Controlling the operation of a train of distillation columns

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS WHEREIN A MULTICOMPONENT FEEDSTOCK IS SEPARATED IN A TRAIN OF FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION COLUMNS TO PRODUCT A PLURALITY OF TERMINAL PRODUCT STREAMS WHEREIN THE CONTROL OF EACH OF SAID COLUMNS IN MANIPULATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SIGNALS REPRESENTATIVE OF DESIRED PRODUCTS NECESSARY TO REALIZE MAXIMUM PROFIT FROM THE PRODUCTION OF TERMINAL PRODUCTS IN EACH OF SAID COLUMNS IN SAID TRAIN, THE PROCESS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF MEASURING A PROCESS VARIABLE INDICATIVE OF THE FLOW RATE OF SAID FEEDSTOCK TO THE FIRST OF SAID COLUMNS IN THE TRAIN; PRODUCING IN RESPONSE THERETO A SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE FEED FLOW RATE; ANALYZING SAID FEEDSTOCK TO DETERMINE THE CONCENTRATION OF KEY COMPONENTS CONTAINED IN SAID FEEDSTOCK; PRODUCING IN RESPONSE THERETO SIGNALS REPRESENTATIVE OF SAID CONCENTRATION OF SAID KEY COMPONENTS; COMBINING THE FEED FLOW RATE SIGNALS AND THE FEED COMPOSITION SIGNALS TOGETHER WITH SIGNALS REPRESENTATIVE OF PREDETERMINED PRODUCT SPECIFICATION DESIRED IN THE SAID PLURALITY OF TERMINAL PRODUCT STREAMS AND SIGNALS REPRESENTATIVE OF MANIPULATED PURITY OF INTERMEDIATE PRODUCT STREAMS DESIRED IN SAID TRAIN OF COLUMNS IN A MATERIAL BALANCE COMPUTER; TRANSMITTING FROM SAID MATERIAL BALANCE COMPUTER SAID FEED COMPOSITION SIGNALS AND SAID FEED FLOW RATE SIGNALS TO A HEAT COST COMPUTER FOR SAID FIRST COLUMN IN SAID TRAIN OF COLUMNS; TRANSMITTING SIGNALS REPRESENTATIVE OF PREDETERMINED OR MANIPULATED PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS ASSOCIATED PUTED TO SAID HEAT COST COMPUTER, COMBINING SAID FEED FLOW RATE SIGNALS AND FEED COMPOSITION SIGNALS TOGETHER WITH SAID FIRST COLUMN FROM SAID MATERIAL BALANCE COMWITH SAID SIGNALS REPRESENTATIVE OF PREDETERMINED OR MANIPULATED PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID FIRST COLUMN IN A HEAT COST COMPUTER ACCORDING TO THE FOLLOWING