Hydrogen chloride recovery from admixture with chlorine using water extractant

Claim 1

THE PROCESS FOR RECOVERING HYDROGEN CHLORIDE, FREE OF ANY SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF WATER, AND CHLORINE FROM A HOT GASEOUS REACTION MIXTURE CONTAINING HYDROGEN CHLORIDE IN ADMIXTURE WITH WATER VAPOR AND CHLORINE, BY THE COMBINATION OF STEPS CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF: QUENCHING SAID HOT GASEOUS MIXTURE TO A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 40* TO ABOUT 150*C. WITH A MEMBER OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF WATER AND HYDROCHLORIC ACID, IN A QUENCHING ZONE, SUBJECTING THE RESULTING QUENCHED MIXTURE TO COUNTERCURRENT CONTACT IN AN EXTRUSION ZONE WITH LIQUID SOLVENT EMANATING THERETO AS TWO SEPARATE STREAMS FROM WITHIN THE SYSTEM AS DESCRIBED BELOW, THEREBY SEPARATING A VAPOR OVERHEAD FRACTION COMPRISING WATER VAPOR AND CHLORINE FROM A LIQUID BOTTOM FRACTION COMPRISING CENCENTRATED HYDROCHLORIC ACID IN SAID EXTRACTION ZONE, PASSING SAID OVERHEAD VAPOR FRACTION FROM SAID EXTRACTION ZONE INTO A COOLING ZONE, COOLING SAID OVERHEAD VAPOR FRACTION IN SAID COOLING ZONE, THEREBY SEPARATING A LIQUID FRACTION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF WATER FROM A GASEOUS FRACTION COMPRISING CHLORINE AND WATER VAPOR IN SAID COOLING ZONE, SEPARATING CHLORINE FROM SAID GASEOUS FRACTION SEPARATED IN SAID COOLING ZONE, PASSING SAID LIQUID FRACTION FROM SAID COOLING ZONE INTO SAID EXTRACTION ZONE AT A POINT NEAR THE WITHDRAWAL OF SAID VAPOR OVERHEAD FRACTION THEREFROM TO BE USED THEREIN AS THE FIRST OF SAID TWO STREAMS OF SOLVENT EMANATING THERETO FROM WITHIN THE SYSTEM, PASSING SAID LIQUID BOTTOM FRACTION SEPARATED IN SAID EXTRACTION ZONE INTO A DISTILLATION ZONE, DISTILLING HYDROGEN CHLORIDE FREE OF ANY SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF WATER FROM LIQUID BOTTOMS CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF DILUTEHYDROCHLORIC ACID IN SAID DISTILLATION ZONE, PASSING SAID LIQUID BOTTOMS FROM THE SAID DISTILLATION ZONE INTO SAID EXTRACTION ZONE AT AN INTERMEDIATE POINT THEREOF TO BE USED THERIN AS THE SECOND OF SAID TWO LIQUID SOLVENT STREAMS EMANATING THERETO FROM WITHIN THE SYSTEM, AND CONTROLLING THE DEGREE OF COOLING AND CONSEQUENT WATER VAPOR CONDENSATION EFFECTED IN SAID COOLING ZONE TO MAINTAIN THE QUANTITY OF WATER RETAINED IN SAID GASEOUS FRACTION SEPARATED IN SAID COOLING ZONE PLUS ANY QUANTITY OF WATER ELIMINATED IN THE UNCONDENSED OVERHEAD FROM SAID DISTILLATION ZONE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE TOTAL QUANTITY OF WATER ENTERING SAID QUENCHING ZONE FROM A SOURCE OUTSIDE THE RECOVERY SYSTE.