Inventors:
Jed H. Checketts - Salt Lake City UT
Kent E. Hatfield - Salt Lake City UT
Ramaswami Neelameggham - South Jordan UT
Assignee:
Powerball Industries, Inc. - Salt Lake City UT
International Classification:
C22B 2610
Abstract:
A reactor system that includes a reactor nozzle for use with a reactor vessel and process for its use for producing sodium metal, by a reaction of an alkali hydroxide, preferably sodium hydroxide, as a reactant, with methane gas as a reductant, at high heat. The invention includes heating apparatus therewith for supplying heated sodium hydroxide and methane gas along with oxygen or compressed air to a reactor nozzle that sprays the materials therethrough to provide a breakup of the materials into fine particulates with mixing thereof in a burner area or portion of a reactor vessel wherein a heated area is provided to cause a reaction of the sodium hydroxide and methane, producing sodium metal vapors along with carbon monoxide and hydrogen gases, which vapors and gases are then passed to a quench assembly that cools the vapor and gas flow to below the condensation temperature of sodium, causing sodium metal to condense therefrom and pass to a storage tank for later use, with the carbon monoxide and hydrogen gases vented therefrom. The quench assembly includes first and second quench coolers that sequentially receive, and in stages cool, the vapor and gas flow with the produced sodium metal to enter the storage tank below the sodium metal level therein with the storage tank further including a volume of a liquid having a lesser specific gravity than, and is non-reactive with, sodium metal for prohibiting a back reaction of the sodium metal.