Neutralisation reactor and method of operating thereof

A system for reacting an acid with a base, thereby providing a neutralized product and steam, comprising:

• a reactor for reacting the base and the acid, comprising a cylindrical section defining a central vertical axis in a lower section of the reactor and comprising a reactor upper section located on top of the cylindrical section, wherein said cylindrical section comprises a top and a bottom section;
• a base distribution system comprising horizontal circular rings on top of each other, located in the bottom section of the cylindrical section, concentric around the vertical axis and comprising holes arranged for introducing the base along a height and towards a center of the cylindrical section;
• an injection pipe comprising a vertical section located below the cylindrical section of the reactor, wherein the vertical section is connected to the bottom section located below the base distribution system at an inlet of the reactor;
• an acid sparger located inside the vertical section of the injection pipe, wherein the acid sparger comprises holes arranged for uniformly sparging the acid inside the injection pipe;
• wherein the reactor upper section is configured for disengagement of steam from the reactor, and wherein the reactor upper section has a first outlet for collecting the neutralized product and a second outlet connected to the injection pipe, such that neutralized product is recycled through the injection pipe back into the cylindrical section;
• characterized in that the acid sparger and the vertical section of the injection pipe are coaxially arranged with the vertical axis of the cylindrical section of the reactor.