Process and apparatus for high temperature reactions

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE VAPOR PHASE EXOTHERMIC NITRATION OF A HYDROCARBON WITH A FLUID NITRATING AGENT AT CONTROLLED REACTION TIMES OF SHORT DURATION WHICH COMPRISES WITHDRAWING A STREAM OF WARM GRANULAR SOLID CONTACT MATERIAL FROM A QUENCHING ZONE, CONVEYING SAID SOLIDS TO AN ELEVATED SOLIDS RECEIVING ZONE, PASSING A PRIMARY STREAM OF SOLIDS THEREFROM THROUGH A PRIMARY COOLING ZONE INTO A NITRATION ZONE AND A SECONDARY STREAM OF SOLIDS THEREFROM THROUGH A SECONDARY COOLING ZONE INTO A QUENCHING ZONE WHICH SURROUNDS AND COMMUNICATES WITH THE OUTLET OF SAID NITRATION ZONE WHEREBY SAID STREAM OF WARM SOLIDS IS FORMED BY ADMIXTURE OF SAID PRIMARY AND SECONDARY STREAMS, COOLING SAID SECONDARY SOLIDS STREAM TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO QUENCH THE NITRATION PRODUCT, COOLING SAID PRIMARY SOLIDS STREAM TO A TEMPERATURE BELOW THE DESIRED NITRATION TEMPERATURE, PASSING A REACTANT FLUID CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF PREHEATED HYDROCARBON AND NITRATING AGENT DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID REACTION ZONE FORMING A PRODUCT FLUID MIXTURE WHILE ABSORBING LIBERATED HEAT OF REACTION AT THE NITRATION TEMPERATURE IN SAID PRIMARY SOLIDS STREAM, PASSING SAID PRODUCT FLUID THEREFROM INTO SAID QUENCHING ZONE AND UPWARDLY THERETHROUGH COUNTERCURRENT TO SAID SECONDARY SOLIDS TO QUENCH THE FLUID AND STOP THE NITRATION, REMOVING THE QUENCHED PRODUCT FLUID CONTAINING UNREACTED REACTANT AND RECOVERING THE DESIRED PRODUCT THEREFROM.

Claim 3

AN APPARATUS FOR CONDUCTING HIGH TEMPERATURE EXOTHERMIC REACTIONS AT SHORT REACTION TIMES WHICH COMPRISES AN ELEVATED SOLIDS RECEIVING CHAMBER, A SUBJACENT PRIMARY SOLIDS COOLER AND A SUBJACENT SECONDARY SOLIDS COOLER EACH CONNECTED AT ITS UPPER EXTREMITY TO THE LOWER EXTREMITY OF SAID CHAMBER IN SOLIDS-RECEIVING RELATION THERETO, A REACTION CHAMBER POSITIONED BELOW SAID PRIMARY COOLER AND HAVING A DOWNWARDLY OPENING OUTLET, SAID REACTION CHAMBER BEING CONNECTED AT ITS UPPER END TO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID PRIMARY COOLER IN SOLIDS-RECEIVING RELATION THERETO, A QUENCHING CHAMBER SURROUNDING SAID REACTION CHAMBER AND CONNECTED AT ITS UPPER END TO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID SECONDARY COOLER IN SOLIDS-RECEIVING RELATION THERETO, A SOLIDS CONVEYOR COMMUNICATING AT ITS INLET WITH THE BOTTOM OF SAID QUENCHING CHAMBER AND AT ITS OUTLET WITH SAID ELEVATED SOLIDS RECEIVING CHAMBER, A REACTANT INLET OPENING INTO SAID REACTION CHAMBER, A PRODUCT OUTLET OPENING FROM SAID QUENCHING CHAMBER, FLUID FRACTIONATOR MEANS CONNECTED IN FLUID-RECEIVING RELATION TO SAID PRODUCT OUTLET AND ADAPTED TO SEPARATE THE DESIRED PRODUCT OF SAID EXOTHERMIC REACTIONS FROM UNREACTED REACTANT AND UNDESIRABLE BY-PRODUCT FLUIDS, AND MEANS FOR RECIRCULATING A RECYCLE FLUID CONTAINING UNREACTED REACTANT FROM SAID FRACTIONATOR MEANS TO SAID REACTANT INLET.

Claim 4

AN APPARATUS FOR CONDUCTING HIGH TEMPERATURE EXOTHERMIC REACTIONS AT SHORT REACTION TIMES WHICH COMPRISES AN ELEVATED SOLIDS RECEIVING CHAMBER, A SUBJACENT PRIMARY SOLIDS COOLER AND A SUBJACENT SECONDARY SOLIDS COOLER EACH CONNECTED AT ITS UPPER EXTREMITY TO THE LOWER EXTREMITY OF SAID CHAMBER IN SOLIDS-RECEIVING RELATION THERETO, A REACTION CHAMBER POSITIONED BELOW SAID PRIMARY COOLER AND HAVING A DOWNWARDLY OPENING OUTLET, SAID REACTION CHAMBER BEING CONNECTED AT ITS UPPER END TO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID PRIMARY COOLER IN SOLIDS-RECEIVING RELATION THERETO, A QUENCHING CHAMBER SURROUNDING SAID REACTION CHAMBER AND CONNECTED AT ITS UPPER END TO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID SECONDARY COOLER IN SOLIDS-RECEIVING RELATION THERETO, A SOLIDS CONVEYOR COMMUNICATING AT ITS INLET WITH THE BOTTOM OF SAID QUENCHING CHAMBER AND AT ITS OUTLET WITH SAID ELEVATED SOLIDS RECEIVING CHAMBER, A REACTANT INLET OPENING INTO SAID REACTION CHAMBER, A PRODUCT OUTLET OPENING FROM SAID QUENCHING CHAMBER, FLUID FRACTIONATOR MEANS CONNECTED IN FLUID-RECEIVING RELATION TO SAID PRODUCT OUTLET AND ADAPTED TO SEPARATE THE DESIRED PRODUCT OF SAID EXOTHERMIC REACTIONS FROM UNREACTED REACTANT AND UNDESIRABLE BY-PRODUCT FLUIDS, AND MEANS FOR RECIRCULATING A RECYCLE FLUID CONTAINING UNREACTED REACTANT FROM SAID FRACTIONATOR MEANS TO SAID REACTANT INLET.