N-butane rejection in hf alkylation

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR ELIMINATING AN INERT COMPONENT IN A CYCLIC CONVERSION SYSTEM AS RAPIDLY AS IT IS ADDED TO THE SYSTEM IN THE CHARGE STOCK THERETO, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A CONVERSION ASSEMBLY, A FIRST FEED INLET AND AN EFFLUENT OUTLET IN SAID ASSEMBLY, FIRST AND SECOND FRACTIONATING COLUMNS HAVING SECOND AND THIRD SEPARATE FEED INLETS, SEPARATE OVERHEAD PRODUCT OUTLETS AND SEPARATE BOTTOMS PRODUCT OUTLETS, THE EFFLUENT OUTLET OF SAID ASSEMBLY BEING IN OPERATIVE COMMUNICATION WITH SAID FIRST FEED INLET, THE BOTTOMS PRODUCT OUTLET OF THE FIRST FRACTIONATING COLUMN BEING IN OPERATIVE COMMUNICATION WITH SAID THIRD INLET, A FIRST FLOW RATE SENSING MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID FIRST FEED INLET, AN ANALYZER IN OPERATIVE COMMUNICATION WITH SAID FIRST FEED INLET, A FIRST CONDUIT OPERATIVELY CONNECTING THE OVERHEAD OUTLET OF SAID FIRST FRACTIONATING COLUMN WITH SAID FIRST FEED INLET INTERMEDIATE SAID ASSEMBLY AND SAID FIRST FLOW SENSING MEANS AND ANALYZER, SECOND MEANS FOR ADDING REBOILING HEAT TO THE KETTLE SECTION OF SAID FIRST FRACTIONATING COLUMN, A THIRD FLOW RATE SENSING MEANS OPERATIVELY IN THE OVERHEAD PRODUCT OUTLET OF SAID SECOND FRACTIONATING COLUMN AND COMMUNICATING WITH A RELAY SUBSEQUENTLY MENTIONED, SAID ANALYZER BEING ADAPTED TO EMIT A SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL TO THE CONCENTRATION OF SAID INERT COMPONENT IN SAID FIRST FEED INLET, A MULTIPLIER IN OPERATIVE COMMUNICATION WITH SAID ANALYZER ANDNG WITH SAID FIRST FLOW SENSING MEANS, THE SIGNAL EMITTED BY SAID MULTIPLIER BEING PROPORTIONAL TO THE PRODUCT OF THE CHARGE STOCK FLOW RATE AND THE FRACTION OF SAID INERT MATERIAL IN SAID CHARGE STOCK AND THUS TO THE FLOW RATE OF SAID INERT MATERIAL IN SAID FIRST FEED INLET, SAID RELAY SUBSEQUENTLY MENTIONED BEING A SUBTRACTING RELAY IN OPERATIVE COMMUNICATION WITH THE OUTLET OF SAID MULTIPLIER AND WITH SAID THIRD FLOW SENSING MEANS, SAID RELAY BEING ADAPTED TO EMIT A SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL TO THE DIFFERENCE OF THE FLOW RATE SENSED BY SAID THIRD FLOW SENSING MEANS AND THE FLOW RATE OF SAID INERT COMPONENT IN SAID FIRST FEED INLET AS SENSED BY SAID MULTIPLIER, SAID SECOND MEANS INCLUDING A SECOND CONDUIT FOR ADDING REBOILING HEAT TO THE KETTLE OF SAID FIRST FRACTIONATING COLUMN, A FLOW CONTROL MEANS OPERATIVELY IN SAID SECOND CONDUIT AND COMMUNICATING WITH THE OUTLET OF SAID RELAY, AND SAID FLOW CONTROL MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO REGULATE THE INLET OF HEAT TO THE KETTLE SECTION OF SAID FIRST FRACTIONATION COLUMN IN RESPONSE TO A SIGNAL EMITTED BY SAID SUBTRACTING RELAY.

