Mixing apparatus for use in the chlorination of alkanes

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR MIXING CHLORINE WITH A NORMALLY GASEOUS HYDROCARBON AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURE COMPRISNG TWO SUBSTANTIALLY COAXIAL TUBULAR MEMBERS EACH HAVING GAS INLET AND GAS OUTLET MEANS, THE FIRST TUBULAR MEMBER BEING PROJECTED WITHIN AND TERMINATING INSIDE THE SECOND TUBULAR MEMBER AND HAVING AN OPEN END ADJACENT TO WHICH IS A THROTTLING DEVICE HAVING A BASE PORTION OF SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL CROSS SECTION TO THE CROSS SECTION OF SAID OPEN END, THE COMBINATION OF SAID TUBULAR BASE PORTION AND SAID OPEN END, FORMING GAS OUTLET MEANS CONSISTING OF A PERIPHERAL SLOT OF ADJUSTABLE WIDTH WHICH OPENS PERPENDICULARLY INTO AN ANNULAR SPACE OF CONSTANT AREA OVER THE ENTIRE RANGE OF ADJUSTABILITY DEFINED BY THE ENCLOSING WALLS OF THE FIRST AND SECOND TUBULAR MEMBERS AND BY THE BASE PORTION OF THE THROTTLING DEVICE, THE SAID THROTTLING DEVICE PROVIDING ALSO A RIGHT CONIC SECTION WHICH EXTENDS INTO A FRUSTO-CONIC OPENING FORMED BY THE CONVERGING WALLS OF THE SECOND TUBULAR MEMBER TO FROM AN ANNULAR FRUSTO-CONIC OPENING, HAVING AN AREA WHICH VARIES INVERSELY WITH THE WIDTH OF SAID PERIPHERAL SLOT, THE GAS OUTLET MEANS OF THE SECOND TUBULAR MEMBER BEING LOCATED UPSTREAM OF THE GAS OUTLET MEANS OF THE FIRST TUBULAR MEMBER, AND HAVING GAS OUTLET MEANS THROUGH THE ANNULAR FRUSTO-CONIC ZONE, SAID ANNULAR FRUSTO-CONIC ZONE PROVIDING A GRADIENT OF UNIFORMLY INCREASING VOLUME IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE ANNULAR SPACE.