Anti-fouling procedure

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR MINIMIZING THE FOULING EFFECTS IN A CONTINUOUS POLYMERIZATION OF AN OLEFINIC HYDROCARBON WHEREIN LIQUID OLEFINIC FEED, AN INERT ORGANIC DILUENT WHICH IS LIQUID AT REACTION CONDITIONS AND A POLYMERIZATION CATALYST ARE CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCED INTO AND AGITATED IN A POLYMERIZATION ZONE ENCLOSED BY SOLID SURFACES AND MORMALLY MAINTAINED AT A FIXED POLYMERIZATION TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 30* TO 200*F. AND PRESSURE, A TURBULENT REACTION MIXTURE CONTAINING A SLURRY OF SOLID POLYMER SUSPENDED IN LIQUID FEED COMPONENTS IS FORMED IN SAID ZONE AND A FOULING POLYMER IS DEPOSITED ON SAID SURFACES, AND SAID SLURRY IS CONTINUOUSLY REMOVED FROM SAID ZONE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES TEMPORARILY APPLYING EXCESS HEAT TO THE EXTERIOR OF SAID POLYMERIZATION ZONE SO AS TO HEAT THE INTERIOR WALL SURFACE OF THE POLYMERIZATION ZONE TO A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 200* TO 400* F. AND SUFFICIENT TO HEAT SAID POLYMER DEPOSIT ON SAID SURFACES SUFFICIENTLY TO SOFTEN IT BUT NOT SO MUCH AS TO HEAT THE AGITATED REACTION MIXTURE MORE THAN ABOUT 50* F. ABOVE SAID NORMAL, FIXED POLYMERIZATION TEMPERATURE, ALL THE WHILE CONTINUING THE INTRODUCTION OF FEED AND CATALYST INTO THE POLYMERIZATION ZONE, AGITATING THE REACTION MIXTURE AND REMOVING THE POLYMER SLURRY THEREFROM, MAINTAINING THE EXCESS HEAT UNTIL THE SOFTENED POLYMER DEPOSIT IS SLOUGHED OFF INTO THE TURBULENT REACTION MIXTURE, AND THEN READJUSTING THE EXTERNAL HEAT TRANSFER TO THE POLYMERIZATION ZONE TO RESTORE THE AFOREMENTIONED FIXED POLYMERIZATION TEMPERATURE IN THE REACTION MIXTURE.