Adsorption process for the separation of hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE FRACTIONATION OF KEROSENE DISTILLATES WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY MOVING PARTICLES OF A SOLID ADSORBENT AGGREGATED INTO A COLUMNAR MASS DOWNWARDLY BY CONTROLLED GRAVITY FLOW THROUGH AN ADSORPTION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING THE DISTLLLATE IN LIQUID PHASE INTO CONTACT WITH THE ADSORBENT AT AN INTERMEDIATE POINT IN THE ADSORPTION ZONE TO SEPERATE AS AN ADSORBATE A FRACTION OF THE DISTILLATE CHARACTERIZED BY A LOWER ANILINE POINT THAN THAT OF THE ORIGINAL DISTILLATE, CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF THE ADSORPTION ZONE A NON-ADSORBED FRACTION OF THE DISTILLATE CHARACTERIZED BY A HIGHER ANILINE POINT THAN THAT OF THE ORIGINAL DISTILLATE, MAINTAINING ADJACENT THE ADSORPTION ZONE A COLUMN OF PREVIOUSLY SEPARATED LOW ANILINE POINT ADSORBATE, SAID COLUMN BEING IN FREE FLUID INTERCOMMUNICATION WITH THE LOWER PORTION OF THE ADSORPTION ZONE AND HAVING A VERTICALLY EXTENDING PORTION OF SUFFICIENT HEIGHT TO BALANCE THE COLUMN OF LIQUID IN THE ADSORPTION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING THE ADSORBENT CONTAINING THE SAID LOW ANILINE POINT ADSORBATE FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF THE ADSORPTION ZONE THROUGH SAID COLUMN, CONTINUOUSLY MOVING THE WITHDRAWN ADSORBENT AGGREGATED INTO A COLUMNAR MASS BY CONTROLLED GRAVITY FLOW DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A STRIPPING ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING INTO CONTACT WITH THE ADSORBENT IN THE LOWER PORTION OF THE STRIPPING ZONE A HYDROCARBON LIQUID FOR WHICH THE