Continuous manufacture of malonic acid dinitrile

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE CONTINUOUS MANUFACTURE OF MALONIC ACID DINITRILE FROM CYANACETAMIDE, WHICH COMPRISES HEATING AND ATOMIZING CONCURRENTLY THEREWITH FEED COMPONENTS COMPRISING CYANACETAMIDE AND A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PHOSPHORIC ACID OF 60-90% STRENGTH, AND AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF ABOUT 3-20% BY WEIGHT OF PRIMARY AMMONIUM PHOSPHATE BY MEANS OF A HOT, INERT GAS STREAM FREE OF GASEOUS OXYGEN HAVING A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 900*-1400*C. IN A HEATED REACTION ZONE, AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 700*-1300*C., THE HEATING AND ATOMIZING STEP RESULTING IN THE FORMATION OF A GAS MIXTURE, ALLOWING THE FEED COMPONENTS SO HEATED AND ATOMIZED TO REMAIN IN THE REACTION ZONE FOR A PERIOD OF TIME O ABOUT 0.3 TO 5 SECONDS AND DEHYDRATING THE CYANACETAMIDE AT THAT TEMPERATURE, COOLING AND LIQUEFYING THE GAS MIXTURE LEAVING THE REACTION CHAMBER BY INJECTING INERT COOLING LIQUID WITH THE RESULTANT FORMATION OF A CONDENSATE, ISOLATING CRUDE MALONIC ACID DINITRILE FROM THE CONDENSATE, AND PURIFYING THE ISOLATED CRUDE MALONIC ACID DINITRILE BY DISTILLING IT UNDER REDUCED PRESSURE.