Method of producing uniform polymer beads

Claim 1

A METHOD OF SUSPENSION POLYMERIZATION FOR PROVIDING SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM PARTICLES OF POLYMER BEADS COMPRISING A POLYMER OR COPOLYMER DERIVED FROM THE MONOMERS SUITABLE FOR SUSPENSION POLYMERIZATION AND SELECTED FROM ONE OR MOR OF A MONOVINYL MONOMER AND A POLYVINYL MONOMER, WHICH COMPRISES: A. FORMING A FIRST FEED VESSEL A LIQUID MIXTURE OF THE POLYMERIZABLE MONOMER OR MONOMERS, AND A SUITABLE POLYMERIZATION INITIATOR, AT A TEMPERATURE LEVEL WHICH ESSENTIALLY INHIBITS THE INITIATION OF POLYMERIZATION; B. SEPARATELY PREPARING IN A SECOND FEED VESSEL AN AQUEOUS LIQUID THAT IS SUITABLE FOR MAINTAIN A DISPERSION OF LIQUID DROPLETS OF SAID MONOMER MIXTURE; C. PASSING THE MONOMER CONTAINING LIQUID FROM SAID FIRST VESSEL THROUGH A FIRST CONDUIT INTO ONE END OF A FIRST COLUMN TO FLOW THERETHROUGH; D. PASSING SAID MONOMER LIQUID INTO SAID COLUMN THROUGH A MECHANICAL MEANS HAVING A PLURALITY OF ORIFICES EACH HAVING A DIAMETER SIZE RANGING FROM 0.004 TO 0.015 INCHES WITH A JET VELOCITY RANGING FROM 0.25 TO 10.00 CC/MINUTE/ORIFICE; E. CONCURRENTLY PASSING THE AQUEOUS LIQUID, WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY IMMISCIBLE WITH SAID MONOMER, FROM SAID SECOND VESSEL THROUGH A SECOND CONDUIT TO SAID FIRST COLUMN AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TO STABILIZED THE MONOMER DROPLETS, WHERE THE EFFLUENT OF SAID SECOND CONDUIT IS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SAID EFLUENT OF THE FIRST CONDUIT; F. PASSING THE DROPLET-CONTAINING THIRD LIQUID FROM THE OTHER END OF SAID FIRST COLUMN THROUGH A THIRD CONDUIT INTO THE UPPER SECTION OF A SECOND COLUMN TO FLOW THERETHROUGH AT A TEMPERATURE TO INITIATE POLYMERIZATION OF MONOMER WITHIN THE DROPLETS; G. PASSING THE DROPLET-CONTAINING THIRD LIQUID FROM THE OTHER SECOND COLUMN VIA A FOURTH CONDUIT A DOWNFLOWING AQEOUS STREAM AT A FLOW RATE WHICH WILL ALLOW THE MORE BUOYANT MONOMER DROPLETS RESIDENCE TIME SUFFICIENT TO REACH A POINT OF POLYMERIZATION WHEREBY THE DEOPLETS WILL NO LONGER LOSE THEIR PARTICULATE IDENTITY AS BEADS; H. ALLOWING THE PARTIALLY POLYMERIZED DROPLETS WHILE DISPERSED IN THE AQUEOUS LIQUID TO FLOW FROM THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID SECOND COMUMN THROUGH A FIFTH CONDIUT TO A SYSTEM FOR GRAVITY SEPARATION AND FOR CONCENTRATING SAID BEADS IN SAID AQUEOUS LIQUID; I. ALLOWING A COMPARATIVELY CONCENTRATED SLURRY OF SAID BEADS TO FLOW FROM SAID SEPARATION SYSTEM THROUGH A SIXTH CONDUIT TO A POLYMERIZATION ZONE WHEREIN SAID BEADS ARE FURTHER POLYMERIZED TO THE EXTENT DESIRED UNDER TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS SUITABLE TO THAT PURPOSE; AND J. TRANSFERRING THE POLLYMERIZED BEADS FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID POLYMERIZATION ZONE THROUGH A SEVENTH CONDUIT FOR FURTHER PROCESSING.