Hydrogenation unit control system

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED APPARATUS USEFUL FOR HYDROGENATION COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A REACTOR, FEED CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTED TO ONE END OF SAID REACTOR, A HEATER IN SAID FEED CONDUIT, AN EFFLUENT CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID REACTOR AND TO A VAPOR-LIQUID SEPARATION MEANS, A VAPOR OUTLET AND A LIQUID OUTLET IN SAID SEPARATION MEANS, AND A LIQUID RECYCLE CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID LIQUID OUTLET AND TO SAID FEED CONDUIT UPSTREAM OF SAID HEATER, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A TEMPERATURE MEASURING MEANS IN SAID EFFLUENT CONDUIT, FIRST CONTROL VALVE MEANS IN SAID RECYCLE CONDUIT, SECOND CONTROL VALVE MEANS IN SAID FEED CONDUIT UPSTREAM OF THE POINT OF CONNECTION OF SAID RECYCLE CONDUIT WITH SAID FEED CONDUIT, AND A FLOW CONTROLLER OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID TEMPERATURE MEASURING MEANS AND SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONTROL VALVES, SAID FLOW CONTROLLER BEING ADAPTED TO AUTOMATICALLY ADJUST SAID FIRST VALVE BY THROTTLING SAME, SAID SECOND VALVE BEING FULLY OPEN, UP TO A PREDETERMINED MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE WHERE SAID FIRST VALVE IS FULLY OPEN, AND SAID FLOW CONTROLLER BEING FURTHER ADAPTED TO AUTOMATICALLY ADJUST SAID SECOND VALVE BY THROTTLING SAME ABOVE SAID PREDETERMINED MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE WHILE SAID FIRST VALVE IS FULLY OPEN.