Solvent deasphalting of residual oils with wash oil to remove metal contaminants

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR TREATING A PETROLEUM FRACTION FEED STOCK CONTAINING A MAJOR PORTION OF COMPONENTS BOILING ABOVE 900*F. AND CONTAMINATED BY A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF METALLIC CONTAMINANTS INCLUDING NO LESS THAN THE EQUIVALENT OF 3 POUNDS OF NICKEL PER THOUSAND BARRELS OF OIL CONSISTING OF THE STEPS OF CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING A STREAM OF SAID FEED STOCK AT A SELECTED POINT IN A DEASPHALTING TOWER THE CONTENTS OF WHICH ARE MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 100* TO 300*F., CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING A STREAM OF A RESIDUAL FRACTION DERIVED FROM HAWKINS CRUDE FREE FROM COMPONENTS BOILING BELOW APPROXIMATELY 650*F. INTO SAID TOWER AS A WASH OIL AT A POINT ABOVE THE POINT OF INTRODUCING OF SAID FEED STOCK, CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING A STREAM OF LIQUIEFIED NARMALLY GASEOS HYDROCARBON INTO THE TOWER AT A POINT BELOW THE POINT OF INTRODUCTION OF THE FEED STOCK IN AN AMOUNT WITHIN THE RANGE OF 2 TO 10 VOLUMES OF LIQUEFIED NORMALLY GASEOUS HYDROCARBON PER VOLUME OF FEED STOCK, CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING A SOLUTION OF DEASPHALTED OIL IN LIQUEFIED NORMALLY GASEOUS HYROCARBON FROM A POINT IN THE TOWER ABOVE THE POINT OF INTRODUCTION OF SAID WASH OIL, SAID SOLUTION OF OIL CONTAINING NO MORE THAN 10% OF THE METALLIC CONTAMINANTS INTRODUCED INTO SAID DEASPHALTING TOWER AND NO MORE THAN THE EQUIVALENT OF ONE POUND OF NICKEL PER THOUSAND BARRELS OF OIL AND CONTINOUSLY WITHDRAWING FROM A POINT IN THE TOWER BELOW THE POINT OF INTRODUCTION OF SAID STEAM OF LIQUEFIED NORMALLY GASEOUS HYDROCARBON AN ASPHALT PHASE CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE METALLIC CONTAMINANTS INTRODUCED INTO SAID ZONE.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR TREATING A PETROLEUM FRACTION FEED STOCK CONTAINING A MAJOR PORTION OF COMPONENTS BOILING ABOVE 900*F. AND CONTAMINATED BY A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF METALLIC CONTAMINANTS INCLUDING NO LESS THAN THE EQUIVALENT OF 3 POUNDS OF NICKEL PER THOUSAND BARRELS OF OIL CONSISTING OF THE STEPS OF CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING A STREAM OF SAID FEED STOCK AT A SELECTED POINT IN A DEASPHALTING TOWER THE CONTENTS OF WHICH ARE MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 100* TO 300*F., CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING A STREAM OF A RESIDUAL FRACTION DERIVED FROM HAWKINS CRUDE FREE FROM COMPONENTS BOILING BELOW APPROXIMATELY 650*F. INTO SAID TOWER AS A WASH OIL AT A POINT ABOVE THE POINT OF INTRODUCING OF SAID FEED STOCK, CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING A STREAM OF LIQUIEFIED NARMALLY GASEOS HYDROCARBON INTO THE TOWER AT A POINT BELOW THE POINT OF INTRODUCTION OF THE FEED STOCK IN AN AMOUNT WITHIN THE RANGE OF 2 TO 10 VOLUMES OF LIQUEFIED NORMALLY GASEOUS HYDROCARBON PER VOLUME OF FEED STOCK, CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING A SOLUTION OF DEASPHALTED OIL IN LIQUEFIED NORMALLY GASEOUS HYROCARBON FROM A POINT IN THE TOWER ABOVE THE POINT OF INTRODUCTION OF SAID WASH OIL, SAID SOLUTION OF OIL CONTAINING NO MORE THAN 10% OF THE METALLIC CONTAMINANTS INTRODUCED INTO SAID DEASPHALTING TOWER AND NO MORE THAN THE EQUIVALENT OF ONE POUND OF NICKEL PER THOUSAND BARRELS OF OIL AND CONTINOUSLY WITHDRAWING FROM A POINT IN THE TOWER BELOW THE POINT OF INTRODUCTION OF SAID STEAM OF LIQUEFIED NORMALLY GASEOUS HYDROCARBON AN ASPHALT PHASE CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE METALLIC CONTAMINANTS INTRODUCED INTO SAID ZONE.