION MIXTURE; MAINTAINING SAID MIXTURE AT A REACTION TEMPERATURE BELOW THE BOILING POINT OF ANY OF THE ORGANIC AZEOTROPES THEREIN FORMED; CONTINUALLY TRANSFERRING A PORTION OF THE TOTAL REACTION MIXTURE IN THE LIQUID PHASE, AT A RATE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE COMBINED RATE AT WHICH THE REACTANTS ARE INTRODUCED INTO THE FIRST CHAMBER, INTO A SECOND CHAMBER CONTAINING AQUEOUS INORGANIC CONSTITUENTS OF THE REACTION MIXTURE MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE BOILING POINT OF ANY OF THE ORGANIC AZEOTROPES IN THE REACTION MIXTURE; AND CONDENSING THE C2HX-ICLY-1 AND ANY UNREACTED POLYCHLOROETHANE COMPOUND SO FLASHDISTILLED.