Abstract A chemical reactor for slurry polymerization comprising: A. A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL VESSEL HAVING A CIRCULAR CROSSSECTION; B. A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL, ROTATABLE, OPEN-CAGE, SPIRALFLIGHTED, RIBBON ELEMENT COAXIALLY MOUNTED INSIDE OF THE VESSEL, HAVING A DIAMETER SLIGHTLY SMALLER THAN THE INSIDE DIAMETER OF THE CORRESPONDING PART OF THE VESSEL WHEREIN IT ROTATES; AND C. A ROD ELEMENT POSITIONED ADJACENT TO THE INSIDE SURFACE OF THE RIBBON AND MOUNTED IN SAID REACTOR VESSEL INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID RIBBON ELEMENT SO THAT, DURING ROTATION OF SAID RIBBON ELEMENT, RELATIVE MOTION OCCURS BETWEEN THE ROD AND RIBBON ELEMENTS, THE ROD AND RIBBON ELEMENTS COOPERATING AND ARRANGED SUCH THAT SAID RELATIVE MOTION PRODUCES A SCRAPING ACTION TO REMOVE AGGLOMERATED MATERIAL ADHERING TO THE INSIDE SURFACE OF THE RIBBON.
The reactor of claim 1 wherein said spiral-flighted ribbon element has a flight pitch of about 1/2 to 3 ribbon diameters.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
29 words
The reactor of claim 1 wherein the dimension of said spiral-flighted ribbon element in the radial direction is no greater than one-fourth of the largest diameter of said vessel.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
37 words
The reactor of claim 1 wherein said rod element is rigidly secured to said vessel, and the clearance between said rod and said ribbon elements is up to 4 percent of the inside diameter of said vessel.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
The reactor of claim 1 wherein said rod element is rotated on its axis counter to and at approximately twice the speed of the rotation of said ribbon element.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
The reactor of claim 5 wherein said rod element has a cross-section varying in thickness along the length of the rod.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
23 words
The reactor of claim 1 wherein extruder means cooperate with said ribbon element such that said ribbon element directly feeds the extruder means.