The Chemithon Corporation

William B Sheats

Burton Brooks

John C Chittenden

William G Hankins

Thomas J Loughney

David E Farmer

Ronald K Borrevik

Norman C Foster

Patrick J Bader

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.

Method for conditioning flue gas

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. The reactor surface is provided with sufficient length to subject the film to contact with the high velocity gaseous mixture for sufficient time to produce a sulfonation reaction product which is greater than about 85% by weight completely reacted.

Sulfonation process for viscous sulfonic acid

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

William B Sheats