Process for the manufacture of calcium chloride

A process for the production of an essentially fines free aqueous calcium chloride solution, which process comprises:

• (a) providing a calcium carbonate charge in a reaction vessel;
• (b) continuously feeding aqueous hydrogen chloride into said reaction vessel to react with said calcium carbonate and to form a body of liquid within said reaction vessel, wherein said body of liquid which contains fines surrounds said calcium carbonate charge, the reaction between said aqueous hydrochloric acid and said calcium carbonate forming carbon dioxide and aqueous calcium chloride whereby
• (i) said aqueous calcium chloride forms at least a part of said body of liquid,
• (ii) said carbon dioxide forms a foam on the upper surface of said body of liquid, and
• (iii) said carbon dioxide transports at least a part of said fines in said body of liquid to said foam wherein at least a part of the transported fines are entrapped in said foam;
• (c) continuously removing, at a point below the interface of said foam and said upper surface of said liquid portion, a part of said liquid portion;
• and
• (d) placing a reservoir in said reaction vessel, said reservoir being located so that said foam and its entrained fines will move towards and continuously into said reservoir;
• (e) defoaming said foam which enters said reservoir, said defoaming producing a mixture comprising the constituents of and the entrained fines associated with said defoamed foam;
• and
• (f) removing from said reservoir to the exterior of said reaction vessel said mixture.