Method of controlling a thermal conversion process

Claim 1

A METHOD OF CONTROLLING A THERMAL CONVERSION PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES MEASURING AT LEAST A FIRST PROCESS VARIABLE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OPERATION OF SAID PROCESS, PASSING A FIRST SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF SAID MEASUREMENT TO A FIRST CONTROL ZONE AND A SECOND CONTROL ZONE, PASSING A SECOND SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OPERATING LIMIT OF A SECOND INPUT PROCESS VARIBLE TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONTROL ZONES, SAID FIRST CONTROL ZONE CAPABLE OF TRANSMITTING A THIRD SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND SIGNALS RECEIVED BY SAID FIRST CONTROL ZONE, SAID SECOND CONTROL ZONE CAPABLE OF TRANSMITTING A FOURT SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF ONE OF TWO SIGNALS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND SIGNALS RECEIVED BY SAID SECOND CONTROL ZONE, PASSING SAID THIRD SIGNAL FROM SAID FIRST CONTROL ZONE TO A MEANS OF MANIPULATING A THIRD INPUT PROCESS VARIABLE RESPONSIVE TO SAID THIRD SIGNAL, AND PASSING SAID FOURTH SIGNAL FROM SAID SECOND CONTROL ZONE TO MEANS OF MANIPULATING SAID SECOND INPUT PROCESS VARIABLE RESPONSIVE TO SAID FOURTH SIGNAL.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF CONTROLLING A THERMAL CONVERSION PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES MEASURING AT LEAST A FIRST PROCESS VARIABLE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OPERATION OF SAID PROCESS, PASSING A FIRST SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF SAID MEASUREMENT TO A FIRST CONTROL ZONE AND A SECOND CONTROL ZONE, PASSING A SECOND SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OPERATING LIMIT OF A SECOND INPUT PROCESS VARIBLE TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONTROL ZONES, SAID FIRST CONTROL ZONE CAPABLE OF TRANSMITTING A THIRD SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND SIGNALS RECEIVED BY SAID FIRST CONTROL ZONE, SAID SECOND CONTROL ZONE CAPABLE OF TRANSMITTING A FOURT SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF ONE OF TWO SIGNALS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND SIGNALS RECEIVED BY SAID SECOND CONTROL ZONE, PASSING SAID THIRD SIGNAL FROM SAID FIRST CONTROL ZONE TO A MEANS OF MANIPULATING A THIRD INPUT PROCESS VARIABLE RESPONSIVE TO SAID THIRD SIGNAL, AND PASSING SAID FOURTH SIGNAL FROM SAID SECOND CONTROL ZONE TO MEANS OF MANIPULATING SAID SECOND INPUT PROCESS VARIABLE RESPONSIVE TO SAID FOURTH SIGNAL.

Claim 3

AN APPARATUS FOR THE THERMAL CRACKING OF A LIGHT HYDROCARBON WHICH COMPRISES IN COMBINATION: A MEANS FOR THERMAL CRACKING OF A HYDROCARBON, MEANS FOR PASSING A LIGHT HYDROCARBON FEED STREAM TO SAID MEANS FOR THERMAL CRACKING, MEANS FOR PASSING STEAM TO SAID MEANS FOR THERMAL CRACKING AND THEREIN CONTACTNG SAID LIGHT HYDROCARBON FEED WITH SAID STEAM, MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING FROM SAID MEANS FOR THERMAL CRACKING AN EFFLUENT HYDROCARBON STREAM, A CONTROL MEANS WHICH COMPRISES MEANS FOR MEASURING A PROPERTY OF SAID LIGHT HYDROCARBON FEED STREAM WHICH IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION THEREOF, MEANS FOR FORMING AND PASSING A FIRST SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF SAID MEASUREMENT TO A COMPUTING MEANS, MEANS FOR MEASURING A PROPERTY OF SAID EFFLUENT STREAM WHICH IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION THEREOF, MEANS FOR FORMING AND PASSING A SECOND SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF SAID EFFLUENT STREAM MEASUREMENT TO SAID COMPUTING MEANS, A PRIMARY CONTROL MEANS, MEANS FOR PASSING FROM SAID COMPUTER MEANS A THIRD SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF SAID PERCENT CONVERSION OF SAID LIGHT HYDROGEN FEED STREAM TO SAID PRIMARY CONTROL MEANS, MEANS FOR FORMING IN AND PASSING FROM SAID PRIMARY CONTROL MEANS A SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF A TEMPERATURE DESIRED IN SAID THERMAL CRACKING MEANS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A DESIRED CONVERSION IN SAID THERMAL CRACKING MEANS, A FIRST CONTROL MEANS, A SECOND CONTROL MEANS MEANS FOR PASSING SAID THIRD SIGNAL TO SAID FIRST CONTROL MEANS AND TO SAID SECOND CONTROL MEANS, MEANS FOR PASSING A FOURTH SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF A MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE TEMPERATURE IN SAID THERMAL CRACKING MEANS TO EACH OF SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND CONTROL MEANS, SAID FIRST CONTROL MEANS COMPRISING MEANS CAPABLE OF FORMING AND TRANSMITTING A FIFTH SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID THIRD AND FOURTH SIGNALS RECEIVED BY SAID FIRST CONTROL MEANS, SAID SECOND CONTROL MEANS COMPRISING MEANS CAPABLE OF FORMING AND TRANSMITTING A SIXTH SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE MINIMUM OF TWO SIGNALS SELECTED FROM SAID THIRD AND SAID FOURTH SIGNALS RECEIVED BY SAID SECOND CONTROL MEANS, MEANS FOR PASSING SAID FIFTH SIGNAL FROM SAID FIRST CONTROL MEANS TO A MEANS FOR MANIPULATING THE RATE OF FLOW OF SAID LIGHT HYDROCARBON FEED TO SAID THERMAL CRACKING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID FIFTH SIGNAL AND MEANS FOR PASSING SAID SIXT SIGNAL FROM SAID SECOND CONTROL MEANS TO A MEANS FOR MANIPULATING RESPONSIVE TO SAID SIXTH SIGNAL THE RATE OF FLOW OF HEATING MEDIUM TO SAID THERMAL CRACKING MEANS.

