Patent ID: 7459508

Claim:
A method of carrying out a polymerization reaction within a microchannel reactor comprising: staging the addition of at least one of monomer, initiator, water, surfactant, coagulant, and solvent along a length of a first microchannel to promote a polymerization reaction occurring within the first microchannel; mixing contents within the first microchannel by positioning at least one static mixer in series with the contents flowing through the first microchannel, where the static mixer is positioned downstream from at least one of the staged additions of at least one of monomer, initiator, water, surfactant, coagulant, and solvent, and where the at least one static mixer is operative to change a cross-sectional fluid flow profile of the contents flowing through the first microchannel without changing a primary direction of the contents through the first microchannel; and reacting at least some of contents within the first microchannel to form insoluble polymer product.