Abstract:
An improved polymer devolatilization apparatus comprising a flat plate heater (22) comprising a polymer solution supply means (20), and a liquid/vapor collection and separation means, said flat plate heater further comprising a multiplicity of flat plates defining a plurality of channels (10), each channel having a substantially uniform height, but varying width over the total channel length, each channel comprising three zones: a first zone (12), having a beginning (18) and a terminus, said beginning in operative communication with the polymer solution supply means, characterized by decreasing width as a function of distance from its beginning, a second zone (14) having a beginning at the terminus of the first zone and a terminus, characterized by at least one occurrence of a restrictive cross-sectional area, and a third zone (16) having a beginning at the terminus of the second zone and terminating at a liquid/vapor collection and separation region operating at reduced pressure, said third zone characterized by increasing width as a function of distance from its beginning, and provided further that the ratio of maximum width of the third zone to the maximum width of the second zone is from 2:1 to 20:1.
Abstract:
Hydroperoxidized rubber-containing polymers are prepared in a process wherein a rigid phase polymer is prepared by polymerization of one or more free radically polymerizable monomers in the presence of a hydroperoxidized rubbery intermediate in a well stirred back-mixed reactor operating under essentially homogeneous conditions at a solids content of from 30 to 75 percent by weight, and an initial rubber content in the feed of from 5 to 12 percent by weight.