Patent ID: 7351776

Claim:
A method for the continuous production of polydienes, comprising: (a) adding liquid conjugated diene monomer, a coordination catalyst system, and, optionally an organic solvent to a first vessel, wherein the first vessel includes less than 20% by weight organic solvent; (b) allowing the monomer to polymerize into polydienes, the monomer, catalyst system, optional solvent, and polydienes forming a polymerization medium, wherein the polymerization of the monomer increases the temperature of the polymerization medium thereby converting a portion of the monomer to a gas-phase monomer; (c) agitating the polymerization medium to thereby facilitate conversion of a portion of the monomer to the gas-phase monomer; (d) removing the gas-phase monomer from the vessel; (e) optionally condensing the gas-phase monomer that is removed from the vessel to liquid monomer; (f) optionally transferring the condensed liquid monomer back to the first vessel; (g) removing a portion of the polymerization medium from the first vessel in order to maintain a monomer concentration within the first vessel of at least 80% by weight of the polymerization medium within the first vessel, and in order to maintain a head space within the first vessel that is about 40 to about 60% of the volume of the first vessel, where said portion of the polymerization medium that is removed includes residual monomer; (h) transferring the polymerization medium removed from the first vessel to a second vessel; (i) agitating and maintaining the flow of the polymerization medium within the second vessel; (j) maintaining sufficient temperature within the second vessel in order to convert a portion of the residual monomer to a gas-phase residual monomer; (k) optionally condensing the gas-phase residual monomer removed from the second reactor to liquid monomer; (l) optionally transferring liquid monomer converted from the gas-phase monomer removed from the second vessel to the first vessel; (m) optionally adding a functionalizing agent to the second vessel in order functionalize polydienes within the second reactor; (n) adding a quenching agent to the second vessel in order to terminate the further polymerization of monomer; and (o) recovering polydienes.