Method for monitoring and controlling the efficiency of a chemical process

Claim 3

The process as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the sample is chemically treated by oxidizing it; the first chemical element is sulphur; and the second chemical element is carbon.

Claim 4

The process as set forth in claim 2 wherein: the sample is oxidized at a temperature within the range 800*C to 1000*C.

Claim 5

A process for monitoring and controlling the production of a chemical substance by a chemical process, which method comprises: obtaining a first sample from an inlet of the chemical process; obtaining a second sample from an outlet of the chemical process; chemically treating each sample to convert all the sample components, containing a first chemical element which is also a constituent of the chemical substance, into one chemical compound, without the addition to the sample of said element, and to convert all the sample components, containing a second chemical element, which is not a constituent of the chemical substance and the flow rate of which is substantially the same at the outlet of the chemical process as it is at the inlet of the chemical process, into one chemical compound, without the addition to the sample of said chemical element; measuring the ratio of the concentrations of the two chemical compounds and determining therefrom a ratio of the number of atoms of the first and second chemical elements existing in the inlet sample; measuring the ratio of the concentrations of the two chemical compounds and determining therefrom a ratio of the number of atoms of the same two chemical elements existing in the outlet sample; where the numerators in the so determined ratios of the inlet and outlet samples pertain to the same chemical element, altering a controllable variable in the chemical process usisng the magnitude of the ratio of the so determined ratios of the two chemical elements at the inlet and outlet of the process to minimize the disparity between the actual quantity of the chemical substance produced and recovered and the desired quantity thereof.

Claim 6

A process for monitoring and controlling the production of a chemical substance by a chemical process, which method comprises: obtaining a first sample from an inlet of the chemical process; obtaining a second sample from an outlet of the chemical process; chemically treating each sample to convert all the sample components, containing a first chemical element which is also a constituent of the chemical substance, into one chemical compound, without the addition to the sample of said element, and to convert all the sample components, containing a second chemical element, which is not a constituent of the chemical substance and the flow rate of which is substantially the same at the outlet of the chemical process as it is at the inlet of the chemical process, into one chemical compound, without the addition to the sample of said chemical element; measuring the ratio of the concentrations of the two chemical compounds and determining therefrom a ratio of the number of atoms of the first and second chemical elements existing in the inlet sample; measuring the ratio of the concentrations of the two chemical compounds and determining therefrom a ratio of the number of atoms of the same two chemical elements existing in the outlet sample; where the numerators in the so determined ratios of the inlet and outlet samples pertain to the same chemical element, altering a controllable variable in the chemical process usisng the magnitude of the ratio of the so determined ratios of the two chemical elements at the inlet and outlet of the process to minimize the disparity between the actual quantity of the chemical substance produced and recovered and the desired quantity thereof.

Claim 7

The process as set forth in claim 2 wherein: the sample is chemically treated by oxidizing it; the first chemical element is sulphur; and the second chemical element is carbon.

Claim 8

The process as set forth in claim 5 wherein: the sample is oxidized at a temperature within the range 800*C to 1000*C.

Claim 9

A process for monitoring the efficiency of production recovery of a chemical substance from a chemical process which comprises: obtaining a first sample from an inlet of the chemical process; obtaining a second sample from an outlet of the chemical process; chemically treating each sample to convert all the sample components, containing a first chemical element which is also a constituent of the chemical substance, into one chemical compound, without the addition to the sample of said particular chemical element, and to convert all the sample components containing a second chemical element, which is not a constituent of the chemical substance and the flowrate of which is substantially the same at the outlet of the chemical process as it is at the inlet of the chemical process, into one chemical compound, without the addition to the sample of said second chemical element; measuring the ratio of the concentrations of the two chemical compounds in the first sample and determining therefrom a ratio of the number of atoms of the first and second chemical elemeNts existing in the inlet sample; measuring the ratio of the concentrations of the two chemical compounds in the second sample and determining therefrom the ratio of the number of atoms of the same two chemical elements existing in the outlet sample; where the numerators in the so determined ratios from the inlet and outlet samples pertain to the first chemical element; determining the magnitude of the difference between unity and the ratio of the so determined ratio of the two chemical elements obtained from the outlet sample and the so determined ratio of the same two chemical elements obtained from the inlet sample to provide the efficiency of production recovery where the ratio of the two chemical elements obtained from the outlet sample is the numerator of the ratio that is to be subtracted from unity.

Claim 10

A process for monitoring the efficiency of production recovery of a chemical substance from a chemical process which comprises: obtaining a first sample from an inlet of the chemical process; obtaining a second sample from an outlet of the chemical process; chemically treating each sample to convert all the sample components, containing a first chemical element which is also a constituent of the chemical substance, into one chemical compound, without the addition to the sample of said particular chemical element, and to convert all the sample components containing a second chemical element, which is not a constituent of the chemical substance and the flowrate of which is substantially the same at the outlet of the chemical process as it is at the inlet of the chemical process, into one chemical compound, without the addition to the sample of said second chemical element; measuring the ratio of the concentrations of the two chemical compounds in the first sample and determining therefrom a ratio of the number of atoms of the first and second chemical elemeNts existing in the inlet sample; measuring the ratio of the concentrations of the two chemical compounds in the second sample and determining therefrom the ratio of the number of atoms of the same two chemical elements existing in the outlet sample; where the numerators in the so determined ratios from the inlet and outlet samples pertain to the first chemical element; determining the magnitude of the difference between unity and the ratio of the so determined ratio of the two chemical elements obtained from the outlet sample and the so determined ratio of the same two chemical elements obtained from the inlet sample to provide the efficiency of production recovery where the ratio of the two chemical elements obtained from the outlet sample is the numerator of the ratio that is to be subtracted from unity.

Claim 11

The process as set forth in claim 7 wherein: the sample is chemically treated by oxidizing it; the first chemical element is sulphur; and the second chemical element is carbon.

Claim 12

The process as set forth in claim 8 wherein: the sample is oxidized at a temperature within the range 800*C to 1000*C.

Claim 13

The process as set forth in claim 7 wherein: the series of steps are carried out substantially continuously.

Claim 14

The process as set forth in claim 8 wherein: the series of steps are carried out substantially continuously.