Process and apparatus for the manufacture of phosphoric acid

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE CONTINUOUS MANUFACTURE OF PHOSPHORIC ACID FROM NATURAL PHOSPHATE AND SULFURIC ACID WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF ESTABLISHING A SINGLE HORIZONTALLY-ELONGATED REACTION ZONE, ESTABLISHING A REACTION MEDIUM IN SAID REACTION ZONE COMPRISING THE REACTION PRODUCT OF SULFURIC ACID UPON NATURAL PHOSPHATE, ESTAB LISHING ADJACENT ONE END OF SAID HORIZONTALLY-ELONGATED REACTION ZONE CONTAINING SAID REACTION MEDIUM A VERTICALLY-MOVING TOROIDAL CURRENT IN SAID REACTION MEDIUM AROUNG A VERTICAL AXIS, THE INNER PORTION OF SAID TOROIDAL GOING CONVERGING-DIVERGING CONFINEMENT AND THE OUTER PORTION OF SAID TOROIDAL CURRENT BEING CAUSED TO MOVE UPWARDLY IN THE OTHER DIRECTION AROUND SAID INNER CONFINED PORTION, SIMULTANEOUSLY ESTANLISHING N A SECOND PORTION OF SAID REACTION ZONE WHICH IS SPACED LATERALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID TOROIDAL CURRENT A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SUPERPOSED HORIZONTAL CURRENTS AND CAUSING SAID CURRENTS TO MOVE AT LEAST PARTIALLY IN CLOSED PATHS, SAID SUPPERPOSED CURRENTS COMPRISING UPPER HORIZONTAL CURRENTS AND LOWER HORIZONAL CURRENTS, CAUSING A FIRST PORTION OF THE UPWARDLY FLOWING OUTER SOME OF SAID HORIZONTAL CURRENTS, TO COMMINGLE WITH SOME OF SAID HORIZONTAL CURRENTS, CAUSING THE REMAINING HORIZONTAL CURRENTS TO COMMINGLE WITH THE REMAINDER OF THE VERITCALLY MOVING OUTER POR TION OF THE TOROIDAL CURRENT AND CAUSING SAID REMAINING HORIZONTAL CURRENTS TO BE SUCKED INTO THE INNER DOWNWARRDLY-MOVING PORTION OF THE TOROIDAL CURRENT CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING NATURAL PHOSPHATE AND WASHING WATER FROM THE FILTRATION OF THE SLURRY OF PREVIOUSLY FORMED PRODUCT INTO THE UPPER END OF THE INNER PORTION OF SAID TOROIDAL CURRENT, CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING SULFURIC ACID INTO SAID UPPER HORIZONTAL CURRENTS, AND CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING SAID REACTION PRODUCT FROM SAID REACTION ZONE.