Improved product separation in ethylene polymerization process

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR POLYMERIZING ETHYLENE TO FORM NORMALLY SOLID POLYETHYLENE WHEREIN POLYMERIZATION IS EFFECTED IN AN ETHYLENE PHASE UNDER A PRESSURE IN THE RANGE OF 4,000 TO 20,000 P.S.I. IN THE PRESENCE OF A PEROXY TYPE CATALYST IN A REACTION VESSEL, THE IMPROVED METHOD OF OPERATION WHICH COMPRISES WITHDRAWING A SUSPENSION OF POLYMER IN ETHYLENE FROM THE REACTION VESSEL BY PUMPING THE SUSPENSION THROUGHT A DISCHARGE ZONE BY INJECTING A HIGH PRESSURE WATER JET INTO THE SUSPENSION IN A DOWNSTREAM DIRECTION AT A RATE AND VELOCITY TO INCREASE THE PRESSURE OF SAID SUSPENSION AND CAUSE TURBULENT INTERMIXING OF SAID SUSPENSION WITH SAID WATER AND TO OBTAIN A THREE-PHASE MIXTURE OF WATER, ETHYLENE AND POLYMER, CENTRIFUGALLY SEPARATING SAID THREE-PHASE MIXTURE TO SEPARATE ETHYLENE FROM WATER AND POLYMER, AND RETURNING SAID SEPARATED ETHYLENE TO THE INLET SIDE OF THE REACTOR BY PRESSURE IMPARTED BY SAID WATER JET.