Claim 4

AN APPARATUS FOR THE THERMAL CRACKING OF A LIGHT HYDROCARBON WHICH COMPRISES IN COMBINATION: A MEANS FOR THERMAL CRACKING OF A HYDROCARBON, MEANS FOR PASSING A LIGHT HYDROCARBON FEED STREAM TO SAID MEANS FOR THERMAL CRACKING, MEANS FOR PASSING STEAM TO SAID MEANS FOR THERMAL CRACKING AND THEREIN CONTACTNG SAID LIGHT HYDROCARBON FEED WITH SAID STEAM, MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING FROM SAID MEANS FOR THERMAL CRACKING AN EFFLUENT HYDROCARBON STREAM, A CONTROL MEANS WHICH COMPRISES MEANS FOR MEASURING A PROPERTY OF SAID LIGHT HYDROCARBON FEED STREAM WHICH IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION THEREOF, MEANS FOR FORMING AND PASSING A FIRST SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF SAID MEASUREMENT TO A COMPUTING MEANS, MEANS FOR MEASURING A PROPERTY OF SAID EFFLUENT STREAM WHICH IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION THEREOF, MEANS FOR FORMING AND PASSING A SECOND SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF SAID EFFLUENT STREAM MEASUREMENT TO SAID COMPUTING MEANS, A PRIMARY CONTROL MEANS, MEANS FOR PASSING FROM SAID COMPUTER MEANS A THIRD SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF SAID PERCENT CONVERSION OF SAID LIGHT HYDROGEN FEED STREAM TO SAID PRIMARY CONTROL MEANS, MEANS FOR FORMING IN AND PASSING FROM SAID PRIMARY CONTROL MEANS A SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF A TEMPERATURE DESIRED IN SAID THERMAL CRACKING MEANS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A DESIRED CONVERSION IN SAID THERMAL CRACKING MEANS, A FIRST CONTROL MEANS, A SECOND CONTROL MEANS MEANS FOR PASSING SAID THIRD SIGNAL TO SAID FIRST CONTROL MEANS AND TO SAID SECOND CONTROL MEANS, MEANS FOR PASSING A FOURTH SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF A MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE TEMPERATURE IN SAID THERMAL CRACKING MEANS TO EACH OF SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND CONTROL MEANS, SAID FIRST CONTROL MEANS COMPRISING MEANS CAPABLE OF FORMING AND TRANSMITTING A FIFTH SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID THIRD AND FOURTH SIGNALS RECEIVED BY SAID FIRST CONTROL MEANS, SAID SECOND CONTROL MEANS COMPRISING MEANS CAPABLE OF FORMING AND TRANSMITTING A SIXTH SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE MINIMUM OF TWO SIGNALS SELECTED FROM SAID THIRD AND SAID FOURTH SIGNALS RECEIVED BY SAID SECOND CONTROL MEANS, MEANS FOR PASSING SAID FIFTH SIGNAL FROM SAID FIRST CONTROL MEANS TO A MEANS FOR MANIPULATING THE RATE OF FLOW OF SAID LIGHT HYDROCARBON FEED TO SAID THERMAL CRACKING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID FIFTH SIGNAL AND MEANS FOR PASSING SAID SIXT SIGNAL FROM SAID SECOND CONTROL MEANS TO A MEANS FOR MANIPULATING RESPONSIVE TO SAID SIXTH SIGNAL THE RATE OF FLOW OF HEATING MEDIUM TO SAID THERMAL CRACKING MEANS.