Nitric phosphate process

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF GRANULAR NITRIC PHOSPHATE FERTILIZER WHICH COMPRISES EXTRACTING PHOSPHATE ROCK IN PARTICLES AT LEAST FINE ENOUGH TO PASS A STANDARD 20-MESH SCREEN, FOR ABOUT 20 TO 30 MINUTES, WITH NITRIC ACID HAVING A CONCENTRATION OF ABOUT 57 PERCENT TO 60 PERCENT HNO3 IN QUANTITY SUFFICIENT TO FORM A FLUID SLURRY, INTRODUCING COOL DRY FINES RECYCLED FROM A LATER SIZING STEP INTO A ROTATING DRUM, MAINTAINING A BED OF ROLLING SOLID PARTICLES COMPRISING RECYCLED FINES IN THE DRUM, PASSING THE SLURRY TO THE DRUM BY GRAVITY FLOW, DISTRIBUTING THE SLURRY ON THE FULL LENGTH OF THE BED OF ROLLING SOLID PARTICLES IN A RECIPROCATING SPRAY IN QUANTITY SUFFICIENT TO MOISTEN THE SOLID PARTICLES, INTRODUCING AN AMMONIATING FLUID BENEATH THE BED OF ROLLING SOLID PARTICLES IN QUANTITY SUFFICIENT TO SUBSTANTIALLY NEUTRALIZE THE SLURRY, RAISING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE BED TO ABOUT 130*F. TO 150*F. BY HEAT OF REACTION, CONTROLLING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE BED BY CONTROLLING THE PROPORTION OF FINES RECYCLED, WITHDRAWING AT LEAST PARTIALLY GRANULATED NITRIC PHOSPHATE FERTILIZER FROM THE DRUM, DRYING, COOLING, AND SIZING THE WITHDRAWN MATERIAL, AND RECYCLING FINES TO THE ROTATING DRUM.