Process for producing sulfur dioxide and sulfur burner

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING SULFUR DIOXIDE OF A PREDETERMINED CONSTANT STRENGTH BY THE VAPORIZATION OF SULFUR AND THE COMBUSTION OF SULFUR VAPORS, THE STEPS COMPRISING: ADDING RAW SULFUR TO A SULFUR MELTING ZONE, MELTING SULFUR IN THE MELTING ZONE, CONVEYING MOLTEN SULFUR FROM THE MELTING ZONE TO A PRIMARY COMBUSTION ZONE, VAPORIZING MOLTEN SULFUR IN THE PRIMARY COMBUSTION ZONE BY INTRODUCING PREHEATED PRIMARY AIR BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE MOLTEN SULFUR, BURNING THE RESULTING VAPORS IN A SECONDARY COMBUSTION ZONE BY INTRODUCING ADDITIONAL SECONDARY AIR THERETO, AND CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING MOLTEN SULFUR DIRECTLY FROM THE PRIMARY COMBUSTION ZONE AT A POINT SUBSTANTIALLY BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE MOLTEN SULFUR AND DISCHARGING SAID WITHDRAWN MOLTEN SULFUR INTO THE MELTING ZONE AT A PREDETERMINED POINT THROUGH A SEAL OF LIQUID SULFUR, WHEREBY A CONSTANT LEVEL OF MOLTEN SULFUR IS MAINTAINED IN THE PRIMARY COMBUSTION ZONE AND WHEREBY THE SENSIBLE HEAT OF THE WITHDRAWN MOLTEN SULFUR IS UTILIZED TO MELT THE RAW SULFUR ADDED TO THE MELTING ZONE.