Process for preparing a mixture of an alkyl benzene sulfonate and an alcohol sulfate

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING A MIXTURE OF AN ALKYL BENZENE SULFONATE AND AN ALCOHOL SULFATE WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY MIXING AN ACID, SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ABOUT 100% CONCENTRATED SULFURIC ACID AND ABOUT 15 TO 30% OLEUM, AN AN ALKYL BENZENE WHEREIN THE ALKYL RADICAL HAS FROM ABOUT TEN TO ABOUT EIGHTEEN CARBON ATOMS, WITH PERFORMED PRODUCT IN A MOL RATIO OF ACID TO ALKYL BENZENE TO 2.5:1 TO 3,4:1 AND A VOLUME RATIO OF PREFORMED PRODUCT TO ACID AND ALKYL BENZENE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 15:1 TO FORM A REACTION MIXTURE, MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID REACTION MIXTURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 110* TO 130*F. BY COOLING, DIVIDING THE REACTION MIXTURE INTO A FIRST FRACTION AND A SECOND FRACTION, RETURNING SAID FIRST FRACTION AS SAID PREFORMED PRODUCT, DIGESTINGG SAID SECOND FRACTION FROM ABOUT 5 TO ABOUT 30 MINUTES TO FORM A DIGESTED REACTION MIXTURE, CONTINUOUSLY MIXING ADDITIONAL ACID FROM SAID GROUP AND A SATURATED FATTY ALCOHOL HAVING FROM ABOUT 12 TO ABOUT 20 CARBON ATOMS WITH SAID DIGESTED REACTION MIXTURE AND PREFORMED SECOND PRODUCT IN A MOL RATIO OF ACID TO ALCOHOL OF 1,9:1 TO 3.6:1 AND A VOLUME RATIO OF PREFORMED SECOND PRODUCT TO THETHE COMBINED VOLUME OF THE ADDITIONAL ACID AND ALCOHOL OF AT LEAST ABOUT 15:1 TO FORM A SECOND REACTION MIXTURE,, MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID SECOND REACTION MIXTURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 90* TO 130*F. BY COOLING, DIVIDING THE SECOND REACTION MIXTURE INOT A FIRST FRACTION AND A SECOND FRACTION, RETURNING THE FIRST FRACTION OF SAID SECOND REACTION MIXTURE AS SAID SECOND PREFORMED PRODUCT, ANDD NEUTRALIZING THE SECOND FRACTION OF SAID SECOND REACTION MIXTURE, WHEREIN THE AVERAGE REACTION TIME FROM THE INTRODUCTION OF THE ALCOHOL TO THE NEUTRALIZATION OF THE SECOND FRACTION OF SAID SECOND REACTION MIXTURE IS LESS THAN APPROXIMATELY 3 MINUTES.