Removal of solids from a wet oxidation reactor

Claim 1

A process for discharging unwanted slurried solids accumulation from a wet air oxidation system for conditioning or oxidizing sludge, which system includes a pressurized sludge flow through the cold side of a heat exchanger to the inlet of a reactor; the reactor effluent passing from the outlet of the reactor through the hot side of the heat exchanger to an adjustable pressure control valve; a normally open valved line between the outlet of the cold heat exchanger side and the reactor inlet; a normally opened valved line between the inlet of the hot heat exchanger side and the reactor outlet, and a normally closed, valved line connecting the outlet of the cold heat exchanger side with the inlet of the hot heat exchanger side, wherein said process comprises changing the sludge flow to an alternate clear flushing water source while isolating the reactor from the heat exchanger by closing at least the valve in the line between the reactor outlet and the hot heat exchanger side inlet and opening the valve in the line between the cold heat exchanger side outlet and the hot heat exchanger side inlet, characterized by the fact that the system includes a normally closed valved line communicating the bottom portion of the reactor to a point upstream from the pressure control valve, but downstream from the heat exchanger, and after water has flowed between the heat exchanger and the pressure control valve, opening the valve between the cold heat exchanger side outlet and the reactor inlet, closing the valve between the cold heat exchanger side outlet and the hot heat exchanger side inlet, opening the valve in the line communicating the bottom portion of the reactor with the point between the heat exchanger and the pressure control valve and reducing the setting on the pressure control valve to below the pressure in the reactor, thereby allowing unwanted slurried solids to flow from the reactor and be mixed with, diluted by and cooled by the flush water stream prior to flushing from the system through the pressure control valve.