US 6,908,601 B2 · Method for the production of nitrogen trifluoride

Abstract

The invention provides a method and apparatus for producing nitrogen trifluoride. The invention involves passing a working fluid through a heat engine cycle and using the mechanical energy generated by the working fluid to produce sufficient mixing intensity within a nitrogen trifluoride reactor. The method utilizes a working fluid vapor jet, such as a hydrogen fluoride vapor jet, to impart sufficient energy to the mixing zone of a reactor in order to disperse gaseous fluorine within a liquid ammonium acid fluoride melt. A gaseous reaction product stream is removed from the reactor, the reaction product stream comprising nitrogen trifluoride and a working fluid vapor. The working fluid is then separated from the nitrogen trifluoride and recycled for reuse in the process, thereby completing a heat engine cycle.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A method of producing nitrogen trifluoride, comprising:

providing a reactor comprising a mixing zone and a reaction zone in fluid communication with the mixing zone;
feeding gaseous fluorine into the mixing zone of the reactor;
feeding liquid ammonium acid fluoride into the mixing zone of the reactor;
feeding a working fluid vapor jet into the mixing zone of the reactor, wherein the working fluid vapor jet transfers kinetic energy into the mixing zone, the kinetic energy dispersing the gaseous fluorine within the liquid ammonium acid fluoride;
reacting the liquid ammonium acid fluoride with the fluorine dispersed therein to produce nitrogen trifluoride as the liquid ammonium acid fluoride and fluorine pass through the reaction zone in the reactor;
and
removing a gaseous reaction product stream from the reactor, the reaction product stream comprising nitrogen trifluoride and the working fluid vapor.

4 more elements

A method of producing nitrogen trifluoride, comprising:

providing a reactor comprising a mixing zone and a reaction zone in fluid communication with the mixing zone;
feeding gaseous fluorine into the mixing zone of the reactor;
feeding liquid ammonium acid fluoride into the mixing zone of the reactor, the ammonium acid fluoride has an acid-base stoichiometry of NH4F(HF)x, wherein x is the melt acidity value, the melt acidity value being about 1.2 to about 2.4;
feeding a hydrogen fluoride vapor jet into the mixing zone of the reactor, wherein the working fluid vapor jet transfers kinetic energy into the mixing zone, the kinetic energy dispersing the gaseous fluorine within the liquid ammonium acid fluoride;
reacting the liquid ammonium acid fluoride with the fluorine dispersed therein to produce nitrogen trifluoride as the liquid ammonium acid fluoride and fluorine pass through the reaction zone in the reactor;
and
removing a gaseous reaction product stream from the reactor, the reaction product stream comprising nitrogen trifluoride and the hydrogen fluoride vapor,
wherein the molar ratio of the hydrogen fluoride vapor jet to the gaseous fluorine is greater than about 3:1 and the molar ratio of the liquid ammonium acid fluoride to the gaseous fluorine is greater than about 5,000:1.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method for the production of nitrogen trifluoride

Life of this patent

Method for the production of nitrogen trifluoride

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24