Methods for the production of sulfate salts and furnace suitable for use in these methods
AssigneeTessenderlo Group NV
InventorsChristophe BLOCK, Peter LANDUYT, Marc BELMANS
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a furnace suitable for the production of sulfate salts, in particular potassium sulfate, from sulfuric acid and an alkali metal chloride and/or an alkaline earth metal chloride wherein heating is supplied by electrical resistors. The furnace is more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly than furnaces relying on fossil fuels, and enables a significantly increased control over heat distribution and temperature profiles therewithin. The invention further relates to methods for the production of sulfate salts.
Claims22
A furnace suitable for the production of an alkali metal sulfate and/or an alkaline earth metal sulfate from sulfuric acid and an alkali metal chloride and/or an alkaline earth metal chloride, the furnace comprising a first reaction chamber delimited by a bottom reactor wall, a top reactor wall opposite to the bottom reactor wall, and one or more side reactor walls,
- wherein the furnace comprises one or more electrical resistors placed in a second buffer chamber adjacent to the reaction chamber,
- wherein the buffer chamber is a closed space delimited by one or more buffer chamber walls, wherein at least one buffer chamber wall is a reactor wall,
- wherein the one or more electrical resistors are placed at a distance from all of the reactor walls such that there is no direct contact between the electrical resistor and the reactor walls, and
- wherein the one or more electrical resistors are placed such that the electrical resistors can heat the exterior surface of one or more reactor walls by radiation.
A method for the production of an alkali metal sulfate and/or an alkaline earth metal sulfate comprising the steps of:
- (i) providing sulfuric acid;
- (ii) providing an alkali metal chloride and/or an alkaline earth metal chloride;
- (iii) reacting the sulfuric acid of step (i) with the alkali metal chloride and/or alkaline earth metal chloride of step (ii) under conditions suitable for at least partially converting the sulfuric acid to alkali metal bisulfate and/or alkaline earth metal bisulfate;
- (iv) reacting the alkali metal bisulfate and/or alkaline earth metal bisulfate of step (iii) under conditions suitable for at least partially converting the bisulfate to sulfate, said conditions comprising heating the reaction mixture;
- wherein step (iv) is performed in a furnace having a first reaction chamber delimited by one or more reactor walls, each reactor wall having an interior surface facing the first reaction chamber, and an exterior surface opposite to the interior surface;
- wherein a major amount of the heat supplied to the reaction mixture of step (iv) originates from one or more electrical resistors which heat the reaction mixture and/or from one or more electrical resistors which heat one or more reactor walls.
-23. (canceled)
A method for the production of an alkali metal sulfate and/or an alkaline earth metal sulfate comprising the steps of:
- (i) providing sulfuric acid;
- (ii) providing an alkali metal chloride and/or an alkaline earth metal chloride;
- (iii) reacting the sulfuric acid of step (i) with the alkali metal chloride and/or alkaline earth metal chloride of step (ii) under conditions suitable for at least partially converting the sulfuric acid to alkali metal bisulfate and/or alkaline earth metal bisulfate;
- (iv) reacting the alkali metal bisulfate and/or alkaline earth metal bisulfate of step (iii) under conditions suitable for at least partially converting the bisulfate to sulfate, said conditions comprising heating the reaction mixture;
- wherein step (iv) is performed in a furnace, wherein the furnace comprises:
- a first reaction chamber delimited by a bottom reactor wall, a top reactor wall opposite to the bottom reactor wall, and one or more side reactor walls,
- one or more electrical resistors placed in a second buffer chamber adjacent to the reaction chamber,
- wherein the second buffer chamber is a closed space delimited by one or more buffer chamber walls, wherein at least one buffer chamber wall is a reactor wall,
- wherein the one or more electrical resistors are placed at a distance from all of the reactor walls such that there is no direct contact between the electrical resistor and the reactor walls, and
- wherein the one or more electrical resistors are placed such that the electrical resistors can heat the exterior surface of one or more reactor walls by radiation;
- wherein a major amount of the heat supplied to the reaction mixture of step (iv) originates from one or more electrical resistors which heat the reaction mixture and/or from one or more electrical resistors which heat one or more reactor walls.
-30. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.