Process for continuous percolation of petroleum oils

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS CYCLIC PROCESS FOR DECOLORIZING LUBRICATING OILS WHICH COMPRISES: PASSING A GRANULAR CLAY ADSORBENT MADE UP OF PARTICLES WITHIN THE SIZE RANGE ABOUT 4-100 MESH TYLER AS A COLUMNAR MASS OF GRAVITATING GRANULES DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A CONFINED TREATING ZONE, INTRODUCING A LIQUID OIL FEED OF LOW ASPHALT CONTENT INTO THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID ZONE AT THE DESIRED TREATING TEMPERATURE AND CAUSING IT TO PASS UPWARDLY THROUGH THE COLUMNAR MASS OF ADSORBENTS AT A RATE CONTROLLED BELOW THAT WHICH WOULD PREVENT TRUE COUNTERCURRENT FLOW OF THE ABSORBENT AND THE LIQUID OIL, WITHDRAWING DECOLORIZED OIL PRODUCT FROM THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID ZONE, WITHDRAWING THE ABSORBENT ALONG WITH SOME OF THE LIQUID OIL FROM THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID TREATING ZONE, PASSING THE ADSORBENT AS A COLUMNAR MASS DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A CONFINED WASHING ZONE, PASSING A SUITABLE NON-POLAR SOLVENT UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID COLUMNAR MASS TO EFFECT A COUNTERCURRENT WASHING OF THE ADSORBENT, WITHDRAWING THE SOLVENT AND LIQUID OIL REMOVED FROM SAID ABSORBENT FROM THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID WASHING ZONE, FRACTIONATING THE SOLVENT FROM THE RECOVERED OIL AND RECYCLING SAID OIL TO THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID TREATING ZONE, WHEREBY THE OIL PRODUCT WITHDRAWN FROM THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID TREATING ZONE IS SUBSTANTIALLY THE ONLY LIQUID OIL PRODUCT ULTIMATELY OBTAINED FROM THE ZONE, WITHDRAWING WASHED ADSORBENT BEARING SOLVENT AND A CARBONACEOUS CONTAMINANT FROM THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID WASHING ZONE, HEATING SAID ADSORBENT TO DRIVE OFF THE SOLVENT AND RECOVERING THE LATTER, PASSING THE DRIED CONTAMINANT BEARING ADSORBENT AS A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPACT COLUMN DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A CONFINED REGENERATION ZONE AND CONTACTING IT THEREIN WITH AN OXYGEN CONTAINING GAS TO EFFECT ITS REGENERATION BY COMBUSTION OF THE CONTAMINANT, CONTROLLING THE ADSORBENT TEMPERATURE DURING THE REGENERATION SO THAT IT REACHES TEMPERATURES WITHIN THE RANGE 900-1400* F. AT WHICH THE CONTAMINANT IS RAPIDLY REMOVED WITHOUT SINTERING THE ADSORBENT, COOLING THE REGENERATED ADSORBENT AND RETURNING IT TO THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID TREATING ZONE AS THE ABSORBENT CHARGE THERETO, AND CONSTANTLY CONTROLLING THE RELATIONSHIP OF TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE AND AMOUNT OF MOISTURE IN ALL OF SAID ZONES TO PREVENT THE MOISTURE CONTENT OF THE ADSORBENT FROM EVER SUBSTANTIALLY EXCEEDING ABOUT 4 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF THE ABSORBENT.