Claim 3

A METHOD FOR REDUCING THE BUILD-UP OF N-BUTANE IN A CYCLIC ISOBUTANE-BUTYLENE CATALYTIC ALKYLATION OPERATION COMPRISING PASSING A CHARGE STOCK COMPRISING N-BUTANE, I-BUTANE AND BUTYLENE INTO AN ALKYLATING ZONE MAINTAINED UNDER I-BUTANE-BUTYLENE ALKYLATING CONDITIONS, WITHDRAWING EFFLUENT FROM SAID ZONE AND DISTILLING SAME THEREBY PRODUCING AN OVERHEAD STREAM COMPRISING I-BUTANE AND N-BUTANE, RETURNING THIS OVERHEAD STREAM TO THE CHARGE STOCK DOWNSTREAM FROM A POINT IN THE FLOW OF CHARGE STOCK FROM WHICH A SAMPLE IS TAKEN AND ANALYZED AS SUBSEQUENTLY STATED, AND A BOTTOMS MATERIAL COMPRISING ALKYLATE-CONTAINING N-BUTANE, ADDING REBOILING HEAT TO THE DISTILLING OPERASTION, WITHDRAWING THIS BOTTOMS MATERIAL FROM SAID DISTILLING OPERATION AND DISTILLING SAME UNDER DE-N-BUTANIZING CONDITIONS THEREBY PRODUCING A N-BUTANERICH OVERHEAD STREAM AND A CRUDE ALKYLATE, WITHDRAWING N-BUTANE-RICH OVERHEAD MATERIAL WITHDRAWN, DETERMINING THE PRODUCT, DETERMINING THE LIQUID RATE OF FLOW OF THE N-BUTANE-RICH OVERHEAD MATERIAL WITHDRAWN, DETERMINING THE LIQUID RATE OF FLOW OF SAID CHARGE STOCK, ANALYZING SAID CHARGE STOCK N-BUTANE CONTENT, FEEDING AN IMPULSE CORRESPONDING TO SAID LIQUID FLOW RATE OF SAID CHARGE STOCK AND AN IMPULSE CORRESPONDING TO THE N-BUTANE LIQUID CONTENT OF SAID CHARGE STOCK INTO A MULTIPLIER, PASSING AN IMPULSE CORRESSPONDING TO THE PRODUCT OF SAID N-BUTANE CONTENT OF SAID CHARGE STOCK AND THE FLOW RATE OF SAID CHARGE STOCK AND AN IMPULSE CORRESPONDING TO THE FLOW RATE OF SAID N-BUTANE-RICH OVERHEAD MATERIAL INTO A SUBTRACTING RELAY, SAID RELAY EMITTING A SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL TO THE DIFFERENCE OF THE SIGNAL OF SAID N-BUTANE MATERIAL FLOW RATE AND OF SAID PRODUCT, RESETTING A SET POINT OF A FLOW CONTROLLER THEREBY REGULATING THE ADDITION OF REBOILING HEAT TO THE FIRST MENTIONED DISTILLING OPERATION.

Claim 4

A METHOD FOR REDUCING THE BUILD-UP OF N-BUTANE IN A CYCLIC ISOBUTANE-BUTYLENE CATALYTIC ALKYLATION OPERATION COMPRISING PASSING A CHARGE STOCK COMPRISING N-BUTANE, I-BUTANE AND BUTYLENE INTO AN ALKYLATING ZONE MAINTAINED UNDER I-BUTANE-BUTYLENE ALKYLATING CONDITIONS, WITHDRAWING EFFLUENT FROM SAID ZONE AND DISTILLING SAME THEREBY PRODUCING AN OVERHEAD STREAM COMPRISING I-BUTANE AND N-BUTANE, RETURNING THIS OVERHEAD STREAM TO THE CHARGE STOCK DOWNSTREAM FROM A POINT IN THE FLOW OF CHARGE STOCK FROM WHICH A SAMPLE IS TAKEN AND ANALYZED AS SUBSEQUENTLY STATED, AND A BOTTOMS MATERIAL COMPRISING ALKYLATE-CONTAINING N-BUTANE, ADDING REBOILING HEAT TO THE DISTILLING OPERASTION, WITHDRAWING THIS BOTTOMS MATERIAL FROM SAID DISTILLING OPERATION AND DISTILLING SAME UNDER DE-N-BUTANIZING CONDITIONS THEREBY PRODUCING A N-BUTANERICH OVERHEAD STREAM AND A CRUDE ALKYLATE, WITHDRAWING N-BUTANE-RICH OVERHEAD MATERIAL WITHDRAWN, DETERMINING THE PRODUCT, DETERMINING THE LIQUID RATE OF FLOW OF THE N-BUTANE-RICH OVERHEAD MATERIAL WITHDRAWN, DETERMINING THE LIQUID RATE OF FLOW OF SAID CHARGE STOCK, ANALYZING SAID CHARGE STOCK N-BUTANE CONTENT, FEEDING AN IMPULSE CORRESPONDING TO SAID LIQUID FLOW RATE OF SAID CHARGE STOCK AND AN IMPULSE CORRESPONDING TO THE N-BUTANE LIQUID CONTENT OF SAID CHARGE STOCK INTO A MULTIPLIER, PASSING AN IMPULSE CORRESSPONDING TO THE PRODUCT OF SAID N-BUTANE CONTENT OF SAID CHARGE STOCK AND THE FLOW RATE OF SAID CHARGE STOCK AND AN IMPULSE CORRESPONDING TO THE FLOW RATE OF SAID N-BUTANE-RICH OVERHEAD MATERIAL INTO A SUBTRACTING RELAY, SAID RELAY EMITTING A SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL TO THE DIFFERENCE OF THE SIGNAL OF SAID N-BUTANE MATERIAL FLOW RATE AND OF SAID PRODUCT, RESETTING A SET POINT OF A FLOW CONTROLLER THEREBY REGULATING THE ADDITION OF REBOILING HEAT TO THE FIRST MENTIONED DISTILLING OPERATION.