Process for making high pressure free radical ethylene copolymers

A high pressure polymerization process to form an ethylene-based polymer, the process comprising at least the following step:

• polymerizing a reaction mixture comprising ethylene and at least one comonomer, using a reactor system comprising a reactor configuration, and the following:
• (A) at least two reaction zones, a first reaction zone (reaction zone 1) and an ith reaction zone (reaction zone i where i≥2),
• (B) at least two ethylene-based feed streams, each feed stream comprising a percentage of the total make-up ethylene fed to the polymerization process, and wherein a first ethylene-based feed stream is sent to reaction zone 1 and a second ethylene-based feed stream is sent to reaction zone i;
• (C) a control system to control the percentage of the total make-up ethylene in the ethylene-based feed stream sent to reaction zone 1, and the percentage of the total make-up ethylene in the ethylene-based feed stream sent to reaction zone i, and
• wherein the ratio (Q) of the molar concentration of the at least one comonomer fed to the first reaction zone, to the molar concentration of comonomer in the sum of all ethylene-based feeds to the reactor configuration, meets the following Equation 1:
• 0.23 ln(r1)−2.16≤Q≤−0.25 ln(r1)+2.15 (Equation 1);
• and wherein the comonomer has a reactivity ratio (r1) as follow:
• 0.3≤r1≤5.0, and a boiling point (1 atm)≤150° C.