Clay thickened suspension polymerization process with plug flow

Claim 1

THE METHOD WHICH CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY IN DISPERSING BY MEANS OF AGITATION AT LEAST ONE WATER-IMMISCIBEL MONOETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMERIC VINYLIDENE COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THE POLYMERS OF STYRENE, VINYLIDENE CHLORIDE, VINYL CHLORIDE, VINYL ACETATE, ACCRYLONITRILE, ALKYL ACRYLATES AND ALKYL METHACRYLATES AND THE COPOLYMERS OF SAID MONOMERS IN AN AQUEOUS MEDIUM CONTAINING A HYDROPHILIC COLLOIDAL GRANULATING AGENT, UNDER CONDITIONS OF AGITATION TO FORM MONOMER DROPLETS OF THE DESIRED SIZE, THICKENING THE DISPERSION BY DISTRIBU ING THROUGH THE AQUEOUS PHASE THEREOF A HYDROPHILIC COLLOIDAL CLAY IN AMOUNTS WHICH WHEN ADDED ALONE TO AN AMOUNTS OF WATER EQUAL TO THE AMOUNT OF WATER IN SAID AQUEOUS PHASE, WOULD GIVE A DISPERSION OF FROM 600 TO 1000 CENTIPOISES, VISCOSITY DISCONTINUING DISPERSIVE AGITATION, AND SUBJECTING THE SO-THICKENED AMONOMER DISPERSION TO THE ACTION OF CATALYTIC AND THEREMAL CONDITIONS KNOWN TO INDUCE POLYMERIZATION OF THE MONOMER, WHILE AVOIDING TURBULENCE IN THE THICKENED DISPERSION AND WHILE MAINTAINING SAID MONOMER DROPLETS IN SUBSTANTIALLY FIXED SPATIAL RELATIONSHIP TO ONE ANOTHER, THEREBY TO PRODUCE UNIFORM BEADS OF THE POLYMRS.

Claim 2

THE METHOD WHICH CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY IN DISPERSING BY MEANS OF AGITATION AT LEAST ONE WATER-IMMISCIBEL MONOETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMERIC VINYLIDENE COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THE POLYMERS OF STYRENE, VINYLIDENE CHLORIDE, VINYL CHLORIDE, VINYL ACETATE, ACCRYLONITRILE, ALKYL ACRYLATES AND ALKYL METHACRYLATES AND THE COPOLYMERS OF SAID MONOMERS IN AN AQUEOUS MEDIUM CONTAINING A HYDROPHILIC COLLOIDAL GRANULATING AGENT, UNDER CONDITIONS OF AGITATION TO FORM MONOMER DROPLETS OF THE DESIRED SIZE, THICKENING THE DISPERSION BY DISTRIBU ING THROUGH THE AQUEOUS PHASE THEREOF A HYDROPHILIC COLLOIDAL CLAY IN AMOUNTS WHICH WHEN ADDED ALONE TO AN AMOUNTS OF WATER EQUAL TO THE AMOUNT OF WATER IN SAID AQUEOUS PHASE, WOULD GIVE A DISPERSION OF FROM 600 TO 1000 CENTIPOISES, VISCOSITY DISCONTINUING DISPERSIVE AGITATION, AND SUBJECTING THE SO-THICKENED AMONOMER DISPERSION TO THE ACTION OF CATALYTIC AND THEREMAL CONDITIONS KNOWN TO INDUCE POLYMERIZATION OF THE MONOMER, WHILE AVOIDING TURBULENCE IN THE THICKENED DISPERSION AND WHILE MAINTAINING SAID MONOMER DROPLETS IN SUBSTANTIALLY FIXED SPATIAL RELATIONSHIP TO ONE ANOTHER, THEREBY TO PRODUCE UNIFORM BEADS OF THE POLYMRS.