Method for preparing packing for a sodium-mercury amalgam decomposer reactor
AssigneeOlin Corporation
InventorHarshad M. Patel
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Abstract
A method and composition are described for the decomposition of sodium-mercury amalgam in a reactor containing solid packing particles to form hydrogen, sodium hydroxide, and denuded mercury. The novel packing particles are comprised of a heterogeneous solid mixture of a matrix of a thermally stable polymer having embedded therein discrete particles of a surface active element. Suitable thermally stable polymers include polyphenylene sulfide and suitable surface active elements include carbon, iron, nickel, cobalt, vanadium, and molybdenum. The proportion of polymer in the packing generally ranges from about 20 to about 80 percent by volume. Preferably, the matrix is prepared in porous form which may also be coated with a surface active metal.
Claims13
The method of preparing a packing composition for use as a packing in a decomposer reactor for sodium mercury amalgam which comprises admixing particles of a surface active element selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt, nickel, graphite, molybdenum, vanadium, and mixtures thereof with particles of a resin capable of being cured to a thermally stable condition, wherein said resin is selected from the group consisting of polyphenylene sulfide resins, polyphenylene oxide resins, imid resins, heating the resulting mixture to cure said resin to form a polymeric matrix having discrete particles of said surface active element dispersed therein, and forming the resulting cured mixture into granules having an average diameter in the range from about 6 to about 70 millimeters.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.