Fractionation of crude petroleum oil

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR SEPARATING CRUDE PETROLEUM OIL INTO LOW AND HIGH SULFUR CONTENT FRACTIONS OF UNCONVERTED, NATURALLY-OCCURING PETROLEUM COMPOJUNDS WHICH COMPRISES PASSING INTO CONTACT WITH A BED OF ASDORBENT MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ACTIVATED ALUMINA AND ACTIVATED BAUXITE, A CHARGE LIQUID COMPRISING AT LEAST ABOUT 25 PERCENT BY VOLUME OF A SULFUR-CONTAINING CRUDE OIL IN AN AMOUNT WHICH PERETRATES NO MORE THAN ABOUT 90 PERCENT OF THE ADSORBENT BED, THEN CONTACTING SAID ADSORBENT BED WITH A WHOLLY PARAFFINIC ELUANT LIQUID IN AN AMOUNT AT LEAST AS GREAT AS THE AMOUNT OF CHARGE LIQUID, RECOVERING FROM THE BED WITH SAID PARAFFINIC ELUANT LIQUID A PARAFFINIC FRACTION OF THE CRUDE OIL OF LOW SULFUR CONTENT, THEREAFTER CONTACTING SAID BED WITH AT LEAST ONE ADDITIONAL ELUANT LIQUID, EACH ELUANT LIQUID HAVING STRONGER ELUTING POWER THAN THE ELUANT USED BEFORE IT, AND RECOVERING FROM THE BED WITH AN ELUANT LIQUID OF STRONGER ELUTING POWER THAN SAID PARAFFINIC ELUANT A FRACTION OF SAID CRUDE OIL OF HIGH SULFUR CONTENT.