Refining fatty oils

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR REFINING A FATTY OIL WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING SAID OIL INTO A SOLVENT EXTRACTION ZONE WHEREIN SAID OIL IS CONTACTED WITH A SOLVENT FOR SAID OIL WHICH SOLVENT IS RELATIVELY VOLATILE HAVING A CRITICAL TEMPERATURE NOT SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER THAN 450*F., MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE IN SAID EXTRACTION ZONE ABOVE THE TEMPERATURE OF MAXIMUM SOLUBILITY OF THE OIL IN THE SOLVENT AND UNDER A PRESSURE EFFECTIVE TO MAINTAIN THE SOLVENT SUBSTANTIALLY ENTIRELY IN THE LIQUID CONDITION IN THE EXTRACTION ZONE, REGULATING THE CONDITIONS OF TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE IN SAID EXTRACTION ZONE TO FORM AN EXTRACT PHASE CONTAINING A MAJOR PROPORTION OF SAID FATTY OIL AND A RAFFINATE PHASE CONTAINING A MINOR PROPORTION OF SAID FATTY OIL INCLUDING A CONCENTRATION OF THE COLOR BODIES OF SAID OIL, SEPARATELY WITHDRAWING SAID EXTRACT AND RAFFINATE PHASES FROM SAID EXTRACTION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY PASSING A STREAM OF SAID SOLVENT IN LIQUID CONDITION UPWARDLY IN AN ELONGATED SOLVENT FRACTIONATION ZONE FROM A LOWER SOLVENT INLET TO AN UPPER EXTRACT PHASE OUTLET, INTRODUCING INTO SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE EXTRACT OIL COMPRISING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE OIL SPEARATED FROM SAID FATTY OIL BY SAID EXTRACTION ZONE INCLUDING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE MOST SOLUBLE COMPONENTS OF SAID FATTY OIL, INTRODUCING SAID EXTRACT OIL INTO SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE AND INTO CONTACT WITH SAID SOLVENT STREAM AT A POINT BELOW SAID EXTRACT PHASE OUTLET AND SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER THAN SAID SOLVENT INLET TO FORM SEPARATE COUNTER-FLOWING EXTRACT AND RAFFINATE PHASES, MAINTAINING THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE IN SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE ABOVE THE TEMPERATURE OF MAXIMUM SOLUBILITY OF SAID EXTRACT OIL IN SAID SOLVENT AND APPLYING SUFFICIENT PRESSURE TO SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE TO MAINTAIN THE SOLVENT THEREIN SUBSTANTIALLY ENTIRELY IN THE LIQUID CONDITION, REGULATING TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE AND THE SOLVENT:OIL RATIO IN SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE TO FORM A RAFFINATE PHASE IN THE BOTTOM THEREOF COMPRISING OIL EQUIVALENT TO AT LEAST A MAJOR PORTION OF SAID EXTRACT OIL CHARGED TO SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE AND TO FORM AN EXTRACT PHASE CONTAINING A PORTION OF THE EXTRACT OIL CHARGED TO THE FRACTIONATION ZONE, SEPARATELY WITHDRAWING SAID EXTRACT AND RAFFINATE PHASES FROM SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE, TREATING A PORTION OF SAID LASTMENTIONED WITHDRAWN EXTRACT PHASE TO RECOVER SOLVENT AND A PRODUCT OIL FRACTION THEREFROM, SEGREGATING ANOTHER PORTION OF SAID LAST-MENTIONED WITHDRAWN EXTRACT PHASE AND ADJUSTING THE TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE THEREOF TO A CONDITION OF GREATER SOLUBILITY OF SAID SOLVENT AND SAID FATTY OIL, AND INTRODUCING SAID SEGREGATED PORTION OF EXTRACT PHASE INTO SAID EXTRACTION ZONE TO SUPPLY THERETO AT LEAST A MAJOR PORTION OF THE SOLVENT REQUIRED IN THE SAID EXTRACTION TREATMENT IN SAID ZONE.