Patent ID: 8551763

Claim:
A method of forming one or more concentrated volumes of microbeads, the method comprising the steps of: (a) flowing, a focused stream of a polymer solution, polymer suspension, or polymer solution and suspension towards a fluid bath, with the polymer solution, polymer suspension, or polymer solution and suspension comprising a polymer dissolved, dispersed, or dissolved and dispersed in a medium; (b) flowing a focusing stream of a focusing fluid towards the fluid bath, and into intersection with the focused stream; (b.1) after step (b), maintaining the fluid bath under stirring so that the focusing fluid and the polymer solution continue to be mixed and intermingled; (c) after step (b), flowing the focusing stream and the focused stream into the fluid bath and allowing the microbeads to, thus, form and solidify in the fluid bath; (d) flowing a volume of the focusing fluid from the fluid bath while leaving the microbeads in the fluid bath, so as to concentrate the microbeads in the fluid bath; and (e) recycling at least part of the volume of the focusing fluid, flowing from the fluid bath in step (d), as at least part of the focusing stream flowing into intersection with the focused stream in step (b).