Apparatus and process for monitor and control of an ammoxidation reactor with a fourier transform infrared spectrometer

A method for controlling the operation of an ammoxidation reactor based upon real-time quantitative analysis of components in an effluent stream from said ammoxidation reactor, comprising:

• (a) preparing a calibration curve for each of said components by analyzing a plurality of effluent streams each containing said components by a calibration process comprising:
• (a-1) advancing at least a portion of each said effluent stream through a sample cell in a Fourier Transform infrared spectrometer;
• (a-2) scanning each said effluent stream advancing through said sample cell with infrared energy across a range of infrared wavelengths and obtaining absorbance data at selected wavelengths across said range of infrared wavelengths;
• (a-3) collecting at least one sample corresponding to each said effluent stream;
• (a-4) performing a recovery run analysis on said at least one sample to obtain quantitative data for each of said components in said at least one sample;
• and
• (a-5) determining said calibration curve for each of said components by correlating said absorbance data and said quantitative data;
• (b) obtaining real-time absorbance data for each of said components in an operational effluent from said ammoxidation reactor by performing steps (a-1) and (a-2) thereon and calculating in a microprocessor programmed therefor real-time quantitative data for said operational effluent from said calibration curve and said real-time absorbance data;
• and
• (c) controlling by a reactor controller said ammoxidation reactor to optimize production of at least one of said components based on said real-time quantitative data, wherein said reactor controller controls one or more of reactor temperature, reactor internal pressure, feed of air, feed of hydrocarbon and feed of ammonia.