Continuous polymerization process

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR CONTINUOUSLY POLYMERIZING MONOETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMERS IN NON-EMULSIFIED AQUEOUS SUSPENSION CONSISTING OF CONTINUOUSLY METERING AN AQUEOUS DISPERSION OF SUCH MONOMER AND A POLYMERIZATION CATALYST INTO THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF CONNECTED AGITATED REACTION ZONES ARRANGED IN CASCADED FASHION SO THAT THE EFFLUENT OF ONE ZONE WILL FLOW BY GRAVITY INTO THE NEXT ADJACENT ZONE, SAID ZONES BEING AT A TEMPERATURE CAPABLE OF MAINTAINING POLYMERIZATION, ALLOWING SAID DISPERSION IN THE FIRST ZONE TO OVERFLOW THROUGH CONNECTING PIPES HAVING INLET AND OUTLET ENDS DISPOSED TO PREVENT SHORT-CIRCUITING INTO THE SECOND OF SAID ZONES AND SUBSEQUENTLY OVERFLOWING FROM EACH ZONE THROUGH CONNECTING PIPES INTO THE NEXT SUCCEEDING ZONE, AND FINALLY ISOLATING THE POLYMERIZED PRODUCT IN GRANULAR FORM, THE IMPROVEMENT CONSISTING OF MAINTAINING A COCURRENT POSITIVE FLOW OF AN INERT GAS FROM THE FIRST OF SAID REACTION ZONES THROUGH THE FINAL OF SAID REACTION ZONES THEREBY PREVENTING CLOGGING OF THE PIPES.