Production of chlorine dioxide

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CHLORINE DIOXIDE WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF AN ALKALI METAL CHLORATE AND HYDROCHLORIC ACID TO A REACTION ZONE TO MAINTAIN AN AQUEOUS REACTION MEDIUM IN SAID REACTION ZONE CONTAINING AN ALKALI METAL CHLORATE AND HYDROCHLORIC ACID AND HAVING AN ACIDITY OF ABOUT 0.05 TO ABOUT IN, CONTINUOUSLY FORMING CHLORINE DIOXIDE AND CHLORINE BY REACTION BETWEEN SAID ALKALI METAL CHLORATE AND SAID HYDROCHLORIC ACID IN SAID REACTION MEDIUM, CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAINING SAID REACTION ZONE UNDER A REDUCED PRESSURE, CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAINING SAID REACTION MEDIUM AT ITS BOILING POINT TO EVAPORATE WATER FROM SAID REACTION MEDIUM TO FORM CONTINUOUSLY A GASEOUS PHASE IN SAID REACTION ZONE CONSISTING OF A MIXTURE OF CHLORINE DIOXIDE, CHLORINE AND WATER VAPOR, AND TO DEPOSIT ALKALI METAL CHLORIDE IN SAID REACTION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY CONDUCTING SAID GASEOUS PHASE MIXTURE OUT OF SAID REACTION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY RECOVERING CHLORINE DIOXIDE FROM SAID MIXTURE, REMOVING DEPOSITED ALKALI METAL CHLORIDE FROM SAID REACTION ZONE, FORMING AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION FROM SAID REMOVED ALKALI METAL CHLORIDE, CONTINUOUSLY ELECTROLYZING SAID LATTER AQUEOUS SOLUTION TO CONVERT THE ALKALI METAL CHLORIDE AT LEAST PARTIALLY TO ALKALI METAL CHLORATE AND TO GENERATE HYDROGEN GAS, CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING AT LEAST THE ALKALI METAL CHLORATE CONTENT OF THE ALKALI METAL CHLORATE-CONTAINING SOLUTION TO SAID REACTION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY REACTING AT LEAST PART OF SAID HYDROGEN GAS WITH CHLORINE GAS TO GENERATE HYDROGEN CHLORIDE, CONTINUOUSLY FORMING HYDROCHLORIC ACID FROM SAID HYDROGEN CHLORIDE AND CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING AT LEAST PART OF SAID HYDROCHLORIC ACID TO SAID REACTION ZONE.