Process and system for treating hydrocarbon oil with liquid hydrogen fluoride

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR TREATING A HYDROCARBON CHARGING STOCK BOILING SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THE BOILING RANGE OF GASOLINE, CONTAINING SULFUR COMPOUNDS AND WATER, WITH LIQUID HF TO PRODUCE A SOLUTION OF H20, H2S AND OTHER SULFUR COMPOUNDS IN LIQUID HF AND AN HF-IMMISCIBLE PURIFIED CHARGING STOCK, RESPECTIVELY, THE STEPS OF SUBJECTING SAID SOLUTION TO EVAPORATION TO PRODUCE A FIRST VAPOR STREAM CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF ALL THE FREE H2S IN SAID SOLUTION, HF AND H2O AND A FIRST LIQUID RESIDUE, SEPARATELY SUBJECTING SAID FIRST LIQUID RESIDUE TO EVAPORATION TO PRODUCE A SECOND LIQUID RESIDUE AND A SECOND VAPOR STREAM CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF HF AND H2O CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY NO H2S, SUBJECTING SAID SECOND VAPOR STREAM TO FRACTIONAL CONDENSATION TO PRODUCE A RELATIVELY MINOR PROPORTION OF A CONDENSATE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF HF AND H2O CONTAINING HF IN SUBSTANTIAL EXCESS OF THE CONCENTRATION OF HF IN AN HF-H2O AZEOTROPE AND A THIRD VAPOR STREAM CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF SUBSTANTIALLY ANHYDROUS HF, SUBJECTING SAID CONDENSATE TO FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION TO PRODUCE A FOURTH VAPOR STREAM OF SUBSTANTIALLY ANHYDROUS HF, CONDENSING SAID FIRST, THIRD AND FOURTH VAPOR STREAMS AND RECYCLING THE RESULTANT CONDENSATES TO THE TREATING PROCESS.