Methods for improved control of glacial acetic acid processes

A method for measuring component concentration, the method comprising:

• providing a system configured for contacting a first component, a second component, and a third component, the system comprising
• a reactor, and
• a first apparatus downstream of the reactor;
• determining a concentration of the second component in the reactor;
• determining a concentration of the third component in the reactor;
• determining a temperature and a pressure of the first apparatus;
• and
• calculating a first concentration of the first component in the reactor based on (i) the concentration of the second component in the reactor, (ii) the concentration of the third component in the reactor, and (iii) the temperature and the pressure of the first apparatus, wherein
• the first component is methyl acetate,
• the second component is methyl iodide,
• the third component is water,
• the first apparatus is a flash tank, and
• the calculating of the first concentration of the first component in the reactor comprises solving Equation 1:
• [
• M
• ⁢
• e
• ⁢
• A
• ⁢
• c
• ]
• R
• ⁢
• eactor
• =
• T
• F
• ⁢
• l
• ⁢
• a
• ⁢
• s
• ⁢
• h
• ⁢
• Tank
• -
• C
• w
• [
• H
• 2
• ⁢
• O
• ]
• Reactor
• +
• C
• m
• ⁢
• (
• [
• MeI
• ]
• Reactor
• )
• +
• C
• p
• ⁢
• P
• FlashTank
• C
• a
• (
• Eq
• .
• 1
• )
• wherein:
• [MeAc]Reactor is the reactor MeAc concentration;
• TFlashTank is the flash tank temperature;
• Cw is the reactor water coefficient;
• [H2O]Reactor is the reactor H2O concentration;
• Cm is the reactor MeI coefficient;
• [MeI]Reactor is the reactor MeI concentration;
• Cp is the flash tank operating pressure coefficient;
• PFlashTank is the flash tank pressure;
• and Ca is the flash tank temperature coefficient.