Chlorine gas liquefaction

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF LIQUEFYING CHLORINE GAS CONTAMINATED WITH A DIFFICULTLY CONDENSABLE GAS SO AS TO OBTAIN CHLORINE PRESENT THEREIN SUBSTANTIALY FREE OF CONTAMINATING GAS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (1) COMPRESSING A MIXTURE COMPRISING A RECYCLE GASEOUS CHLORINE PRODUCT AND AN INCOMING GASEOUS CHLORINE FEED CONTAINING SUCH CONTAMINATING GAS TO CONVERT AT LEAST A MAJOR PORTION OF THE CHLORINE TO LIQUID CHLORINE CONTAINING SUCH CONTAMINATING GAS; (2) DIRECTING THE RESULTING COMPRESSED FLUID INTO FIRST AND SECOND STREAMS AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH IS PROVIDED WITH A COOLING MEANS, THE PROPORTION OF SAID FLUID PASSING THROUGH EACH OF SAID STREAMS BEING DETERMINED BY A CONTROL MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE TEMPERATURE OF THE GASEOUS MIXTURE OF RECYCLE CHLORINE PRODUCT AND INCOMING CHLORINE FEED; (3) COMBINING SAID FIRST AND SECOND STREAMS TO FORM A FLUID COMPRISING A MAJOR PROPORTION OF LIQUID CHLORINE AND A MINOR PROPORTION OF GASEOUS CHLORINE CONTAINING SAID CONTAMINATING GASES; (4) INTRODUCING SAID MIXTURE INTO A CONFINED BODY OF CHLORINE; (5) SEPARATING THE BODY OF CHLORINE INTO AN UPPER GASEOUS PHASE AND A LOWER LIQUID PHASE AND MAINTAINING SUCH PHASES; (6) REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON THE BODY OF CHLORINE TO EFFECT A CONTROLLED OUTWARD FLOW OF GASEOUS CHLORINE TOGETHER WITH THE CONTAMINATING GASES FROM THE UPPER GASEOUS PHASE AND TO EFFECT A CONTROLLED INDEPENDENT OUTWARD FLOW OF LIQUID CHLORINE FROM THE LOWER LIQUID PHASE; (7) REDUCING THE PRESSURE OF THE CHLORINE THEREBY CAUSING THE FLOW OF LIQUID CHLORINE AND THE FLOW OF GASEOUS CHLORINE CONTAINING THE CONTAMINATING GASES TO ENTER INTO INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP AND MAINTAINING THE LIQUID CHLORINE IN AN EBULLIENT STATE WHEREBY IT CONTINUES TO VOLATILIZE, COOL, AND ABSORB HEAT FROM THE GASEOUS CHLORINE IN INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP THEREWITH TO LIQUEFY SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF SAID GASEOUS CHLORINE AND RETURNING THE THUS LIQUEFIED CHLORINE TO SAID BODY OF CHLORINE; (8) RECYCLE GASEOUS CHLORINE PRODUCT, TO THE INCOMING GASEOUS CHLORINE FEED; (9) VENTING ANY UNLIQUEFIED CHLORINE FROM SAID GASEOUS PHASE TOGETHER WITH CONDENSED CONTAMINATING GASES; AND (10) WITHDRAWING LIQUID CHLORINE FROM SAID BODY OF CHLORINE, IN ACCORDANCE WITH A LIQUID CONTROL LEVEL MEANS, DURING SAID HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP THEREBY TO MAINTAIN THE GASEOUS PHASE AND THE LIQUID PHASE IN SAID BODY OF CHLORINE.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF LIQUEFYING CHLORINE GAS CONTAMINATED WITH A DIFFICULTLY CONDENSABLE GAS SO AS TO OBTAIN CHLORINE PRESENT THEREIN SUBSTANTIALY FREE OF CONTAMINATING GAS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (1) COMPRESSING A MIXTURE COMPRISING A RECYCLE GASEOUS CHLORINE PRODUCT AND AN INCOMING GASEOUS CHLORINE FEED CONTAINING SUCH CONTAMINATING GAS TO CONVERT AT LEAST A MAJOR PORTION OF THE CHLORINE TO LIQUID CHLORINE CONTAINING SUCH CONTAMINATING GAS; (2) DIRECTING THE RESULTING COMPRESSED FLUID INTO FIRST AND SECOND STREAMS AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH IS PROVIDED WITH A COOLING MEANS, THE PROPORTION OF SAID FLUID PASSING THROUGH EACH OF SAID STREAMS BEING DETERMINED BY A CONTROL MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE TEMPERATURE OF THE GASEOUS MIXTURE OF RECYCLE CHLORINE PRODUCT AND INCOMING CHLORINE FEED; (3) COMBINING SAID FIRST AND SECOND STREAMS TO FORM A FLUID COMPRISING A MAJOR PROPORTION OF LIQUID CHLORINE AND A MINOR PROPORTION OF GASEOUS CHLORINE CONTAINING SAID CONTAMINATING GASES; (4) INTRODUCING SAID MIXTURE INTO A CONFINED BODY OF CHLORINE; (5) SEPARATING THE BODY OF CHLORINE INTO AN UPPER GASEOUS PHASE AND A LOWER LIQUID PHASE AND MAINTAINING SUCH PHASES; (6) REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON THE BODY OF CHLORINE TO EFFECT A CONTROLLED OUTWARD FLOW OF GASEOUS CHLORINE TOGETHER WITH THE CONTAMINATING GASES FROM THE UPPER GASEOUS PHASE AND TO EFFECT A CONTROLLED INDEPENDENT OUTWARD FLOW OF LIQUID CHLORINE FROM THE LOWER LIQUID PHASE; (7) REDUCING THE PRESSURE OF THE CHLORINE THEREBY CAUSING THE FLOW OF LIQUID CHLORINE AND THE FLOW OF GASEOUS CHLORINE CONTAINING THE CONTAMINATING GASES TO ENTER INTO INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP AND MAINTAINING THE LIQUID CHLORINE IN AN EBULLIENT STATE WHEREBY IT CONTINUES TO VOLATILIZE, COOL, AND ABSORB HEAT FROM THE GASEOUS CHLORINE IN INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP THEREWITH TO LIQUEFY SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF SAID GASEOUS CHLORINE AND RETURNING THE THUS LIQUEFIED CHLORINE TO SAID BODY OF CHLORINE; (8) RECYCLE GASEOUS CHLORINE PRODUCT, TO THE INCOMING GASEOUS CHLORINE FEED; (9) VENTING ANY UNLIQUEFIED CHLORINE FROM SAID GASEOUS PHASE TOGETHER WITH CONDENSED CONTAMINATING GASES; AND (10) WITHDRAWING LIQUID CHLORINE FROM SAID BODY OF CHLORINE, IN ACCORDANCE WITH A LIQUID CONTROL LEVEL MEANS, DURING SAID HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP THEREBY TO MAINTAIN THE GASEOUS PHASE AND THE LIQUID PHASE IN SAID BODY OF CHLORINE.