Particle size control in the production of sodium monoxide

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING PARTICULATE SODIUM MONOXIDE IN SUBSTANTIALLY DIST-FREE FORM AND CONTAINING A PREDOMINANT AMOUNT BUT NOT MORE THAN ABOUT 85% OF SODIUM MONOXIDE PARTICLES OF A SIZE WHICH WILL PASS THROUGH AN 8 MESH SCREEN AND WILL BE RETAINED ON AN 80 MESH SCREEN, SAID METHOD COMPRISING CONTINUOUSLY AGITATING A BED OF PARTICULATE SODIUM MONOXIDE HAVING THE ABOVE-STATED PARTICLE SIZE CHARACTERISTICS AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE 160* TO 50*C., CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING TO SAID AGITATED BED LIQUID SODIUM AND AN OXIDIZING GAS CONTAINING FREE OXYGEN AS THE ONLY REACTIVE INGREDIENT THEREOF AT A CONCENTRATION NOT EXCEEDING 50% BY VOLUME, AND CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING PRODUCT SODIUM SODIUM MONOXIDE CONTAINING RESIDUAL FREE SODIUM HAVING THE ABOVE-STATED PARTICLE SIZE CHARACTERISTICS FROM SAID BED AT A RATE CORRESPONDING TO ITS RATE OF PRODUCTION, SAID SODIUM BEING FED AT SUCH A RATE THAT THE FREE SODIUM CONTENT OF THE BED DOES NOT EXCEED 40% BY WEIGHT, AND SAID OXIDIZING GAS BEING FED AT A RATE, EQUIVALENT TO 115 TO 135% OF THE STOICHIOMETRIC RATE, WHEREBY THERE IS CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCED FOR A PERIOD OF AT LEAST SEVERAL WEEKS SODIUM MONOXIDE PRODUCT OF CONSISTENTLY UNIFORM PARTICLE SIZE CHARACTERISTICS.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING PARTICULATE SODIUM MONOXIDE IN SUBSTANTIALLY DIST-FREE FORM AND CONTAINING A PREDOMINANT AMOUNT BUT NOT MORE THAN ABOUT 85% OF SODIUM MONOXIDE PARTICLES OF A SIZE WHICH WILL PASS THROUGH AN 8 MESH SCREEN AND WILL BE RETAINED ON AN 80 MESH SCREEN, SAID METHOD COMPRISING CONTINUOUSLY AGITATING A BED OF PARTICULATE SODIUM MONOXIDE HAVING THE ABOVE-STATED PARTICLE SIZE CHARACTERISTICS AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE 160* TO 50*C., CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING TO SAID AGITATED BED LIQUID SODIUM AND AN OXIDIZING GAS CONTAINING FREE OXYGEN AS THE ONLY REACTIVE INGREDIENT THEREOF AT A CONCENTRATION NOT EXCEEDING 50% BY VOLUME, AND CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING PRODUCT SODIUM SODIUM MONOXIDE CONTAINING RESIDUAL FREE SODIUM HAVING THE ABOVE-STATED PARTICLE SIZE CHARACTERISTICS FROM SAID BED AT A RATE CORRESPONDING TO ITS RATE OF PRODUCTION, SAID SODIUM BEING FED AT SUCH A RATE THAT THE FREE SODIUM CONTENT OF THE BED DOES NOT EXCEED 40% BY WEIGHT, AND SAID OXIDIZING GAS BEING FED AT A RATE, EQUIVALENT TO 115 TO 135% OF THE STOICHIOMETRIC RATE, WHEREBY THERE IS CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCED FOR A PERIOD OF AT LEAST SEVERAL WEEKS SODIUM MONOXIDE PRODUCT OF CONSISTENTLY UNIFORM PARTICLE SIZE CHARACTERISTICS.