Control of a vinyl acetate process
AssigneePhillips Petroleum Company
InventorsWilliam S. Stewart, John D. Hottovy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An integrated control system for a vinyl acetate process. A desired production rate of vinyl acetate is achieved by maintaining a desired reactor temperature. At the same time, the concentration of oxygen in the vinyl acetate reactor and condenser are maximized and the reactor pressure is maximized, all in a safe manner, so as to increase the selectivity of the process to the production of vinyl acetate. Also, the overall process is controlled so as to improve the efficiency of energy and materials usage.
Claims12
Apparatus comprising:
- a vinyl acetate reactor;
- means for providing a feed stream containing acetic acid, ethylene, and oxygen to said reactor;
- means for establishing a first signal representative of the actual flow rate of oxygen to said reactor;
- means for establishing a second signal representative of the desired production rate of vinyl acetate for said reactor;
- means for establishing a third signal representative of the reactor temperature required to maintain the actual vinyl acetate production rate for said reactor substantially equal to the desired vinyl acetate production rate represented by said second signal in response to said first signal and said second signal;
- means for establishing a fourth signal representative of the actual reactor temperature;
- means for comparing said third signal and said fourth signal and for establishing a fifth signal which is responsive to the difference between said third signal and said fourth signal, wherein said fifth signal is scaled so as to be representative of the amount of cooling which must be provided to said reactor in order to maintain the actual reaction temperature substantially equal to the desired reaction temperature represented by third signal;
- and
- means for manipulating the cooling of said reactor in response to said fifth signal.
A method for controlling a vinyl acetate process in which a feed stream containing acetic acid, ethylene and oxygen is provided to a vinyl acetate reactor and reacted to produce vinly acetate, said method comprising the steps of:
- establishing a first signal representative of the actual flow rate of oxygen to said reactor;
- establishing a second signal representative of the desired production rate of vinyl acetate for said reactor;
- establishing a third signal representative of the reactor temperature required to maintain the actual vinyl acetate production rate for said reactor substantially equal to the desired vinyl acetate production rate represented by said second signal in response to said first signal and said second signal;
- establishing a fourth signal representative of the actual reactor temperature;
- comparing said third signal and said fourth signal and establishing a fifth signal which is responsive to the difference between said third signal and said fourth signal, wherein said fifth signal is scaled so as to be representative of the amount of cooling which must be provided to said reactor in order to maintain the actual reaction temperature substantially equal to the desired reaction temperature represented by third signal;
- and
- manipulating the cooling of said reactor in response to said fifth signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.