Process control

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A CONTINUOUS POLYMERIZATION REACTION FOR PRODUCTION OF POLYMER OF UNIFORM MELT INDEX WHEREIN MONOMER, HYDROGEN, AND CATALYST STREAMS ARE CONTINUOUSLY FED TO A REACTION ZONE AND FROM WHICH A REACTION EFFLUENT CONTAINING POLYMER, UNREACTED MONOMER, CATALYST AND HYDROGEN IS REMOVED WHICH COMPRISES: DETERMINING THE CONCENTRATION OF HYDROGEN IN THE FEED TO THE REACTION ZONE AND PRODUCING A FIRST MEASUREMENT SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL THERETO; DETERMINING THE POLYMER CONCENTRATION (PERCENT SOLIDS) OF THE CONTENTS OF SAID REACTION ZONE AND PRODUCING A SECOND MEASUREMENT SIGNAL PROOPORTIONAL THERETO; MEASURING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE CONTENTS OF SAID REACTION ZONE AND PRODUCING A THRID MEASUREMENT SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL THERETO; MEASURING THE FLOW RATE OF SAID MONOMER STREAM AND PRODUCING A FOURTH MEASUREMENT SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL THERETO; AUTOMATICALLY COMBINING SAID FIRST, SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH MEASUREMENT SIGNALS TO PRODUCE A FIRST COMPUTED OUTPUT SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL TO THE MELT INDEX OF TE POLYMER BEING PRODUCED AT ANY INSTANT WITHIN SAID REACTION ZONE (INSTANTANEOUS MELT INDES) IN RESPONSE TO SAID FIRST, SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH MEASUREMENT SIGNALS; COMPARING THE THUS-DETERMINED INSTANTANEOUS MELT INDEX VALUE WITH A DESIRED POLYMER MELT INDEX VALUE; AND CONTROLLING THE ADDITION OF HYDROGEN TO SAID REATION ZONE RESPONSIVE TO CHANGES IN SAID DETERMINED INSTANTANEOUS MELT INDEX SO AS TO MAINTAIN THE AMOUNT OF HYDROGEN IN SAID ZONE AT A DESIRED ALUE TO PRODUCE A POLYMER HAVING A DESIRED MELT INDEX BY PRODUCING A FIRST CONTROL OUTPUT SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF SAID COMPARISON SO AS TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF HYDROGEN PASSED TO SAID ZONE WHEN SAID DETERMINED INSTANTANEOUS MELT INDEX IS LESS THAN SAID DESIRED MELT INDEX VALUE AND TO DECREASE THE AMOUNT OF HYDROGEN PASSED TO SAID ZONE WHEN SAID DETERMINED INSTANTANEOUS MELT INDEX IS GREATER THAN SAID DESIRED MELT INDEX VALUE.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A CONTINUOUS POLYMERIZATION REACTION FOR PRODUCTION OF POLYMER OF UNIFORM MELT INDEX WHEREIN MONOMER, HYDROGEN, AND CATALYST STREAMS ARE CONTINUOUSLY FED TO A REACTION ZONE AND FROM WHICH A REACTION EFFLUENT CONTAINING POLYMER, UNREACTED MONOMER, CATALYST AND HYDROGEN IS REMOVED WHICH COMPRISES: DETERMINING THE CONCENTRATION OF HYDROGEN IN THE FEED TO THE REACTION ZONE AND PRODUCING A FIRST MEASUREMENT SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL THERETO; DETERMINING THE POLYMER CONCENTRATION (PERCENT SOLIDS) OF THE CONTENTS OF SAID REACTION ZONE AND PRODUCING A SECOND MEASUREMENT SIGNAL PROOPORTIONAL THERETO; MEASURING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE CONTENTS OF SAID REACTION ZONE AND PRODUCING A THRID MEASUREMENT SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL THERETO; MEASURING THE FLOW RATE OF SAID MONOMER STREAM AND PRODUCING A FOURTH MEASUREMENT SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL THERETO; AUTOMATICALLY COMBINING SAID FIRST, SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH MEASUREMENT SIGNALS TO PRODUCE A FIRST COMPUTED OUTPUT SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL TO THE MELT INDEX OF TE POLYMER BEING PRODUCED AT ANY INSTANT WITHIN SAID REACTION ZONE (INSTANTANEOUS MELT INDES) IN RESPONSE TO SAID FIRST, SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH MEASUREMENT SIGNALS; COMPARING THE THUS-DETERMINED INSTANTANEOUS MELT INDEX VALUE WITH A DESIRED POLYMER MELT INDEX VALUE; AND CONTROLLING THE ADDITION OF HYDROGEN TO SAID REATION ZONE RESPONSIVE TO CHANGES IN SAID DETERMINED INSTANTANEOUS MELT INDEX SO AS TO MAINTAIN THE AMOUNT OF HYDROGEN IN SAID ZONE AT A DESIRED ALUE TO PRODUCE A POLYMER HAVING A DESIRED MELT INDEX BY PRODUCING A FIRST CONTROL OUTPUT SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF SAID COMPARISON SO AS TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF HYDROGEN PASSED TO SAID ZONE WHEN SAID DETERMINED INSTANTANEOUS MELT INDEX IS LESS THAN SAID DESIRED MELT INDEX VALUE AND TO DECREASE THE AMOUNT OF HYDROGEN PASSED TO SAID ZONE WHEN SAID DETERMINED INSTANTANEOUS MELT INDEX IS GREATER THAN SAID DESIRED MELT INDEX VALUE.