Apparatus for continuous polymerization of volatile monomers preemulsified with water

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF AQUEOUS POLYMER DISPERSIONS BY POLYMERIZATION OF VOLATILE MONOMERS PREEMULSIFIED WITH WATER WITH THE AID OF INITIATORS AND EMULSIFIERS DURING PASSGE THROUGH A POLYMERIZATION ZONE IN A REACTOR TUBE COMPRISING A REACTOR TUBE, SEPARATELY CONTROLLABLE HEAT EXCHANGE JACKETS ALONG THE LENGTH OF SUCH REACTOR TUBE, MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLYING THE MONOMER PREEMULSION TO ONE END OF THE REACTOR TUBE, MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING THE FINISHED POLYMER DISPERSION FROM THE OTHER END OF THE REACTOR TUBE, THROTTLING MEANS IN THE MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING THE FINISHED DISPERSION ADAPTED TO RETARD THE FLOW OF THE FINISHED DISPERSION BEING WITHDRAWN AND THEREBY TO CONTROL THE PRESSURE IN THE REACTOR TUBE CONTENTS DURING PASSAGE THERETHROUGH, STIRRING MEANS EXTENDING THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF THE POLYMERIZATION ZONE IN THE REACTOR TUBE COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO SPACED STIRRING ARMS ROTATABLE ABOUT THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE REACTOR TUBE, THE SURFACES OF WHICH ARE PARALLEL TO SUCH AXIS, STRIPPING MEANS RECIPROCATABLE ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE REACTOR TUBE CLOSELY ADJACENT TO AT LEAST ONE SURFACE OF THE STIRRING ARMS ADAPTED TO CLEAN SUCH SURFACE UPON RECIPROCATION OF SUCH STRIPPING MEANS, MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING SUCH STRIPPING MEANS WITHOUT INTERRUPTING ROTATION OF SUCH STIRRING ARMS, THE SURFACE OF AT LEAST ONE OF THE STIRRING MEANS AND THE STRIPPING MEANS BEING CLOSELY ADJACENT TO THE INNER SURFACE OF THE REACTOR TUBE IN THE POLYMERIZATION ZONE SO AS TO BE ADAPTED TO CLEAN SUCH SURFACE UPON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SUCH SURFACES.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF AQUEOUS POLYMER DISPERSIONS BY POLYMERIZATION OF VOLATILE MONOMERS PREEMULSIFIED WITH WATER WITH THE AID OF INITIATORS AND EMULSIFIERS DURING PASSGE THROUGH A POLYMERIZATION ZONE IN A REACTOR TUBE COMPRISING A REACTOR TUBE, SEPARATELY CONTROLLABLE HEAT EXCHANGE JACKETS ALONG THE LENGTH OF SUCH REACTOR TUBE, MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLYING THE MONOMER PREEMULSION TO ONE END OF THE REACTOR TUBE, MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING THE FINISHED POLYMER DISPERSION FROM THE OTHER END OF THE REACTOR TUBE, THROTTLING MEANS IN THE MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING THE FINISHED DISPERSION ADAPTED TO RETARD THE FLOW OF THE FINISHED DISPERSION BEING WITHDRAWN AND THEREBY TO CONTROL THE PRESSURE IN THE REACTOR TUBE CONTENTS DURING PASSAGE THERETHROUGH, STIRRING MEANS EXTENDING THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF THE POLYMERIZATION ZONE IN THE REACTOR TUBE COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO SPACED STIRRING ARMS ROTATABLE ABOUT THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE REACTOR TUBE, THE SURFACES OF WHICH ARE PARALLEL TO SUCH AXIS, STRIPPING MEANS RECIPROCATABLE ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE REACTOR TUBE CLOSELY ADJACENT TO AT LEAST ONE SURFACE OF THE STIRRING ARMS ADAPTED TO CLEAN SUCH SURFACE UPON RECIPROCATION OF SUCH STRIPPING MEANS, MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING SUCH STRIPPING MEANS WITHOUT INTERRUPTING ROTATION OF SUCH STIRRING ARMS, THE SURFACE OF AT LEAST ONE OF THE STIRRING MEANS AND THE STRIPPING MEANS BEING CLOSELY ADJACENT TO THE INNER SURFACE OF THE REACTOR TUBE IN THE POLYMERIZATION ZONE SO AS TO BE ADAPTED TO CLEAN SUCH SURFACE UPON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SUCH SURFACES.