Purification of hydrocarbon oils using sodium

Claim 1

A LIQUID PHASE NAPHTHALENE TREATING PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING A NAPHTHALENE, CONTAINING SULFUR COMPOUNDS AND ORGANIC COMPOUNDS AS IMPURITIES, SOME OF WHICH DO NOT REACT IN THE PRESENCE OF AN ALKALI METAL TO FORM SOLID MATERIALS, IN A FIRST REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 250*F. AND ABOUT 600*F. WITH AN ALKALI TREATING AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF LITHIUM, SODIUM, POTASSIUM, RUBIDIUM. CESIUM AND MIXTURES THEREOF IN AN AMOUNT LESS THAN THAT REQUIRED TO REACT WITH ALL OF THE SOLID FORMING IMPURTIES, MAINTAINING THE NAPHTHALENE AND SAID TREATING AGENT IN SAID FIRST REACTION ZONE FOR A PERIOD OF TIME BETWEEN ABOUT 5 MINUTES AND ABOUT 60 MINUTES, THEREBY CONSUMING ALL OF THE TREATING AGENT, SEPARATING THE SOLID REACTION PRODUCTS FROM THE PARTIALLY PURIFIED NAPHTHALENE, CONTACTING THE REACTION SOLIDS IN A STRIPPING ZONE WITH A GASIFORM STRIPPING AGENT TO REMOVE ADDITIONAL NAPHTHALENE, SEPARATING THE GASIFORM STRIPPING AGENT FROM THE ADDITIONAL NAPTHALENE AND COMBINING THIS NAPHTHALENE WITH THE PARTIALLY PURIFIELD NAPHTHALENE FROM THE FIRST REACTION ZONE, FURTHER TREATING THE COMBINED PARTIALLY PURIFIED NAPTHALENE IN A SECOND REACTION ZONE UNDER SIMILAR CONDITIONS WITH AN AMOUNT OF SAID TREATING AGENT IN EXCESS OF THAT REQUIRED TO REACT WITH REMAINING SOLID FORMING IMPURITIES, MAINTAINING THE NAPTHALENE AND THE TREATING AGENT IN SAID SECOND REACTION ZONE FOR A PERIOD OF TIME BETWEEN ABOUT 5 MINUTES AND ABOUT 60 MINUTES THEREBY REACTING THE REMAINING SOLID FORMING IMPURITIES, SEPARATING THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE PURIFIED NAPTHALENE, TRANSFERRING A PORTION OF THE REMAINING MIXTURE OF NAPTHALENE, REACTION SOLIDS, LIQUID ORGANIC IMPURITIES AND EXCESS TREATING AGENT TO A FLASH VAPORIZATION ZONE WHEREIN LIQUID ORGANIC IMPURITIES ARE CONCENTRATED AND A STREAM CONTAINING A LOWER PERCENTAGE OF LIQUID ORGANIC IMPURITIES IS REMOVED FROM SAID FLASH ZONE AND IS RECOMBINED WITH THE UNVAPORIZED PORTION OF THE AFOREMENTIONED REACTION MIXTURE REMAINING IN THE SECOND REACTION ZONE AND RECYCLING THE COMBINED MIXTURE CONTAINING EXCESS TREATING AGENT, PURIFIED NAPHTHALENE, LIQUID ORGANIC IMPURITIES AND REACTION SOLIDS TO THE FIRST REACTION ZONE.