Process of and apparatus for refining oils or fats

Claim 2

PROCESS FOR REFINING AN OIL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF VEGETABLE FATS, VEGETABLE OILS, ANIMAL FATS, ANIMAL OILS, SYNTHETIC FATS, SYNTHETIC OILS AND MIXTURES THEREOF WHICH COMPRISES ESTABLISHING A MULTIPLE NUMBER OF SERIES-CONNECTED ZONES INCLUDING A FIRST ZONE, AT LEAST ONE INTERMEDIATE ZONE, AND A LAST ZONE, FORCING AN OIL WITH A NEUTRALIZING AGENT UPWARD IN THE FORM OF A GASPERMEATED MIXTURE THROUGH A VERTICAL PATH OF FLOW BY INJECTING A FLUID ALONG SAID PATH IN SAID FIRST ZONE, PASSING SAID OIL AND NEUTRALIZING AGENT THROUGH SAID INTERMEDIATE ZONES TO SAID LAST ZONE IN SERIES, FORCING SAID OIL WITH A NEUTRALIZING AGENT THROUGH AN UPWARD PATH OF FLOW IN THE FORM OF A GAS-PERMEATED MIXTURE BY INJECTING A FLUID ALONG SAID PATH IN EACH SAID ZONE, AND RECOVERING OIL FROM SAID LAST ZONE.

Claim 3

APPARATUS FOR REFINING AN OIL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF VEGETABLE FATS, VEGETABLE OILS, ANIMAL FATS, ANIMAL OILS, SYNTHETIC FATS, SYNTHETIC OILS AND MIXTURES THEREOF WHICH COMPRISES A SUBSTANTIALLY ENCLOSED VESSEL DEFINING A LOWER LIQUID ZONE AND AN UPPER VAPOR ZONE VERTICAL PARTITION MEANS DIVIDING SAID VESSEL INTO A MULTIPLE NUMBER OF ADJACENTLY POSITIONED CHAMBERS INCLUDING A FIRST CHAMBER, A LAST CHAMBER, AND AT LEAST ONE INTERMEDIATE CHAMBER MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE LOWER LIQUID ZONES OF SAID CHAMBERS IN SERIES FROM SAID FIRST CHAMBER THROUGH SAID INTERMEDIATE CHAMBER AND INTO SAID LAST CHAMBER, SEPARATE VERTICAL CONDUIT MEANS POSITIONED IN EACH SAID CHAMBER EXTENDING FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF THE LIQUID OZNE IN EACH SAID CHAMBER AND TERMINATING IN THE VAPOR ZONE OF THAT CHAMBER, MEANS FOR INJECTING A FLUID VERTICALLY UPWARD INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF EACH SAID VERTICAL CONDUIT MEANS, MEANS FOR PASSING LIQUID INTO THE VERTICAL CONDUIT MEANS IN SAID FIRST CHAMBER, AND MEANS FOR REMOVING LIQUID FROM SAID LAST CHAMBER.

Claim 4

APPARATUS FOR REFINING AN OIL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF VEGETABLE FATS, VEGETABLE OILS, ANIMAL FATS, ANIMAL OILS, SYNTHETIC FATS, SYNTHETIC OILS AND MIXTURES THEREOF WHICH COMPRISES A SUBSTANTIALLY ENCLOSED VESSEL DEFINING A LOWER LIQUID ZONE AND AN UPPER VAPOR ZONE VERTICAL PARTITION MEANS DIVIDING SAID VESSEL INTO A MULTIPLE NUMBER OF ADJACENTLY POSITIONED CHAMBERS INCLUDING A FIRST CHAMBER, A LAST CHAMBER, AND AT LEAST ONE INTERMEDIATE CHAMBER MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE LOWER LIQUID ZONES OF SAID CHAMBERS IN SERIES FROM SAID FIRST CHAMBER THROUGH SAID INTERMEDIATE CHAMBER AND INTO SAID LAST CHAMBER, SEPARATE VERTICAL CONDUIT MEANS POSITIONED IN EACH SAID CHAMBER EXTENDING FROM THE LOWER PORTION OF THE LIQUID OZNE IN EACH SAID CHAMBER AND TERMINATING IN THE VAPOR ZONE OF THAT CHAMBER, MEANS FOR INJECTING A FLUID VERTICALLY UPWARD INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF EACH SAID VERTICAL CONDUIT MEANS, MEANS FOR PASSING LIQUID INTO THE VERTICAL CONDUIT MEANS IN SAID FIRST CHAMBER, AND MEANS FOR REMOVING LIQUID FROM SAID LAST CHAMBER.