Refining fuel oil

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR REFINING PETROLEUM FUEL OIL DISTILLATE STOCKS OF THE CHARACTER OF CATALYTICALLY CRACKED GAS OIL, THERMALLY CRACKED GAS OIL AND HEAVY SOUR STRAIGHT RUN GAS OIL CONSISTING OF THE STEPS: (1) ACID TREATING A CHARGE OF A FUEL OIL DISTILLATE STOCK WITH SULFURIC ACID OF 87-95% STRENGTH IN THE PROPORTIONS OF FROM ONE TO FOUR POUNDS OF H2SO4 PER BARREL OF THE OIL CHARGE AND RECOVERING AN ACID-TREATED SOUR OIL PHASE FROM THE RESULTING TREATING MIXTURE; (2) INTIMATELY CONTACTING BY MECHANICAL AGITATION IN THE ABSENCE OF AIR TREATMENT THE ACID-TREATED SOUR OIL AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 95-110* F. WITH AN ABSORBENT AND ACID-REMOVING CLAY IN AMOUNT ONLY SUFFICIENT TO SUBSTANTIALLY REMOVE THE ACIDIC BODIES IN THE OIL AND SEPARATING THE CLAY-TREATED OIL FROM THE CLAY; AND (3) INTIMATELY CONTACTING THE CLAY-TREATED OIL AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 120* F. TO ABOUT 160* F. WITH A FURTHER TREATING QUANTITY OF ADSORBENT CLAY WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY INTIMATELY CONTACTING THE OIL-CLAY MIXTURE WITH AIR, AND RECOVERING THE THUS TREATED OIL FROM THE CLAY.