A hermetically-sealed, flexible polymer gel cylinder comprising: a flexible polymer gel cylinder having a diameter, D.sub.dry, and comprising a solvent that enhances the plasticity of the polymer gel cylinder compared an otherwise identical polymer gel cylinder with essentially no solvent, wherein the solvent is at an amount such that the flexible polymer gel, after being removed from the package and saturated with the solvent, has a swelled diameter, D.sub.swell, and wherein D.sub.dryD.sub.swell5D.sub.dry; and a package hermitically sealing the flexible polymer gel cylinder.

The present invention provides a process for producing a conjugated diene polymer, the process including a production step of producing a conjugated diene polymer solution containing a conjugated diene polymer and a solvent, and a devolatilization step of heating the conjugated diene polymer solution while conveying the conjugated diene polymer solution with an apparatus having rotary twin screws, thereby devolatilizing the solvent, in which a motor current value of the screw in the devolatilization step and a motor current value of the screw under no load satisfy a predetermined relational expression.

The present invention provides a process for producing a conjugated diene polymer, the process including a production step of producing a conjugated diene polymer solution containing a conjugated diene polymer and a solvent, and a devolatilization step of heating the conjugated diene polymer solution while conveying the conjugated diene polymer solution with an apparatus having rotary twin screws, thereby devolatilizing the solvent, in which a motor current value of the screw in the devolatilization step and a motor current value of the screw under no load satisfy a predetermined relational expression.

The present invention provides a process for producing a conjugated diene polymer, the process including a production step of producing a conjugated diene polymer solution containing a conjugated diene polymer and a solvent, and a devolatilization step of heating the conjugated diene polymer solution while conveying the conjugated diene polymer solution with an apparatus having rotary twin screws, thereby devolatilizing the solvent, in which a motor current value of the screw in the devolatilization step and a motor current value of the screw under no load satisfy a predetermined relational expression.

To provide a method for producing an aqueous liquid containing a vinyl polymer, of which the production efficiency is high, without lowering the yield of the vinyl polymer. When removing a hydrophilic organic solvent from a mixed liquid comprising a vinyl polymer, the hydrophilic organic solvent and water to produce an aqueous liquid containing the vinyl polymer, a liquid phase and a gas phase are formed in a closed container, a part of the liquid of the liquid phase is formed into small droplets and brought into contact with the gas phase to vaporize the hydrophilic organic solvent, and the vaporized hydrophilic organic solvent is removed from the closed container. Specifically, for example, a closed container 10 having a liquid inlet 22, a gas outlet 30, a liquid outlet 21, a liquid inlet 22 and a liquid outlet 21 which are connected and having an external circulating system provided with means to control the temperature and the pressure of liquid, is filled with a mixed liquid 40 to form a liquid phase 50 and a gas phase 51, the mixed liquid 40 of the liquid phase 50 is circulated from the liquid outlet 21 to the external circulating system 20, and the temperature and the pressure of the mixed liquid 41 in the external circulating system 20 are controlled to conditions such that the hydrophilic organic solvent is easily vaporized in liquid droplets in the gas phase 51, followed by discharging the mixed liquid 41 in the form of the small droplets from the liquid inlet 22 to the gas phase 51 and draining the gas in the gas phase 51 from the gas outlet 30.