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR REFINING A FATTY OIL WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING SAID OIL INTO A SOLVENT EXTRACTION ZONE WHEREIN SAID OIL IS CONTACTED WITH A SOLVENT FOR SAID OIL WHICH SOLVENT IS RELATIVELY VOLATILE HAVING A CRITICAL TEMPERATURE NOT SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER THAN 450*F., MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE IN SAID EXTRACTION ZONE ABOVE THE TEMPERATURE OF MAXIMUM SOLUBILITY OF THE OIL IN THE SOLVENT AND UNDER A PRESSURE EFFECTIVE TO MAINTAIN THE SOLVENT SUBSTANTIALLY ENTIRELY IN THE LIQUID CONDITION IN THE EXTRACTION ZONE, REGULATING THE CONDITIONS OF TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE IN SAID EXTRACTION ZONE TO FORM AN EXTRACT PHASE CONTAINING A MAJOR PROPORTION OF SAID FATTY OIL AND A RAFFINATE PHASE CONTAINING A MINOR PROPORTION OF SAID FATTY OIL INCLUDING A CONCENTRATION OF THE COLOR BODIES OF SAID OIL, SEPARATELY WITHDRAWING SAID EXTRACT AND RAFFINATE PHASES FROM SAID EXTRACTION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY PASSING A STREAM OF SAID SOLVENT IN LIQUID CONDITION UPWARDLY IN AN ELONGATED SOLVENT FRACTIONATION ZONE FROM A LOWER SOLVENT INLET TO AN UPPER EXTRACT PHASE OUTLET, INTRODUCING INTO SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE EXTRACT OIL COMPRISING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE OIL SPEARATED FROM SAID FATTY OIL BY SAID EXTRACTION ZONE INCLUDING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE MOST SOLUBLE COMPONENTS OF SAID FATTY OIL, INTRODUCING SAID EXTRACT OIL INTO SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE AND INTO CONTACT WITH SAID SOLVENT STREAM AT A POINT BELOW SAID EXTRACT PHASE OUTLET AND SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER THAN SAID SOLVENT INLET TO FORM SEPARATE COUNTER-FLOWING EXTRACT AND RAFFINATE PHASES, MAINTAINING THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE IN SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE ABOVE THE TEMPERATURE OF MAXIMUM SOLUBILITY OF SAID EXTRACT OIL IN SAID SOLVENT AND APPLYING SUFFICIENT PRESSURE TO SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE TO MAINTAIN THE SOLVENT THEREIN SUBSTANTIALLY ENTIRELY IN THE LIQUID CONDITION, REGULATING TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE AND THE SOLVENT:OIL RATIO IN SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE TO FORM A RAFFINATE PHASE IN THE BOTTOM THEREOF COMPRISING OIL EQUIVALENT TO AT LEAST A MAJOR PORTION OF SAID EXTRACT OIL CHARGED TO SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE AND TO FORM AN EXTRACT PHASE CONTAINING A PORTION OF THE EXTRACT OIL CHARGED TO THE FRACTIONATION ZONE, SEPARATELY WITHDRAWING SAID EXTRACT AND RAFFINATE PHASES FROM SAID FRACTIONATION ZONE, TREATING A PORTION OF SAID LASTMENTIONED WITHDRAWN EXTRACT PHASE TO RECOVER SOLVENT AND A PRODUCT OIL FRACTION THEREFROM, SEGREGATING ANOTHER PORTION OF SAID LAST-MENTIONED WITHDRAWN EXTRACT PHASE AND ADJUSTING THE TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE THEREOF TO A CONDITION OF GREATER SOLUBILITY OF SAID SOLVENT AND SAID FATTY OIL, AND INTRODUCING SAID SEGREGATED PORTION OF EXTRACT PHASE INTO SAID EXTRACTION ZONE TO SUPPLY THERETO AT LEAST A MAJOR PORTION OF THE SOLVENT REQUIRED IN THE SAID EXTRACTION TREATMENT IN SAID ZONE.