Process for the preparation of nitric acid

Claim 1

A continuous process for the preparation of nitric acid comprising: a. providing a reaction zone having a stripper region within said reaction zone for absorbing gaseous reaction products including nitrogen dioxide and a desorber region within said reaction zone for removing dissolved gaseous reaction products from an aqueous nitric acid solution and a concentration region between said stripper and desorber regions; b. maintaining said reaction zone at about atmospheric pressure; c. continuously introducing a first stream of aqueous nitric acid containing from about 10 to about 40% nitric acid into said stripper region so that first stream passes through said stripper region and said concentration region and into said desorber region at a rate sufficient to allow maintainance of a predetermined level of aqueous nitric acid in said desorber region; d. continuously introducing gaseous ammonia oxidation products and a gaseous oxidizing agent including molecular oxygen into said concentration region; e. reacting the ammonia oxidation products and the oxidizing agent in the presence of said first stream to produce gaseous reaction products including nitrogen dioxide and liquid reaction products including nitric acid which combine with said first stream to enrich the nitric acid content thereof; f. maintaining the temperature of said first stream as it passes through the stripper region in the range of from about 40° F. to about 100° F. to dissolve at least a major amount of the gaseous reaction products entering the stripper region into said first stream; g. maintaining the temperature of the aqueous nitric acid in the desorber region at a temperature of at least 130° F. to liberate at least a major amount of the dissolved gaseous reaction products therein; h. withdrawing a second stream having the enriched nitric acid content from the liquid in the desorber region at a rate allowing maintenance of said predetermined liquid level; i. separating said second stream into a product stream and a recycle stream; j. continuously introducing said recycle stream into stripper region to provide said first stream; and k. adding H 2 O to said stripper region, the amount and rate of H 2 O added, and product stream being separated, being coordinated to provide said first stream having a HNO 3 concentration in the range of from about 10 to about 40% by weight.