Method of producing orthophosphoric acid

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING AN ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ORTHOPHOSPHORIC AND ORTHO-PHOSPHOROUS ACIDS BY THE HYDROLYSIS OF PHOSPHORUS OXYTRIHALIDE AND PHOSPHORUS TRIHALIDE, RESPECTIVELY, WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLYING BOTH WATER AND A COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PHOSPHORUS OSYTRIHALIDE AND PHOSPHORUS TRIHALIDE DIRECTLY TO THE LOWER HALF OF AN ELONGATED VERTICAL COLUMN REACTOR CONTAINING A HEEL OF SAID ACID OF AT LEAST 70% STRENGTH, SAID ACID BEING CYCLICALLY CIRCULATED IN A CONTINUOUS STREAM OF SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT COMPOSITION FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID HEEL TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE TOP THEREOF, MAINTAINING SAID CYCLICALLY CIRCULATING HEEL AT A TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST 75* C. TO EFFECT CONTINUOUS HYDROLYSIS OF SAID PHOSPHORUS OXYTRIHALIDE AND SAID PHOS PHORUS TRIHALIDE INTO SAID ACID AND A GASEOUS MIXTURE INCLUDING UNCONVERTED REACTANTS AND HYDROGEN HALIDE, BUT BELOW THAT TEMPERATURE AT WHICH SUBSTANTIAL DECOMPOSITION OF SAID PHOSPHORUS OXYTRIHALIDE AND SAID PHOSPHORUS TRIHALIDE INTO PRODUCTS OTHER THAN SAID ACID AND SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE TAKE PLACE, AND CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING THE RESULTING ACID AT A RATE SO CORRELATED WITH THE FEED AS TO MAINTAIN THE VOLUME OF SAID ACID HEEL SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT, SAID REACTANTS BEING SUPPLIED TO SAID REACTOR AT A RATE EFFECTING CONTINUOUS HYDROLYSIS OF FROM ABOUT 70% TO ABOUT 98% BY WEIGHT OF SAID PHOSPHORUS OXYTRIHALIDE AND SAID PHOSPHORUS TRIHALIDE, SAID PHOSPHORUS OXYTRIHALIDE AND SAID PHOSPHORUS TRIHALIDE CONTAINING HALOGEN ATOMS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CHLORINE AND BROMINE, AND SAID ACID HEEL BEING CYCLICALLY CIRCULATED IN THE ABOVE DESCRIBED MANNER BY THE PUMPING ACTION PRODUCT BY THE VOLATILIZATION OF SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE WITHIN SAID ACID HEEL.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCING AN ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ORTHOPHOSPHORIC AND ORTHO-PHOSPHOROUS ACIDS BY THE HYDROLYSIS OF PHOSPHORUS OXYTRIHALIDE AND PHOSPHORUS TRIHALIDE, RESPECTIVELY, WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY SUPPLYING BOTH WATER AND A COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PHOSPHORUS OSYTRIHALIDE AND PHOSPHORUS TRIHALIDE DIRECTLY TO THE LOWER HALF OF AN ELONGATED VERTICAL COLUMN REACTOR CONTAINING A HEEL OF SAID ACID OF AT LEAST 70% STRENGTH, SAID ACID BEING CYCLICALLY CIRCULATED IN A CONTINUOUS STREAM OF SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT COMPOSITION FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID HEEL TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE TOP THEREOF, MAINTAINING SAID CYCLICALLY CIRCULATING HEEL AT A TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST 75* C. TO EFFECT CONTINUOUS HYDROLYSIS OF SAID PHOSPHORUS OXYTRIHALIDE AND SAID PHOS PHORUS TRIHALIDE INTO SAID ACID AND A GASEOUS MIXTURE INCLUDING UNCONVERTED REACTANTS AND HYDROGEN HALIDE, BUT BELOW THAT TEMPERATURE AT WHICH SUBSTANTIAL DECOMPOSITION OF SAID PHOSPHORUS OXYTRIHALIDE AND SAID PHOSPHORUS TRIHALIDE INTO PRODUCTS OTHER THAN SAID ACID AND SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE TAKE PLACE, AND CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING THE RESULTING ACID AT A RATE SO CORRELATED WITH THE FEED AS TO MAINTAIN THE VOLUME OF SAID ACID HEEL SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT, SAID REACTANTS BEING SUPPLIED TO SAID REACTOR AT A RATE EFFECTING CONTINUOUS HYDROLYSIS OF FROM ABOUT 70% TO ABOUT 98% BY WEIGHT OF SAID PHOSPHORUS OXYTRIHALIDE AND SAID PHOSPHORUS TRIHALIDE, SAID PHOSPHORUS OXYTRIHALIDE AND SAID PHOSPHORUS TRIHALIDE CONTAINING HALOGEN ATOMS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CHLORINE AND BROMINE, AND SAID ACID HEEL BEING CYCLICALLY CIRCULATED IN THE ABOVE DESCRIBED MANNER BY THE PUMPING ACTION PRODUCT BY THE VOLATILIZATION OF SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE WITHIN SAID ACID HEEL.