Baffle-kettle reactor

Claim 1

A REACTION VESSEL FOR CONTINUOUSLY CONDUCTING A REVERSIBLE FLUID PHASE REACTION IN WHICH A BY-PRODUCT GAS IS EVOLVED WITH A MINIMUM OF BACK-MIXING WHILE CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING THE EVOLVED GAS AS IT IS FORMED WHICH COMPRISES A KETTLE REACTOR HAVING A PLURALITY OF INNER VERTICAL COMPARTMENTS FORMED BY A PLURALITY OF VERTICAL SURFACES EXTENDING RADIALLY FROM A CENTRAL VERTICAL AXIS TO THE SIDES OF THE REACTOR, THE UPPER EDGES OF SAID VERTICAL SURFACES NOT EXTENDING TO THE TOP OF THE REACTOR, THEREBY PROVIDING A VAPOR SPACE AT THE TOP OF THE REACTOR WHICH IS COMMON TO ALL COMPARTMENTS, ALTERNATE VERTICAL SURFACES EXTENDING TO THE BOTTOM OF THE REACTOR, AND THE OTHER VERTICAL SURFACES NOT EXTENDING TO THE BOTTOM OF THE REACTOR, THE UPPER EDGES OF THE VERTICAL SURFACES WHICH EXTEND TO THE BOTTOM OF THE REACTOR BEING LOWER THAN THOSE OF THE VERTICAL SURFACES WHICH DO NOT EXTEND TO THE BOTTOM OF THE REACTOR; AND AN INLET AND AN OUTLET MEANS IN ADJACENT COMPARTMENTS, THE COMMON VERTICAL SURFACE BETWEEN SAID ADJACENT COMPARTMENTS EXTENDING TO THE BOTTOM OF THE REACTOR AND THE UPPER EDGE THEREOF EXTENDING HIGHER THAN OTHER VERTICAL SURFACES WHICH EXTEND TO THE BOTTOM OF THE REACTOR; SAID REACTOR BEING SO DESIGNED THAT FLUID REACTANTS ENTERING THE REACTOR PASS SEQUENTIALLY THROUGH A SERIES OF TORTUOUS UPWARD AND DOWNWARD MOVEMENTS, WHEREBY GASES EVOLVED DURING THE REACTION PASS INTO THE VAPOR SPACE AT EACH UPWARD MOVEMENT.