Method and apparatus for monitoring processes

Claim 3

The method of claim 1, said selected critical input variables comprising those variables which are normally monitored during operation of the process.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1, wherein said process to be monitored is a furnace oil hydrocracker, said selected input variables comprising total feed rate, total quench flow, and inlet and outlet temperatures, and said selected response variable comprising conversion per pass.

Claim 5

The method of claim 1, said step of generating said data tables being performed with the use of a general purpose analog computer and by converting the output of said analog computer into tables of data.

Claim 6

The method of claim 1, said step of generating said data tables being performed by a general purpose digital computer.

Claim 7

The method of claim 1, said monitoring device comprising a special purpose analog computer.

Claim 8

The method of claim 3, wherein said monitoring device comprises a special purpose analog computer wherein conversion per pass is computed according to a formula having the form: F.O.H.C WT. % CONV. PER PASS (K1+K2Ti - K3F) (Q+(K4e K F -K5Ti) (K6 Delta T)) wherein the constants K1 through K6, and KL are determined by the physical and chemical characteristics of the process to be monitored, wherein Ti is inlet temperature, F is total feed, e is the natural log base, and Delta T is the inlet and outlet temperature difference.

Claim 11

The method of claim 8, wherein said plurality of critical input variables consists of total feed, quench flow, and inlet and outlet temperatures, said first combination of critical input variables consisting of said total feed and said inlet temperature, and said second combination of said critical input variables consisting of said quench, said inlet temperature, said total feed, and the difference between said inlet and outlet temperatures.

Claim 12

The method of claim 9, wherein said hydrocracker is a first hydrocracker in a process comprising said first and a second hydrocracker, continuously measuring the values of total feed, and inlet and outlet temperatures for said second hydrocracker, continuously measuring those flows of a material within said process sufficient to permit the calculation of a balance of said material around the process, continuously generating a fourth signal representative of a combined value of said measured values of said inlet and outlet temperatures of said second hydrocracker, continuously calculating said balance around said process utilizing said measured values of said flows of said material and said third signal, continuously generating a fifth signal fRom said continuous calculation of said balance indicative of the amount of the product produced by said second hydrocracker, continuously generating a sixth signal indicative of conversion per pass for said second hydrocracker from said fourth and fifth signals, and continuously displaying said sixth signal.

Claim 13

The method of claim 10, wherein said material is naphtha.

Claim 14

Apparatus for monitoring a continuous chemical reaction process that is housed in a vessel, produces a temperature gradient therein, and includes means to prevent any unaccountable substantial heat loss from the vessel; comprising a special purpose analog computer, means to feed signals to said computer proportional to the values of selected critical physical input variables of said chemical process, said computer comprising means to determine present values of a selected output response variable of said process from said signals, and means to read out said values of said selected output response variable as determined by said computer, wherein said chemical reaction process is a hydrocracking process and said selected output response variable comprises conversion per pass.

Claim 15

Apparatus for monitoring a continuous chemical reaction process that is housed in a vessel, produces a temperature gradient therein, and includes means to prevent any unaccountable substantial heat loss from the vessel; comprising a special purpose analog computer, means to feed signals to said computer proportional to the values of selected critical physical input variables of said chemical process, said computer comprising means to determine present values of a selected output response variable of said process from said signals, and means to read out said values of said selected output response variable as determined by said computer, wherein said chemical reaction process is a hydrocracking process and said selected output response variable comprises conversion per pass.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said selected input variables comprise total feed, inlet and outlet temperatures, and volume of quench flow.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, said selected input variables comprising total feed, inlet and outlet temperatures, and volume of quench flow, said computer comprising means to determine conversion per pass according to a relationship having the form: Conversion per pass (K1+K2Ti - K3F) (Q+(K4e K F - K5Ti) (K6 Delta T)) wherein the constants K1 through K6, and KL are determined by the physical and chemical characteristics of the process to be monitored, wherein Ti is inlet temperature, F is total feed, e is the natural log base, and Delta T is the inlet and outlet temperature difference.

Claim 18

Apparatus for monitoring present values of selected output variables of a process which comprises first and second reactors, means to feed feedstock to each of said first and second reactors, said first and second reactors producing different products, said different products being combined into a single stream, a computer, means to feed the values of selected critical input variables from said first and second reactors to said computer, said computer comprising means to determine the present value of said selected output variables of each of said first and second reactors from said signals, and means to display the present values determined by said computer.

Claim 19

Apparatus for monitoring present values of selected output variables of a process which comprises first and second reactors, means to feed feedstock to each of said first and second reactors, said first and second reactors producing different products, said different products being combined into a single stream, a computer, means to feed the values of selected critical input variables from said first and second reactors to said computer, said computer comprising means to determine the present value of said selected output variables of each of said first and second reactors from said signals, and means to display the present values determined by said computer.

Claim 20

The apparatus of claim 15, said computer comprising means to determine the present value of said selected output variable for said second reactor by utilization of the values of said selected output variable for said first reactor as determined by said computer and the overall flows of material through said process.

Claim 21

The apparatus of claim 15, said first and second reactors comprising hydrocrackers, said selected critical input variables including total feed and inlet and outlet temperatures for each of said first and second reactors, and said selected output variables comprising conversion per pass for each of said first and second reactors.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 17, said process further comprising first and second distillation towers, means to feed all materials processed by said process into said first distillation tower first, means to take off a first fraction from said first distillation tower and means to feed said first fraction to subsequent processes, means to take off a second fraction from said first distillation tower and to feed said second fraction to said first reactor, means to take off a third fraction from said first distillation tower and to feed said third fracTion to said second distillation tower, means to take off a first fraction from said second distillation tower and to feed said first fraction from said second distillation tower to subsequent processes, means to take off a second fraction from said second distillation tower and to feed said second fraction from said second distillation tower to said first reactor, means to take off a third fraction from said second distillation tower and to feed said third fraction from said second distillation tower to said second reactor, means to feed said combined single stream of said different products from said first and second reactors to said second distillation tower; whereby said feed stock to said first reactor consists of said second fraction from said first distillation tower and said second fraction from said second distillation tower, and said feedstock to said second reactor consists of said third fraction from said second distillation tower; said computer comprising means to determine the present value of conversion per pass for said first reactor by utilization of said values of said selected critical input variables of said first reactor, and said computer comprising means to determine conversion per pass for said second reactor by performing a material balance around said process and by utilizing the value of conversion per pass for said first reactor as determined by said computer.

Claim 23

The apparatus of claim 18, the selected critical input variables for said second reactor to perform said material balance comprising the flow of material in said take-off means for said first fraction from said second distillation tower less the flow of material in said take-off means for said first fraction from said first distillation tower, and less the flow of product produced by said first reactor which is determined from the computer determination of conversion per pass for said first reactor.

Claim 24

The apparatus of claim 19, said computer comprising means to determine the quantity of material produced by said first reactor according to a relationship having the form: Quantity of Material Produced by First Reactor CONSTANT1 + CONSTANT2 (Conversion per pass in first reactor) wherein CONSTANT1 is a number associated with the effective average reactor temperature, and CONSTANT2 is a coefficient associated with the particular conversion level at which the reactor is operating.