Continuous sulfonation process

Claim 2

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR SULFATING AN ORGANIC REACTANT HAVING AN ALCOHOLIC HYDROXYL GROUP WHEREIN SAID ORGANIC REACTANT IS REACTED WITH SULFUR TRIOXIDE TO PROVIDE A CORRESPONDING ORGANIC SULFURIC ACID COMPOUND WHICH COMPRISES SIMULTANEOUSLY AND CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING INTO AN EXTERNALLY COOLED REACTION ZONE (1) A STREAM OF SAID ORGANIC REACTANT AND (2) A STREAM OF A GASEOUS MIXTURE OF SULFUR TRIOXIDE AND AN INERT DILUENT, FROM WHICH ANY MIST PRESENT PREVIOUSLY HAS BEEN REMOVED, WITHOUT PREMIXING SAID STREAMS, AT A TEMPERATURE WHICH REDUCES THE VISCOSITY OF SAID ORGIANIC REACTANT SUFFICIENTLY TO EFFECT OPTIMUM MIXING, THOROUGHLY MIXING SAID ORGANIC REACTANTCONTAINING AND SAID SULFUR TRIOXIDE-CONTAINING STREAMS IN SAID REACTION ZONE FOR A TIME PERIOD OF AT MOST ABOUT 10 SECONDS TO PROVIDE A REACTION MIXTURE IN THE FORM OF A THIN FILM, REMOVING SAID REACTION MIXTURE FROM SAID REACTION ZONE AT THE END OF SAID TIME PERIOD, IMMEDIATELY INTRODUCING SAID REACTION MIXTURE WITHDRAWN FROM SAID REACTION ZONE INTO A QUENCH COOLING ZONE TO EFFECT A RAPID COOLING OF SAID REACTION MIXTURE TO A TEMPERATURE BELOW ABOUT 130*F. AND PROVIDE A SUBSTANTIALLY NON-DEGRADED ORGANIC SULFURIC ACID-RICH PRODUCT, WITHDRAWING SAID SULFURIC ACID-RICH PRODUCT FROM SAID QUENCH COOLING ZONE, SEPARATING SAID GASEOUS INERT DILUENT CONTAINING ANY UNREACTED SULFUR TRIOXIDE THEREFROM, AND THEREAFTER NEUTRALIZING AT LEAST PART OF THE RESULTANT SULFUR TRIOXIDE-FREE, SULFURIC ACID-RICH PRODUCT.

Claim 3

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR SULFONATING A SULFONATABLE ORGANIC REACTANT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF OLEFINS, AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AND UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS, WHEREIN SAID ORGANIC REACTANT IS REACTED WITH SULFUR TRIOXIDE TO PROVIDE A CORRESPONDING SULFONIC ACID, WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING INTO AN EXTERNALLY COOLED REACTION ZONE (1) A STREAM OF SAID ORGANIC REACTANT AND (2) A STREAM OF A MIXTURE OF SULFUR TRIOXIDE AND A GASEOUS INERT DILUENT, FROM WHICH ANY MIST PRESENT PREVIOUSLY HAS BEEN REMOVED, THOROUGHLY MIXING SAID ORGANIC REACTANT-CONTAINING AND SAID SULFUR TRIOSIDE-CONTAINING STREAMS IN SAID REACTION ZONE FOR A TIME PERIOD OF AT MOST ABOUT 10 SECONDS TO PROVIDE A REACTION MIXTURE IN THE FORM OF A THIN FILM, REMOVING SAID REACTION MIXTURE FROM SAID REACTION ZONE AT THE END OF SAID TIME PERIOD, AND IMMEDIATELY INTRODUCING SAID REACTION MIXTURE WITHDRAWN FROM SAID REACTION ZONE INTO A QUENCHCOOLING ZONE TO EFFECT A RAPID COOLING OF SAID REACTION MIXTURE TO A TEMPERATURE BELOW ABOUT 130*F. AND PROVIDE A SUBSTANTIALLY NON-DEGRADED SULFONIC-ACID RICH MIXTURE, WITHDRAWING SAID SULFONIC-ACID RICH MIXTURE FROM SAID QUUENCH COOLING ZONE, PASSING THE SAME THROUGH A SEPARATION ZONE AND SEPARATING SAID GASEOUS INERT DILUENT CONTAINING ANY UN-REACTED SULFUR TRIOXIDE THEREFROM, AND DIGESTING AT LEAST A PART OF THE RESULTING MIXTURE IN AN AGITATED DIGESTION ZONE WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL BACK-MIXING TO PROVIDE A PRODUCT RICHER IN SULFONIC ACID THAN THAT INTRODUCED INTO THE DIGESTION ZONE.

Claim 4

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR SULFONATING A SULFONATABLE ORGANIC REACTANT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF OLEFINS, AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AND UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS, WHEREIN SAID ORGANIC REACTANT IS REACTED WITH SULFUR TRIOXIDE TO PROVIDE A CORRESPONDING SULFONIC ACID, WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING INTO AN EXTERNALLY COOLED REACTION ZONE (1) A STREAM OF SAID ORGANIC REACTANT AND (2) A STREAM OF A MIXTURE OF SULFUR TRIOXIDE AND A GASEOUS INERT DILUENT, FROM WHICH ANY MIST PRESENT PREVIOUSLY HAS BEEN REMOVED, THOROUGHLY MIXING SAID ORGANIC REACTANT-CONTAINING AND SAID SULFUR TRIOSIDE-CONTAINING STREAMS IN SAID REACTION ZONE FOR A TIME PERIOD OF AT MOST ABOUT 10 SECONDS TO PROVIDE A REACTION MIXTURE IN THE FORM OF A THIN FILM, REMOVING SAID REACTION MIXTURE FROM SAID REACTION ZONE AT THE END OF SAID TIME PERIOD, AND IMMEDIATELY INTRODUCING SAID REACTION MIXTURE WITHDRAWN FROM SAID REACTION ZONE INTO A QUENCHCOOLING ZONE TO EFFECT A RAPID COOLING OF SAID REACTION MIXTURE TO A TEMPERATURE BELOW ABOUT 130*F. AND PROVIDE A SUBSTANTIALLY NON-DEGRADED SULFONIC-ACID RICH MIXTURE, WITHDRAWING SAID SULFONIC-ACID RICH MIXTURE FROM SAID QUUENCH COOLING ZONE, PASSING THE SAME THROUGH A SEPARATION ZONE AND SEPARATING SAID GASEOUS INERT DILUENT CONTAINING ANY UN-REACTED SULFUR TRIOXIDE THEREFROM, AND DIGESTING AT LEAST A PART OF THE RESULTING MIXTURE IN AN AGITATED DIGESTION ZONE WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL BACK-MIXING TO PROVIDE A PRODUCT RICHER IN SULFONIC ACID THAN THAT INTRODUCED INTO THE DIGESTION ZONE.