Hydrolysis reactor

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR THE TWO-STAGE HYDROLYSIS OF NITRILES AND STRIPPING OF AMMONIA FROM THE HYDROLYSIS MIXTURE UNDER PRESSURE COMPRISING: A VERTICAL REACTOR; A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL IMPERFORATE PARTITION DIVIDING THE REACTOR INTO AN UPPER CHAMBER AND A LOWER CHAMBER; FIRST INLET MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A STRIPPING GAS INTO A NITRILE INTO AN UPPER PORTION OF THE LOWER CHAMBER; SECOND INLET MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A STRIPPING GAS INTO A LOWER PORTION OF THE UPPER CHAMBER; FIRST OUTLET MEANS FOR REMOVING HYDROLYZED AND STRIPPED PRODUCT FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF THE UPPER CHAMBER; SECOND OUTLET MEANS FOR REMOVING STRIPPING GAS AND AMMONIA FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF THEUPPER CHAMBER; THE LOWER CHAMBER BEING DIVIDED INTO A PLURALITY OF SUBCHAMBERS EACH SUB-CHAMBER BEING CONNECTED WITH TE NEXT LOWER SUB-CHAMBER BY FLOW CONDUIT MEANS FOR TRANSPORTING HYDROLYSIS MIXTURE FROM ONE SUB-CHAMBER TO THE NEXT LOWER SUB-CHAMBER; THE UPPER CHAMBER BEING DIVIDED INTO A PLURALITY OF SUB-CHAMBERS EACH SUB-CHAMBER PROVIDED WITH MEANS ALLOWING FOR COUNTER-CURRENT CONTACTING OF THE HYDROLYSIS MIXTURE WITH A STRIPPING VAPOR; AND A DRAFT TUBE EXTENDING FROM THE LOWERMOST SUB-CHAMBER OF THE LOWER CHAMBER TO THE UPPERMOT SUB-CHAMBER OF THE UPPER CHAMBER SAID DRAFT TUBE BEING THE SOLE OUTLET FOR CONNECTION BETWEEN THE LOWER CHAMBER AND THE UPPER CHAMBER, AND SAID DRAFT TUBE BEING THE SOLE OUTLET FOR HYDROLYSIS MIXTURE FROM THE LOWER CHAMBER WHEREBY SAID HYDROLYSIS MIXTURE FROM SAID FIRST INLET MEANS FLOWS DOWNWARDLY THRUGH THE PLURALITY OF SUB-CHAMBER IN THE UPPER CHAMBER LOWER CHAMBER, UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID DRAFT TUBE TO THE UPPERMOST SUB-CHAMBER IN THE UPPER CHAMBER AND THE DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE PLURALITY OF SUB-CHAMBERS IN SAID UPPER CHAMBER TO SAID FIRST OUTLET MEANS, SAID DOWNWARD FLOW OF THE HYDROLYSIS MIXTURE IN THE UPPER CHAMBER BEING COUNTERCURRENT TO STRIPPING GAS ENTERING SAID SECOND INLET MEANS.