Continuous polymerization of n-vinyl lactams

Claim 1

METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY POLYMERIZING N-VINYL LACTAM MONOMERS INTO POLYMERS WHICH COMPRISES PREPARING AN AQUEOUS POLYMERIZATION VEHICLE BY MIXING WATER WITH FROM 0.1 TO 95 PERCENT BY WEIGHT, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF SAID VEHICLE, OF A POLYMERIZATION MODIFIER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ISOPROPANOL, THIOGLYCOLIC ACID, DIMETHYL FORMAMIDE, ETHANOLAMINE, METHYL ETHYL KETONE, TRICHLOROACETIC ACID, 2-MERCAPTO ETHANOL AND THEIR MIXTURES; ADDING TO SAID MODIFIED POLYMERIZATION VEHICLE BETWEEN ABOUT 5 AND 50 PERCENT BY WEIGHT, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE RESULTING MIXTURE, OF A POLYMERIZABLE ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMERIC CONSTITUENT THAT CONSISTS OF AT LEAST ABOUT 80 PERCENT BY WEIGHT, BASED ON THE TOTAL WEIGHT OF MONOMER, OF AN N-VINYL LACTAM MONOMER; CONTINUOUSLY PASSING SAID POLYMERIZATION MIXTURE THROUGH A CHAMBER; CONTINUOUSLY SUBJECTING SAID MIXTURE IN SAID CHAMBER TO THE ACTION OF AN INITIATOR OF FREE RADICAL POLYMERIZATION FOR N-VINYL LACTAM MONOMERS; MECHANICALLY AGITATING SAID MIXTURE IN SAID CHAMBER AND MAINTAINING IT THEREIN AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 25 AND 100*C. UNTIL AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE MONOMER IS CONVERTED TO POLYMER; AND CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING THE DESIRED POLYMER PRODUCT IN SAID POLYMERIZATION VEHICLE FROM SAID CHAMBER.