Measurement of heat generated in exothermic reaction

Claim 2

In a batch system which includes a reactor having a heat exchanger associated therewith through which a heat exchange medium is circulated, apparatus for calculating the heat of reaction released by an exothermic reaction taking place wiThin the reactor, comprising: means to measure the temperature of heat exchange medium introduced into said heat exchanger and establish a signal TIN representative thereof; means to measure the temperature of the heat exchange medium withdrawn from the reactor and establish a signal TOUT representative thereof; means to subtract said signal TIN from said signal TOUT to establish a difference signal; means to measure the rate of flow of the heat exchange medium through said heat exchanger and establish a signal F representative thereof; means to establish a signal Cp representative of the specific heat of the heat exchange medium; means to multiply said difference signal by said signal F and by said signal Cp to establish a first product signal; means to integrate said first product signal with respect to time to establish a signal QO which is representative of heat removed from the reactor by the heat exchange medium; means responsive to said measured temperature of the heat exchange medium introduced into the heat exchanger to establish a signal QM representative of heat accumulated by the reactor; means to measure the temperature of material within the reactor and to establish in response thereto a signal QL representative of the heat accumulated by material within the reactor; and means to sum said signals QO, QM and QL.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising means to establish a signal K representative of the initial conditions of the reaction system at the time the integration of the first product signal is started, and means to add said signal K to the sum of said signals QO, QM and QL.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising means to establish a reference signal representative of heat introduced into the reactor by agitation of the contents thereof and heat loss through the walls of the reactor, and means to add said reference signal to said difference signal before said difference signal is multiplied by said signal F and said signal Cp.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means to establish said signal Cp comprises means to establish a signal of preselected magnitude representative of the specific heat of the heat exchange medium introduced into the reactor, and means to modify said signal of preselected magnitude in response to the measured temperature of the heat exchange medium introduced into the heat exchanger to compensate for changes in specific heat of the heat exchange medium as the temperature of the heat exchange medium changes.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means to establish said signal QM comprises a signal lagging means, means to apply said signal TIN to the input of said signal lagging means, and means to adjust the amplitude of the output signal from the signal lagging means in accordance with the specific heat of the material of which the reactor is constructed.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means to establish said signal QL includes means to adjust the amplitude of the signal representative of the measured temperature of the material within the reactor by a factor representative of the specific heat of such material.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising means to establish a signal Q representative of the sum of QO, QM and QL, means to differentiate said signal Q with respect to time and to establish a signal dQ/dt representative thereof, and means responsive to said signal dQ/dt to terminate the reaction when said signal dQ/dt falls to a preselected value.

Claim 9

In a process in which an exothermic reaction is carried out in a batch reactor and a heat exchange medium is passed in heat exchange relationship with the reactor, a method of calculating the heat of reaction released by the exothermic reaction, comprising: measuring the temperature of heat exchange medium introduced into heat exchange relationship with the reactor and establishing a signal TIN representative thereof, measuring the temperature of the heat exchange medium withdrawn from heat exchange relationship with the reactor and establishing a signal TOUT representative thereof, subtracting said signal TIN from said signal TOUT and establishing a difference signal representative of the difference; measuring the rate of flow of heat exchange medium in heat exchange relationship with the reactor and establishing a signal F representative thereof; establishing a signal Cp representative of the specific heat of the heat exchange medium; multiplying said difference signal by said signal F and by said signal Cp to establish a first product signal; integrating said first product signal with respect to time to establish a signal QO which is representative of heat removed from the reactor by the heat exchange medium; establishing in response to the measured temperature of the heat exchange medium introduced into heat exchange relationship with the reactor a signal QMwhich is representative of heat accumulated by the reactor; measuring the temperature of material within the reactor and establishing in response thereto a signal QL representative of the heat accumulated by the material within the reactor; and summing said signals QO, QM and QL.

Claim 10

In a process in which an exothermic reaction is carried out in a batch reactor and a heat exchange medium is passed in heat exchange relationship with the reactor, a method of calculating the heat of reaction released by the exothermic reaction, comprising: measuring the temperature of heat exchange medium introduced into heat exchange relationship with the reactor and establishing a signal TIN representative thereof, measuring the temperature of the heat exchange medium withdrawn from heat exchange relationship with the reactor and establishing a signal TOUT representative thereof, subtracting said signal TIN from said signal TOUT and establishing a difference signal representative of the difference; measuring the rate of flow of heat exchange medium in heat exchange relationship with the reactor and establishing a signal F representative thereof; establishing a signal Cp representative of the specific heat of the heat exchange medium; multiplying said difference signal by said signal F and by said signal Cp to establish a first product signal; integrating said first product signal with respect to time to establish a signal QO which is representative of heat removed from the reactor by the heat exchange medium; establishing in response to the measured temperature of the heat exchange medium introduced into heat exchange relationship with the reactor a signal QMwhich is representative of heat accumulated by the reactor; measuring the temperature of material within the reactor and establishing in response thereto a signal QL representative of the heat accumulated by the material within the reactor; and summing said signals QO, QM and QL.

Claim 11

The method of claim 8, further comprising establishing a reference signal representative of operating conditions of the reactor at the beginning of the integration period, and adding said reference signal to the sum of said signals QO, QM and QL.

Claim 12

The method of claim 8, further comprising establishing a signal Q representative of the sum of QO, QM and QL, differentiating said signal Q with respect to time to establish a signal dQ/dt representative thereof, and terminating the reaction when said signal dQ/dt falls to a preselected value.