Process for the polymerization of olefins

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS WHEREIN A LOWER OLEFINIC MONOMER IS CONTINUOUSLY POLYMERIZED TO A SOLID POLYMER BY CONTACTING IT WITH A TWO-COMPONENT CATALYST WHEREIN ONE COMPONENT IS A REDUCED COMPOUND OF A HEAVY METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TITANIUM, ZIRCONIUM, HAFNIUM, VANADIUM, NIOBIUM, TANTALUM, CHROMIUM, MOLYBDENUM, TUNGSTEN, THORIUM AND URANIUM AND THE SECOND COMPONENT IS AN ORGANO-METALLIC COMPOUND, THE REACTION IS CONDUCTED IN AN INERT HYDROGENATED HYDROCARBON IN WHICH THE OLEFIN MONOMER IS SOLUBLE BUT THE RESULTING POLYMER IS INSOLUBLE, AND THE REACTION ZONE IS MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 10-150*C. BY CONTINUOUSLY RECYCLING A STREAM OF REACTION EFFLUENT FROM THE REACTION ZONE THROUGH AN EXTERNAL HEAT EXCHANGER AND RETURNING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE RECYCLE TO THE REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN THE TEMPERATURE OF THE LATTER WITHIN SAID RANGE OF 10-150*C., SAID RECYCLED REACTION EFFLUENT COMPRISING THE HYDROCARBON DISPERSING AGENT, THE MONOMER, THE CATALYST, AND THE POLYMER FORMED IN THE REACTION ZONE, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING AVOIDING THE FORMATION OF POLYMER DEPOSITS ON THE HEAT EXCHANGER WALLS BY PREVENTING FURTHER POLYMERIZATION OF THE MONOMER WITHIN THE HEAT-EXCHANGER, THIS BEING ACHIEVED BY MAINTAINING IN THE HEAT EXCHANGER A LAMINAR FLOW CHARACTERIZED BY A REYNOLD''S NUMBER HAVING A MAXIMUM OF 2,000.