The present invention relates to a method for preparing an apparatus (or a plant comprising a plurality of apparatuses), for example a heat exchanger, a vaporizer or a distillation column, for use in a process (in particular a continuously operated process) for concentrating a mineral acid by evaporation of water, wherein the apparatus or the plant comprises (at least) a device which is resistant to the mineral acid and the device is flushed with an aqueous alkali metal hydroxide solution having a concentration by mass of alkali metal hydroxide in the range from 1% to 30% at a temperature in the range from 40° C. to 90° C. for a time of from 2 hours to 7 days.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing an apparatus (or a plant comprising a plurality of apparatuses), for example a heat exchanger, a vaporizer or a distillation column, for use in a process (in particular a continuously operated process) for concentrating a mineral acid by evaporation of water, wherein the apparatus or the plant comprises (at least) a device which is resistant to the mineral acid and the device is flushed with an aqueous alkali metal hydroxide solution having a concentration by mass of alkali metal hydroxide in the range from 1% to 30% at a temperature in the range from 40° C. to 90° C. for a time of from 2 hours to 7 days.

An absorption tower for production of nitric acid by the Ostwald process may include sieve trays that are arranged on top of one another and each spaced apart from one another, a water inlet in an upper region of the absorption tower, an inlet for gaseous nitrogen oxides in a lower region of the absorption tower, and a column bottom that is disposed in the lower region of the absorption tower beneath a lowermost sieve tray and is divided by a dividing wall into a first, radially inner region and at least a second, radially outer region. Nitric acid that trickles down from the lowermost sieve tray with a higher concentration can be collected in a middle region. The less-concentrated nitric acid that then effluxes from sieve trays higher up can then be collected separately in a region farther outward.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing an apparatus (or a plant comprising a plurality of apparatuses), for example a heat exchanger, a vaporizer or a distillation column, for use in a process (in particular a continuously operated process) for concentrating a mineral acid by evaporation of water, wherein the apparatus or the plant comprises (at least) a device which is resistant to the mineral acid and the device is flushed with an aqueous alkali metal hydroxide solution having a concentration by mass of alkali metal hydroxide in the range from 1% to 30% at a temperature in the range from 40 C. to 90 C. for a time of from 2 hours to 7 days.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing an apparatus (or a plant comprising a plurality of apparatuses), for example a heat exchanger, a vaporizer or a distillation column, for use in a process (in particular a continuously operated process) for concentrating a mineral acid by evaporation of water, wherein the apparatus or the plant comprises (at least) a device which is resistant to the mineral acid and the device is flushed with an aqueous alkali metal hydroxide solution having a concentration by mass of alkali metal hydroxide in the range from 1% to 30% at a temperature in the range from 40 C. to 90 C. for a time of from 2 hours to 7 days.