Process for the vapor phase polymerization of monomers in a horizontal, quench-cooled, stirred-bed reactor using essentially total off-gas recycle and melt finishing

Claim 1

A process for continuously polymerizing from the vapor state at least one polymerizable monomer comprising: a. introducing said monomer into one or more vapor recycle inlets which are spaced along, and a majority of which are located below, a sub-fluidized bed of polymer distributed within a stirred, horizontal reactor operating at polymerization conditions, said reactor containing one or more individually polymerization-temperature-controllable polymerizable sections; b. introducing at least one catalyst component into one or more inlets spaced along said reactor and quench liquid into a plurality of inlets spaced along the top of said reactor so that said at least one catalyst component and said quench liquid are intimately mixed with said bed of polymer; c. removing without substantial pressure letdown polymer from said polymer bed to a post-polymerization zone into which a controlled amount of said monomer is introduced and wherein a controlled amount of essentially adiabatic polymerization takes place and said polymer is melted to form easily transferable molten polymer; d. removing off-gases from said reactor through one or more reactor off-gas outlets spaced along the top of said reactor and removing entrained polymer therefrom and condensing quench liquid from said off-gases in a separation zone to form a liquid recycle and a gaseous recycle; e. returning said gaseous recycle to said one or more vapor recycle inlets; f. taking off a first portion of said liquid recycle containing any entrained polymer remaining in said off-gases and introducing said first portion through said plurality of inlets into said reactor; g. taking off a second smaller portion of said liquid recycle and using said second portion for make-up of at least one catalyst component; h. introducing make-up of said quench liquid into said reactor; i. decomposing the catalyst components contained in the molten polymer of (c) with a kill substance; j. treating the product of (i) to remove volatile components therefrom; and k. cooling the polymer product of (j) to ambient temperature.