Method of separating acidic components from gaseous mixtures

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE SEPARATION OF ACIDIC GASEOUS COMPONENTS FROM A GASEOUS MIXTURE COMPRISING CONTACTING SAID MIXTURE WITH AN AQUEOUS SOLVENT CAPABLE OF SUBSTANTIALLY ABSORBING SAID ACIDIC COMPONENTS IN A SEPARATION ZONE, WITHDRAWING THE PURIFIED PRODUCT AND THE CHARGED SOLVENT FROM SAID ZONE, STRIPPING THE ABSORBED COMPONENTS AT LEAST SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM THE CHARGED SOLVENT IN A STRIPPING ZONE, AND RETURNING THE STRIPPED SOLVENT TO THE SEPARATION ZONE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES MINIMIZING SOLVENT FLOW AND HEAT REQUIREMENTS BY: (1) MONITORING THE RESIDUAL CONTENT OF ACIDIC GASEOUS COMPONENTS OF THE PURIFIED PRODUCT; (2) TRANSMITTING THE MEASUREMENT OBTAINED FROM SAID MONITORING OF (1) FOR CORRELATION WITH A SPECIFIED PRESET VALUE REPRESENTING THE PERMISSIBLE MAXIMUM CONTENT OF THE ACIDIC COMPONENTS IN THE PURIFIED PRODUCT; (3) VARYING THE AMOUNT OF SOLVENT INTRODUCED INTO THE SEPARATION ZONE PER UNIT OF TIME IN DIRECT RESPONSE TO THE DIFFERENTIAL OBTAINED IN (2); (4) MONITORING THE TEMPERATURE AT THE TOP OF SAID STRIPPING ZONE; (5) TRANSMITTING THE MEASUREMENT OBTAINED FROM SAID MONITORING OF (4) FOR CORRELATION WITH A SPECIFIED VALUE REPRESENTING THE TEMPERATURE AT WHICH SAID ACIDIC GASEOUS COMPONENTS ARE PRESENT IN THE STRIPPED SOLVENT IN THE SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE CONTENT; AND (6) VARYING THE AMOUNT OF HEAT SUPPLIED TO THE STRIPPING ZONE IN RESPONSE TO THE DIFFERENTIAL OBTAINED IN (5).