Polymer purification

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PURIFICATION OF HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT ALPHA OLEFIN POLYMERS, SAID ALPHA OLEFIN HAVING FROM 2 TO 6 CARBON ATOMS, WHICH COMPRISES: (1) FORMING AN EMULSION OF (A) AN INERT NORMALLY LIQUID HYDROCARBON SOLVENT HAVING A ZERO DIPOLE MOMENT CONTAINING DISSOLVED THEREIN A HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT ALPHAOLEFIN POLYMER, SAID ALPHA-OLEFIN HAVING 2 TO 6 CARBON ATOMS, AND CATALYST RESIDUE, SAID CATALYST BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF (1) CHROMIUM OXIDE SUPPORTED ON AT LEAST ONE MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF A SILICA, ALUMINA, ZIRCONIA, AND THORIA AND (2) A TRANSITION HEAVY METAL HALIDE AND AN ALUMINUM ALKYL; AND (B) FROM ABOUT 0.1 TO ABOUT 20 VOLUME PERCENT, BASED ON SAID POLYMER SOLUTION (A) OF A POLAR LIQUID HAVING A DIPOLE MOMENT GREATER THAN ZERO, BEING IMMISCIBLE WITH SAID POLYMER SOLUTION (A) AND HAVING A DIFFERENT DENSITY THAN SAID POLYMER SOLUTION (A), SAID POLAR LIQUID FORMING A DISCONTINUOUS PHASE IN SAID POLYMER SOLUTION (A); AND (2) SUBJECTING SAID EMULSION TO THE ACTION OF AN ELECTRIC FIELD RESULTING FROM AN APPLIED POTENTIAL DIFFERENCE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 1 AND 50 KILOVOLTS PER INCH LINEAR DISTANCE BETWEEN ELECTRODES, AT A TEMPERATURE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 235 AND 350*F. AND A PRESSURE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 40 AND 450 P.S.I.G. WHEREBY (A) AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID CATALYST RESIDUE IS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID DISCONTINUOUS POLAR LIQUID PHASE, AND (B) AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID DISCONTINUOUS POLAR LIQUID PHASE COALESCES; AND (3) SEPARATING SAID COALESCED POLAR LIQUID PHASE AND ASSOCIATED CATALYST RESIDUE FROM SAID POLYMER SOLUTION.