Abstract: Apparatus and processes for removing dioxane from a composition, e.g., an ethoxylated fatty alcohol sulfate paste, utilize an evaporator having an inlet chamber and one or more heated channels. The process includes the step of heating the composition at a location upstream of the flow restriction to a temperature above the flashing temperature of water at a pressure of the channel inlet and applying a pressure to the heated composition to avoid such flashing. The process further includes the step of passing the pressurized, heated composition through the evaporator. The process can further include injecting a vapor into the channel. The purified, concentrated product can be diluted with water to a desired concentration.

Abstract: Apparatus and processes for removing dioxane from a composition, e.g., an ethoxylated fatty alcohol sulfate paste, utilize an evaporator having an inlet chamber and one or more heated channels. The process includes the step of heating the composition at a location upstream of the flow restriction to a temperature above the flashing temperature of water at a pressure of the channel inlet and applying a pressure to the heated composition to avoid such flashing. The process further includes the step of passing the pressurized, heated composition through the evaporator. The process can further include injecting a vapor into the channel. The purified, concentrated product can be diluted with water to a desired concentration.

Abstract: A method and a device for the sulfonation or the sulfation of organic liquid raw materials with an SO3/air mixture and other reaction gases in order to perform rapid, highly exothermic gas-liquid reactions in conventional thin-layer falling-film reactors are disclosed. The introduction of the SO3/air mixture occurs through several feed locations, which are located within (along) the reaction tube or reaction tubes or in the annular gap of annular-gap falling-film reactors. High peak temperatures, undesirable byproducts, worsening of the color and local oversulfation or oversulfonation, which leads to side reactions, are largely avoided.

Abstract: A method and a device for the sulfonation or the sulfation of organic liquid raw materials with an S03/air mixture and other reaction gases in order to perform rapid, highly exothermic gas-liquid reactions in conventional thin-layer falling-film reactors are disclosed. The introduction of the S03/air mixture occurs through several feed locations, which are located within (along) the reaction tube or reaction tubes or in the annular gap of annular-gap falling-film reactors. High peak temperatures, undesirable byproducts, worsening of the color and local oversulfation or oversulfonation, which leads to side reactions, are largely avoided.

Abstract: Processes and apparatus for quantitatively converting urea to ammonia on demand are disclosed. One process includes the steps of: receiving a demand rate signal for ammonia; feeding reactants including urea and water into a reactor to provide a reaction mixture; and controlling temperature and pressure in the reactor to produce a gaseous product stream including ammonia and carbon dioxide at substantially constant concentrations. Another process includes the steps of: feeding molten urea or solid urea to a reactor; feeding water (liquid or steam) to the reactor; and reacting the urea and water at elevated temperature and pressure to form a gaseous product stream including ammonia and carbon dioxide.

Abstract: An apparatus for dividing the flow of a gas stream and a method for controlling the flow division of a gas stream are disclosed, the apparatus including an inlet conduit for receiving the gas stream, outlet conduits in fluid communication with the inlet conduit for delivering the gas stream, a balancing gas feed conduit in fluid communication with an outlet conduit, a balancing gas feeder in fluid communication with the balancing gas feed conduit, and a balancing gas controller; and the method including the steps of dividing the process gas stream into process gas stream fractions and injecting a balancing gas stream into a process gas stream fraction in an amount sufficient to displace a portion of gas flow from the process gas stream fraction into one or more remaining process gas stream fractions.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for continuously, quantitatively producing gaseous ammonia from urea, including the steps of: dissolving urea in water to form concentrated aqueous urea comprising at least 77 wt. % urea; continuously feeding the concentrated aqueous urea into a reactor; continuously feeding a separate, additional supply water into the reactor to form an aqueous urea reaction mixture; heating the aqueous urea reaction mixture; and continuously withdrawing a gas phase product including ammonia from the reactor, is disclosed. Also disclosed are methods and apparatus for continuous and batchwise dissolution of urea to form aqueous urea solutions.

Abstract: Processes and apparatus for quantitatively converting urea to ammonia on demand are disclosed. One process includes the steps of: receiving a demand rate signal for ammonia; feeding reactants including urea and water into a reactor to provide a reaction mixture; and controlling temperature and pressure in the reactor to produce a gaseous product stream including ammonia and carbon dioxide at substantially constant concentrations. Another process includes the steps of: feeding molten urea or solid urea to a reactor; feeding water (liquid or steam) to the reactor; and reacting the urea and water at elevated temperature and pressure to form a gaseous product stream including anmmonia and carbon dioxide.

Abstract: Processes and apparatus for quantitatively converting urea to ammonia on demand are disclosed. One process includes the steps of: receiving a demand rate signal for ammonia; feeding reactants including urea and water into a reactor to provide a reaction mixture; and controlling temperature and pressure in the reactor to produce a gaseous product stream including ammonia and carbon dioxide at substantially constant concentrations. Another process includes the steps of: feeding molten urea or solid urea to a reactor; feeding water (liquid or steam) to the reactor; and reacting the urea and water at elevated temperature and pressure to form a gaseous product stream including ammonia and carbon dioxide.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for producing sulfur comprises a vessel containing a plurality of spaced-apart channels each having an upstream end communicating with an upstream manifold and a downstream end communicating with a downstream manifold. Each channel comprises a single, continuous, uninterrupted conversion stage terminating at the downstream channel end. A first mixture, of SO2 and air from the sulfur burner, is introduced into the upstream manifold and flows as a stream through each of the channels where the stream is cooled and the SO2 is converted in the conversion stage to SO3 to produce, at the downstream channel end, a second mixture consisting essentially of SO3 and air. The first mixture is not cooled between the sulfur burner and the converter. The stream flowing through the conversion stage is maintained at a temperature which sustains conversion of SO2 to SO3, without diluting the stream with a cooling fluid or diverting the stream outside the channel contained in the converter vessel.