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF SUSPENSION POLYMERIZATION FOR PROVIDING SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM PARTICLES OF POLYMER BEADS COMPRISING A POLYMER OR COPOLYMER DERIVED FROM THE MONOMERS SUITABLE FOR SUSPENSION POLYMERIZATION AND SELECTED FROM ONE OR MOR OF A MONOVINYL MONOMER AND A POLYVINYL MONOMER, WHICH COMPRISES: A. FORMING A FIRST FEED VESSEL A LIQUID MIXTURE OF THE POLYMERIZABLE MONOMER OR MONOMERS, AND A SUITABLE POLYMERIZATION INITIATOR, AT A TEMPERATURE LEVEL WHICH ESSENTIALLY INHIBITS THE INITIATION OF POLYMERIZATION; B. SEPARATELY PREPARING IN A SECOND FEED VESSEL AN AQUEOUS LIQUID THAT IS SUITABLE FOR MAINTAIN A DISPERSION OF LIQUID DROPLETS OF SAID MONOMER MIXTURE; C. PASSING THE MONOMER CONTAINING LIQUID FROM SAID FIRST VESSEL THROUGH A FIRST CONDUIT INTO ONE END OF A FIRST COLUMN TO FLOW THERETHROUGH; D. PASSING SAID MONOMER LIQUID INTO SAID COLUMN THROUGH A MECHANICAL MEANS HAVING A PLURALITY OF ORIFICES EACH HAVING A DIAMETER SIZE RANGING FROM 0.004 TO 0.015 INCHES WITH A JET VELOCITY RANGING FROM 0.25 TO 10.00 CC/MINUTE/ORIFICE; E. CONCURRENTLY PASSING THE AQUEOUS LIQUID, WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY IMMISCIBLE WITH SAID MONOMER, FROM SAID SECOND VESSEL THROUGH A SECOND CONDUIT TO SAID FIRST COLUMN AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TO STABILIZED THE MONOMER DROPLETS, WHERE THE EFFLUENT OF SAID SECOND CONDUIT IS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SAID EFLUENT OF THE FIRST CONDUIT; F. PASSING THE DROPLET-CONTAINING THIRD LIQUID FROM THE OTHER END OF SAID FIRST COLUMN THROUGH A THIRD CONDUIT INTO THE UPPER SECTION OF A SECOND COLUMN TO FLOW THERETHROUGH AT A TEMPERATURE TO INITIATE POLYMERIZATION OF MONOMER WITHIN THE DROPLETS; G. PASSING THE DROPLET-CONTAINING THIRD LIQUID FROM THE OTHER SECOND COLUMN VIA A FOURTH CONDUIT A DOWNFLOWING AQEOUS STREAM AT A FLOW RATE WHICH WILL ALLOW THE MORE BUOYANT MONOMER DROPLETS RESIDENCE TIME SUFFICIENT TO REACH A POINT OF POLYMERIZATION WHEREBY THE DEOPLETS WILL NO LONGER LOSE THEIR PARTICULATE IDENTITY AS BEADS; H. ALLOWING THE PARTIALLY POLYMERIZED DROPLETS WHILE DISPERSED IN THE AQUEOUS LIQUID TO FLOW FROM THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID SECOND COMUMN THROUGH A FIFTH CONDIUT TO A SYSTEM FOR GRAVITY SEPARATION AND FOR CONCENTRATING SAID BEADS IN SAID AQUEOUS LIQUID; I. ALLOWING A COMPARATIVELY CONCENTRATED SLURRY OF SAID BEADS TO FLOW FROM SAID SEPARATION SYSTEM THROUGH A SIXTH CONDUIT TO A POLYMERIZATION ZONE WHEREIN SAID BEADS ARE FURTHER POLYMERIZED TO THE EXTENT DESIRED UNDER TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS SUITABLE TO THAT PURPOSE; AND J. TRANSFERRING THE POLLYMERIZED BEADS FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID POLYMERIZATION ZONE THROUGH A SEVENTH CONDUIT FOR FURTHER PROCESSING.