Process for the production of ammonium nitrate

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF PRODUCING AMMONIUM NITRATE GRANULES WHICH COMPRISES FORMING AND MAINTAINING IN A ROTATING HORIZONTALLY ELONGATED CONTACT ZONE A BED OF MOVING SOLID PARTICLES OF AMMONIUM NITRATES; ADDING FINELY DIVIDED SOLID PARTICLES OF AMMONIUM NITRATEC TO SAID BED; ADVANCING SAID PARTICLES THROUGH SAID CONTACT ZONE; CONTINUOUSLY RAISING SOLID PARTICLCECS FCROM SAID BED TO THE UPPER REGION OF SAID CONTACT ZONE; RELEASING THE RAISED SOLID PARTICLES TO CASCADE DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID CONTACT ZONE, AS A CONTINUOUS CURTAIN OF SOLID AMMONIUM NITRATE PARTICLES EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THE LENGTH OF SAID CONTACT ZONE, TO THE BED; SPRAYING, AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 5 TO ABOUT 25 CENTIGRDE DEGREES ABOVE ITS CRYSTALLIZATION TEMPERATURE, MOLTEN, SUBSTANTIALLY ANHYDROUS AMMONIUM NITRATE ONTO SAID BED AND INTO THE CURTAIN OF SOLID PARTICLES CASCADING DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID CONTACT ZONE ONTO THE SAID BED; AND CONTINUOUSLY PASSING A CURRENT OF COOLING AIR THROUGH SAID CONTACT ZONE COUNTER-CURRENT TO THE DIRECTION OF ADVANCE OF SAID PARTICLES.