Abstract: The invention provides a method and apparatus for maintaining the operation of reactors by removing contaminant matter arising from the solid reactant(s) used as a feedstock in such systems, by either intermittent or continuous means.

Abstract: Apparatus and processes for removing volatile components from a composition utilize a dryer having an inlet chamber and a plurality of channels. A flow restriction is disposed immediately upstream of the inlet of each channel with respect to a direction of flow of the composition through the dryer. The process includes the step of heating the composition at a location upstream of the flow restriction to a temperature above the flashing temperature of at least one of the components at a pressure of the channel inlet and applying a pressure to the heated composition to avoid such flashing. The process further includes the step of passing the pressurized, heated composition through the dryer inlet chamber, the flow restriction, and through the channels.

Abstract: A method of removing solvents from a paste includes introducing a heated paste into a channel of a dryer under pressure selected so as to avoid flashing of any of the components of the paste. At the inlet of the channel, the pressure is dropped, resulting in the flashing of selected components of the paste. As the paste advances through the channel heat is applied to the paste. Vapor liberated during the flashing acts as a motive force to convey the paste along the channel. The resulting concentrate is collected at an outlet of the channel.

Abstract: A system for preconditioning flue gas to be treated in an electrostatic precipitator having a set of electrostatic elements and a power supply, which supplies an intermittent power to the electrostatic elements, includes a source of a conditioning agent, and a current sensor and a voltage sensor for detecting the half-cycle current and voltage supplied to the electrostatic elements. The system also includes a power measuring circuit, responsive to the current sensor and to the voltage sensor, which develops an indication of the power supplied to the electrostatic elements and a controller, responsive to the power indication, which controls the amount of conditioning agent added to the flue gas in order to maintain the power at a substantially predetermined level.

Abstract: A method is used for preconditioning flue gas to be treated in an electrostatic precipitator having a set of electrostatic elements which are intermittently energized by a power supply. The method uses a current sensor and a voltage sensor to detect the current and the voltage supplied to the electrostatic elements during an energized half-cycle of the power delivered to the electrostatic precipitator and develops an indication of the intermittent power supplied to the electrostatic elements from the current and voltage sensor measurements. The amount of a conditioning agent added to the flue gas is controlled to maintain the power indication at a substantially predetermined level.

Abstract: A sulfonation process includes the process steps of air sulfonating a fatty acid alkyl ester feedstock, bleaching the crude product with co-addition of up to about 40 wt. % of an alcohol based upon the weight of the crude product. The bleaching/alcohol addition step of the process is performed in a nonmetallic or low-iron alloy system at temperatures above 90.degree. C. The resulting product is then neutralized with a liquid base or metal carbonate.

Abstract: A method for conditioning flue gas to improve the removal of fly ash by an electrostatic precipitator employs a relatively high concentration (4-71/2%) of SO.sub.3 conditioning agent. The SO.sub.3 is formed by combusting sulfur and excess air in a sulfur burner to produce a mixture of air and SO.sub.2 and converting the SO.sub.2 to SO.sub.3 in a catalytic converter. The ratio of air to sulfur is maintained constant over a wide range of SO.sub.3 production rates, and the air is unheated during most production rates. The mixture of air and SO.sub.2 from the sulfur burner is cooled without increasing the volume of the gaseous mixture.

Abstract: A process is provided for sulfonating an organic reactant which, upon sulfonation, produces a viscous sulfonation reaction product having a viscosity substantially greater than 1,500 centipoises at a reaction temperature wherein the sulfonation reaction product is more than 85% by weight completely reacted. The process utilizes an elongated, enclosed reactor surface greater than about 15 feet in length having upstream and downstream ends and equipped with a heat exchanging surface. The process comprises cocurrently flowing a film of organic reactant and a gaseous sulfonating agent downwardly in the reactor while pressurizing the sulfonating agent cocurrently along said reactor surface while providing a pressure drop between upstream and downstream ends of the reactor to impart sufficient velocity to the gaseous sulfonating agent to thin the film of the viscous sulfonation product.

Abstract: An air pollution control system for injecting a conditioning agent into the flue gas of a power generator. The conditioning agent changes the resistivity of particulate matter in the flue gas, rendering the particulate matter more easily able to accept an electrostatic charge. Control of the conditioning gas injection rate is monitored by periodically sampling the average input power supplied to the power supplies of the electrostatic flue gas conditioning system. A proportional-integral controller receives the signal representing the difference between the average input power and a predetermined threshold signal. The control signal produced by the proportional integral controller causes incremental changes in the rate at which the conditioning agent, such as SO.sub.3, is added to the flue gas.

Abstract: Anhydrous fatty alcohol sulfuric acid or ethoxylated fatty alcohol sulfuric acid is neutralized with dry sodium carbonate powder in the presence of powdered sodium tripolyphosphate in a high shear mixer. The dry, powdered, neutralized reaction product is stored until required for use in the manufacture of a detergent bar whereupon the powder is mixed with liquid ingredients for the detergent bar and subjected to conventional manufacturing steps for a detergent bar. Other dry, powdered ingredients for the detergent bar may be introduced at the high shear mixer.