Liquid solvent extraction process

Claim 1

A COMBINATION SOLVENT EXTRACTION-RICH SOLVENT STRIPPING PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING ORGANIC SOLVENT UNDER SOLVENT EXTRACTION CONDITIONS WITH A FEED STOCK MIXTURE COMPRISING ORGANIC COMPOUNDS OF CLASS A AND OF CLASS B, SAID CLASS A COMPOUND BEING RELATIVELY MORE SOLUBLE IN SAID SOLVENT THAN SAID CLASS B COMPOUND, FORMING THEREBY A RAFFINATE COMPRISING SAID CLASS B COMPOUND AND AN EXTRACT COMPRISING SAID OXYGENCONTAINING ORGANIC SOLVENT, SAID A COMPOUND AND A SMALL PROPORTION OF CLASS B RAFFINATE COMPOUND, THERAFTER CONTACTING SAID EXTRACT WITH A VOLATILE CLASS B COMPOUND OF LOW BOILING POINT THAN SAID SOLVENT AND THE CLASS B COMPOUND IN SAID FEED STOCK MIXTURE THEREBY EFFECTING A DISPLACEMENT OF THE LATTER CLASS B COMPOUND FROM SAID EXTRACT, SUBJECTING THE RESULTING EXTRACT TO DISTILLATION, SEPARATELY WITHDRAWING FROM SAID DISTILLATION A LIGHT VAPOR FRACTION CONTAINING LOWER BOILING CLASS B COMPOUND, AN INTERMEDIATE FRACTION COMPRISING ESSENTIALLY SAID CLASS A COMPOUND AND A HEAVY FRACTION COMPRISING ESSENTIALLY SAID SOLVENT, AND MAINTAINING THE RATE OF WITHDRAWL OF SAID LIGHT VAPOR FRACTION SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT BY INSTANTANEOUSLY VARYING THE RATE OF WITHDRAWAL OF SAID INTERMEDIATE FRACTION IN DIRECT RESPONSE TO CHANGE IN THE RATE OF WITHDRAWL OF SAID LIGHT VAPOR FRACTION.