Process of producing hard, granulated ammonium nitrate

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED INDUSTRIAL PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING ROUNDED, HARD, STABLE AMMONIUM NITRITE IN A DIRECT, ONESTAGE OPERATION WHICH ONLY REQUIRES RELATIVELY SIMPLE EQUIPMENT AND A PLANT HAVING A LOW CAPITAL COST WHICH COMPRISES ESTABLISHING AN ELONGATED ROLLING BED FOR CONTACTING PARTICLES OF HARD, GRANULATED AMMONIUM NITRATE HAVING AN INLET AT ONE END AND AN OUTLET AT THE OPPOSITE END; SPRAYING NITRIC ACID HAVING A CONCENTRATION OF ABOUT 52% TO ABOUT 58% OVER PARTICLES IN A PART OF SAID BED ADJACENT TO THE INLET TO COVER SURFACES OF CONTACTING PARTICLES; DIFFUSING AMMONIA VAPOR FROM A BOTTOM REGION OF SAID ELONGATED, ROLLING BED UNDERNEATH SAID SPRAYED PARTICLES TO ENTER INTO A REACTION WITH NITRIC ACID ON SAID COVERED SURFACES TO FORM HARD, GRANULATED AMMONIUM NITRATE; CONTROLLING SAID DIFFUSED AMMONIA VAPOR TO AN AMOUNT IN EXCESS OF THAT REQUIRED BY STOICHIOMETRIC PROPORTIONS TO REACT WITH NITRIC ACID PRESENT ON SAID COVERED SURFACES; CONDUCTING SAID REACTION IN THE PRESENCE OF A GRANULATING FACILITATOR CAPABLE OF FACILITATING AND EFFECTING THE GRANULATION OF SAID HARD GRANDULATED AMMONIUM NITRATE, SAID GRANULATING FACILITATOR COMPRISING AN AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF BORIC ACID, HYDROCHLORIC ACID, AND PHOSPHORIC ACID; CONTROLLING THE TEMPERATURE IN SAID ELONGATED BED FROM ABOUT 212%F. TO ABOUT 250*F. TO MAINTAIN A HOT BED CAPABLE OF VAPORIZING VAPORS AND GASES INCLUDING WATER VAPOR AND UNUSED EXCESS AMMONIA; C ONDUCTING HOT GAS FROM SAID INLET OVER THE TOP OF SAID ELONGATED, ROLLING BED TO SAID OUTLET TO REMOVE VAPORS AND BASES CONTAINING WATER VAPOR AND UNUSED, EXCESS AMMONIA; PASSING SAID REMOVED VAPORS AND GASES CONTAINING WATER VAPOR AND UNUSED, EXCESS AMMONIA IN CONTACT WITH NITRIC ACID TO FORM PARTIALLY NEUTRALIZED NITRIC ACID IN AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION FOR USE IN THE AFORESAID SPRAYING OPERATION; CONTINUING ROTATION OF SAID ELONGATED BED TO ROLL PARTICLES OVER AND OVER TO ROUND THE