Apparatus for stage-wise nitration of toluene

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURE OF TRINITROTOLUENE FROM TOLUENE IN TWO STAGES OF NITRATION COMPRISING IN COMBINATION AN ELONGATED FIRST-STAGE TUBULAR REACTOR HAVING A TOLUENE FEED TUBE AND A FIRST-STAGE NITRATING ACID FEED TUBE, SAID FEED TUBES CONVERGING AND JUNCTIONING WITH SAID FIRST-STAGE TUBULAR REACTOR AT THE INTAKE END THEREOF, SAID TOLUENE FEED TUBE COMMUNICATING WITH A TOLUENE STORAGE VESSEL, SAID FIRST-STAGE NITRATING ACID FEED TUBE COMMUNICATING WITH A FIRST-STAGE NITRATING ACID STORAGE VESSEL, SEPARATE FIRST-STAGE FEEDING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH BOTH THE TOLUENE FEED TUBE AND THE FIRST-STAGE NITRATING ACID FEED TUBE FOR FORCE FEEDING THE REACTANTS TO THE FIRSTSTAGE TUBULAR REACTOR AT PREDETERMINED FLOW RATES, A FIRST TEMPERATURE REGULATING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FIRSTSTAGE TUBULAR REACTOR FOR MAINTAINING TEMPERATURE THEREOF BETWEEN ABOUT 40*C. AND ABOUT 140*C., A FIRST-STAGE SEPARATOR DISPOSED TO RECEIVE FIRST-STAGE REACTION MIXTURE DISCHARGED FROM THE FIRST-STAGE TUBULAR REACTOR FOR SEPARATION OF PARTIALLY NITRATED TOLUENE FROM SPENT FIRST-STAGE NITRATING ACID, A HEATED STORAGE VESSEL COMMUNICATING WITH THE FIRST-STAGE SEPARATOR FOR RECEIVING SEPARATED PARTIALLY NITRATED TOLUENE AND MAINTAINING THE SAME ABOVE ITS MELTING POINT, AN ELONGATED SECOND-STAGE TUBULAR REACTOR HAVING A PARTIALLY NITRATED TOLUENE FEED TUBE AND A SECOND-STAGE NITRATING ACID FEED TUBE, SAID FEED TUBES CONVERGING AND JUNCTIONING WITH SAID SECOND-STAGE TUBULAR REACTOR AT THE INTAKE END THEREOF, SAID PARTIALLY NITRATED TOLUENE FEED TUBE COMMUNICATING WITH THE HEATED STORAGE VESSEL, SAID SECOND-STAGE NITRATING ACID FEED TUBE