Partial hydrogenation of unsaturated glyceride oils in solvents

Claim 1

THE CONTINUOUS PROCESS OF PARTIALLY HYDROGENATING UNSATURATED VEGETABLE OILS HAVING IODINE VALUES BETWEEN ABOUT 90 AND ABOUT 140 AND CONTAINING COMBINED LINOLEIC ACID WHICH COMPRISES CAUSING SAID OIL, DISSOLVED IN FROM 0.05 TO 15.0 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF AN INERT VOLATILE FAT SOLVENT AND AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 60*C. AND 125*C., TO FLOW INTO, THROUGH, AND OUT OF A CONFINED HYDROGENATION ZONE IN THE PRESENCE OF A HIGHLY ACTIVE NICKEL-CONTAINING CATALYST AND HYDROGEN GAS AT A PARTIAL PRESSURE OF 20 TO 200 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH, DISCONTINUING THE HYDROGENATION BEFORE THE IODINE VALUE OF SAID OIL FALLS BELOW 50, AND SEPARATING THE HYDROGENATED OIL FROM THE SOLVENT, FROM THE CATALYST, AND FROM ANY UNCONSUMED HYDROGEN; WHEREBY MATERIALLY MORE THAN HALF OF THE POLYETHYLENIC ACID RADICALS OF SAID OIL WHICH ARE REDUCED BY SAID TREATMENT ARE CONVERTED TO NORMAL OLEIC ACID RADICALS AND MATERIALLY LESS THAN HALF ARE CONVERTED TO SATURATED AND ISOLEIC ACID RADICALS.