Patent ID: 7179437

Claim:
A process for reacting a soda liquor being at a first temperature with a burned lime for production of caustic soda, comprising: (a) dividing the soda liquor, being at the first temperature, into a first part and a second part and forming a slurry of the burned lime and the first part of the soda liquor and allowing the slurry a retention time of 10–150 seconds in a feed vessel and reacting the burned lime with the first part of the soda liquor to increase the temperature of the reacted slurry to a second temperature as a result of an exothermic slaking reaction therebetween, the second temperature being higher than the first temperature; (b) preheating the second part of the soda liquor from the first temperature to a third temperature, the third temperature being higher than the first temperature; (c) combining the reacted slurry from step (a) and the preheated second part of the soda liquor of step (b) prior to conveying the reacted slurry and the second part of the soda liquor to a reactor; and (d) maintaining the combined reacted slurry and the second part of the soda liquor at an pressure and at a fourth elevated temperature in the reactor for completion of the reaction between the slurry of the burned lime and the soda liquor to yield caustic soda and lime mud, the fourth temperature being higher than the first temperature.