Purification of hydrogen chloride

• US 3,260,059 A
• Filed: 10/21/1963
• Issued: 07/12/1966
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1963
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Occidental Chemical Corporation (Occidental Petroleum Corporation)
• Original Assignee: David S. Rosenberg, Edward A. Belmore
• Inventors: Rosenberg, David S., Belmore, Edward A.
• Application Number:
  US04/317,482
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• US Class Current: 62/623
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 7/01 Chlorine; Hydrogen chloride
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 62/931 Recovery of hydrogen

Claims

1. A METHOD OF PURFYING HYDROGEN CHLORIDE GAS CONTAINING WATER AND ORGANIC AND/OR INORGANIC CONTAMINANTS, WHICH COMPRISES REMOVING FROM THE HYDROGEN CHLORIDE GAS SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE WATER AND SOLIDIFIABLE ORGANIC AND/OR INORGANIC CONTAMINANTS BY COMPRESSING THE HYDROGEN CHLORIDE GAS CONTAINING THESE IMPURITIES TO A PRESSURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 1 TO ABOUT 4 ATMOSPHERES, COOLING THE THUS-COMPRESSED GAS TO A TEMPERATURE NOT SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW ABOUT -10* CENTIGRADE, WHEREBY THE WATER AND SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF THE ORGANIC AND/OR INORGANIC CONTAMINANTS ARE CONDENSED TO FORM A MIST IN THE GAS, THEREAFTER, SEPARATING THE MIST FROM THE GAS, COMPRESSING THE THUS-TREATED GAS TO A SUITABLE LIQUEFACTION PRESSURE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 4 ATOMSPHERES, INTRODUCING THE THUS-COMPRESSED GAS UNDER PRESSURE INTO A FRACTIONATION ZONE, COUNTERCURRENTLY CONTACTING THE GAS WITHIN THE FRACTIONATION ZONE WITH LIQUID HYDROGEN CHLORIDE, MAINTAINING REFLUX CONDITIONS WITHIN THE FRACTIONATION ZONE, FORMING A LIQUID FRACTION CONTAINING THE CONTAMINANTS HAVING A HIGHER BOILING POINT THAN HYDROGEN CHLORIDE, WHICH FRACTION IS REMOVED SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY FROM A LOWER PORTION OF THE FRACTIONATION ZONE, AND FORMING A PURIFIED HYDROGEN CHLORIDE PRODUCT, SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF HIGHER BOILER IMPURITIES, WHICH PRODUCT IS RECOVERED FROM AN UPPER PORTION OF THE FRACTIONATION ZONE.