Continuous percolation process

Claim 1

IN A CONTINUOUS CYCLIC PROCESS FOR DECOLORIZATION OF MINERAL OILS WHEREIN A FRESH MINERAL OIL FEED IS PASSED UPWARDLY THROUGH A COLUMN MASS OF GRAVITATING ADSORBENT OF PALPABLE PARTICULATE FORM IN A CONFINED TREATING ZONE AT A RATE AND ELEVATED TEMPERATURE ADJUSTED FOR EFFECTING THE DECOLORIZATION OF THE OIL WITHOUT DISRUPTION OF THE COLUMNAR MASS DUE TO THE OIL FLOW THERETHROUGH AND WHEREIN THE SPENT ADSORBENT BEARING CARBONACEOUS CONTAMINANT INCLUDING COLOR BODIES AND CYCLE OIL IS SUBJECTED TO WASHING FOR REMOVAL OF THE CYCLE OIL WITH A SUITABLE WASHING SOLVENT CAPABLE OF ALSO REMOVING SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF THE COLOR BODIES FROM THE SPENT ADSORBENT WHEN CONTACTED THEREWITH AT THE ELEVATED TREATING TEMPERATURE AND WHEREIN THE WASHED ADSORBENT IS DRIED, REGENERATED BY BURNING, COOLED AND RECYCLED TO THE TREATING ZONE FOR RESUSE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES, WITHDRAWING THE SPENT ADSORBENT BEARING CARBONACEOUS CONTAMINANT INCLUDING COLOR BODIES AND A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF CYCLE OIL FROM THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID TREATING ZONE, STILL AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE NEAR SAID TREATING TEMPERATURE, COOLING THE ADSORBENT TO A TEMPERATURE LEVEL BELOW THAT AT WHICH SAID SOLVENT WILL REMOVE SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF THE COLOR BODIES THEREFROM AND THAN PASSING THE ADSORBENT DOWNWARDLY AS A COLUMNAR MASS COUNTERCURRENTLY TO A STREAM OF SAID SOLVENT IN A CONFINED WASHING ZONE SO AS TO EFFECT REMOVAL OF THE CYCLE OIL FROM THE ADSORBENT WHILE LEAVING THE COLOR BODIES AND CARBONACEOUS CONTAMINANT ON THE SPENT WASHED ADSORBENT, WITHDRAWING THE SOLVENT AND REMOVED OIL FROM THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID WASHING ZONE AND SUBJECTING THE SAME TO FRACTIONATION TO SEPARATE THE SOLVENT FROM THE OIL, LEAVING A RECYCLE OIL HAVING A COLOR NOT SUBSTANTIALLY DARKER THAN THAT OF THE FRESH MINERAL OIL FEED TO THE TREATING ZONE AND RECYCLING SAID OIL TO SAID TREATING ZONE ALONG WITH THE FRESH MINERAL OIL FEED, THE AFORESAID COOLING OF SAID ADSORBENT BEING EFFECTED AT LEAST IN A PART SUFFICIENT TO REDUCE THE ADSORBENT FROM A SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER TREATING TEMPERATURE TO A TEMPERATURE BELOW THE BOILING TEMPERATURE OF SAID WASHING SOLVENT BY PASSING A COOLING FLUID FROM A LOCATION OF HEAT EXTRACTION OTHER THAN SAID WASHING ZONE AND COMPRISED TO AT LEAST A SUBSTANTIAL EXTENT OF WASH SOLVENT OF THE SAME TYPE AS THAT SUPPLIED TO SAID WASHING ZONE INTO DIRECT CONTACT WITH SAID HOT, SPENT ADSORBENT IN A REGION WHERE THE ADSORBENT IS FREELY FLOWING DOWNWARDLY TO EFFECT RAPID COOLING OF THE ADSORBENT BEFORE IT REACHES SAID COLUMNAR MASS IN SAID WASHING ZONE.