To provide a method for producing an aqueous liquid containing a vinyl polymer, of which the production efficiency is high, without lowering the yield of the vinyl polymer. When removing a hydrophilic organic solvent from a mixed liquid comprising a vinyl polymer, the hydrophilic organic solvent and water to produce an aqueous liquid containing the vinyl polymer, a liquid phase and a gas phase are formed in a closed container, a part of the liquid of the liquid phase is formed into small droplets and brought into contact with the gas phase to vaporize the hydrophilic organic solvent, and the vaporized hydrophilic organic solvent is removed from the closed container. Specifically, for example, a closed container 10 having a liquid inlet 22, a gas outlet 30, a liquid outlet 21, a liquid inlet 22 and a liquid outlet 21 which are connected and having an external circulating system provided with means to control the temperature and the pressure of liquid, is filled with a mixed liquid 40 to form a liquid phase 50 and a gas phase 51, the mixed liquid 40 of the liquid phase 50 is circulated from the liquid outlet 21 to the external circulating system 20, and the temperature and the pressure of the mixed liquid 41 in the external circulating system 20 are controlled to conditions such that the hydrophilic organic solvent is easily vaporized in liquid droplets in the gas phase 51, followed by discharging the mixed liquid 41 in the form of the small droplets from the liquid inlet 22 to the gas phase 51 and draining the gas in the gas phase 51 from the gas outlet 30.

To provide a method for producing an aqueous liquid containing a vinyl polymer, of which the production efficiency is high, without lowering the yield of the vinyl polymer. When removing a hydrophilic organic solvent from a mixed liquid comprising a vinyl polymer, the hydrophilic organic solvent and water to produce an aqueous liquid containing the vinyl polymer, a liquid phase and a gas phase are formed in a closed container, a part of the liquid of the liquid phase is formed into small droplets and brought into contact with the gas phase to vaporize the hydrophilic organic solvent, and the vaporized hydrophilic organic solvent is removed from the closed container. Specifically, for example, a closed container 10 having a liquid inlet 22, a gas outlet 30, a liquid outlet 21, a liquid inlet 22 and a liquid outlet 21 which are connected and having an external circulating system provided with means to control the temperature and the pressure of liquid, is filled with a mixed liquid 40 to form a liquid phase 50 and a gas phase 51, the mixed liquid 40 of the liquid phase 50 is circulated from the liquid outlet 21 to the external circulating system 20, and the temperature and the pressure of the mixed liquid 41 in the external circulating system 20 are controlled to conditions such that the hydrophilic organic solvent is easily vaporized in liquid droplets in the gas phase 51, followed by discharging the mixed liquid 41 in the form of the small droplets from the liquid inlet 22 to the gas phase 51 and draining the gas in the gas phase 51 from the gas outlet 30.

In at least one embodiment, a process of forming a polymer includes supplying a feed having one or more olefin monomers and a solvent; contacting the feed with a catalyst to form a reaction mixture; treating the reaction mixture in a first separator to form a first polymer-rich mixture; introducing the first polymer-rich mixture into a second separator; introducing a volatile component and/or inert component into the first separator, the second separator and/or a line between the first separator and the second separator; treating the first polymer-rich mixture to form a second polymer-rich mixture; and devolatilizing the second polymer-rich mixture to obtain the polymer.

In at least one embodiment, a process of forming a polymer includes supplying a feed having one or more olefin monomers and a solvent; contacting the feed with a catalyst to form a reaction mixture; treating the reaction mixture in a first separator to form a first polymer-rich mixture; introducing the first polymer-rich mixture into a second separator; introducing a volatile component and/or inert component into the first separator, the second separator and/or a line between the first separator and the second separator; treating the first polymer-rich mixture to form a second polymer-rich mixture; and devolatilizing the second polymer-rich mixture to obtain the polymer.

A method for producing a polymer latex, includes: a stirring step of adding water to a polymer solution obtained by dissolution of a synthetic rubber in an organic solvent, to allow water to be stirred in the polymer solution, thereby providing a water-stirred polymer solution (A); an aqueous phase removal step of removing an aqueous phase from the water-stirred polymer solution (A), thereby providing an aqueous phase-removed polymer solution (B); an emulsification step of mixing the aqueous phase-removed polymer solution (B) with an aqueous solution including a surfactant, for emulsification in water, thereby obtaining an emulsified liquid (C); a solvent removal step of removing an organic solvent in the emulsified liquid (C); and a concentration step of concentrating the emulsified liquid from which the organic solvent is removed (D).