Institut Francais Du Pe'trole

Robert Jacob

Gerard Paul Hotier

Francis Nativel

France Chopinet

Choua Cohen

Gerard Bureau Du Colombier

An apparatus and process are described for simulated moving bed separation in which line containing fluid containing the desired product is flushed at least once by a secondary fluid entering each distribution plate or by a fluid leaving each of said plates during at least a portion of a period of time between two successive permutations of the principal supply lines and the principal extraction lines, or during the entirety of said periods, the secondary fluid being selected from the group formed by the solvent, the fluid containing the desired product and the fluid containing the desired product freed of at least a portion of the solvent.

Apparatus and process for flushing a simulated moving bed comprising at

A process for regulating at least one flow of at least one fluid or effluent circulating in a simulated moving bed comprising columns which form a closed loop containing at least one device such as a recycling pump introducing a pressure anisotropy. Every time an injection or extraction point passes from one part of the pump to the other, a control device which controls a fluid flow regulating means for the fluid under consideration, regulated about a set value, is caused to stop regulation temporarily, and substantially simultaneously the regulating means is placed in a position which allows it to approach the desired value, preferably to reach the desired flow rate and to begin to regulate the flow rate about the desired set value, to keep the flow rates in all the zones in a simulated moving bed constant. The process is especially applicable Application to the separation of para-xylene from a mixture of xylenes.

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Chaponost, France

Robert Jacob