Process for acid treating and neutralizing lubricating oil stocks

Claim 1

THE IMPROVED PROCESS OF ACID-TREATING A NAPHTHENIC PETROLEUM OIL COMPRISING THE SEQUENTIAL STEPS OF RAPIDLY DISPERSING STRONG ACID AS FINE PARTICLES THROUGHOUT THE BODY OF SAID OIL WHILE MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 115 TO 210* F., SUBJECTING THE DISPERSION TO THE ACTION OF A COALESCING ELECTRIC FIELD TO PRODUCE AN AQUEOUS SULFURIC ACID SLUDGE LAYER AND AN ACIDIC OIL LAYER, SEPARATING SAID LAYERS WITHIN 30 MINUTES FROM THE TIME OF FIRST CONTACT OF ACID AND OIL IN THE FIRST STEP, CONTACTING SAID SEPARATED OIL LAYER AT A TEMPERATURE SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW 180* F. WITH STRONG AQUEOUS ALKALI UNTIL THE PH IS ABOUT 7.0 TO 7.5, HEATING THE RESULTANT PARTIALLY NEUTRALIZED AQUEOUS OIL TO A TEMPERATURE OF 180 TO 215* F. WHILE MAINTAINING THE PH IN SAID RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 7.0 TO 7.5 BY THE FURTHER ADDITION OF STRONG AQUEOUS ALKALI, INTRODUCING INTO THE HEATED ADMIXTURE ADDITIONAL STRONG AQUEOUS ALKALI TO RAISE THE PH TO ABOUT 8.5 TO 11.0, THEREAFTER ADDING FRESH WATER TO THE ADMIXTURE, ALLOWING SAID ADMIXTURE TO SETTLE BY GRAVITY TO FORM AQUEOUS AND OIL LAYERS, AND REMOVING THE NEUTRALIZED OIL LAYER.