Process for removal of sulfur, metals and asphalt from petroleum crudes

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR REFINING CRUDE AND TOPPED CRUDE MINERAL OILS HAVING HIGH CONTENTS OF APLHALT AND SULFUR COMPOUNDS AND CONTAINING ORGANO METALLIC COMPLEXES AND OTHER ASH-FORMING COMPOUNDS, FOR PRODUCINC HIGH QUALITY FUEL OIL HAVING LOW VISCOSITY AND LOW CONTENT OF ASPHALT, ASHES AND SULFUR, COMPRISING PASSING THE OIL AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 600* AND 1060*F. AND AT A PRESSURE BETWEEN 70 TO 710 P.S.I INTO A CONTACT CHAMBER TOGETHER WITH HYDROGEN IN THE PRESENCE OF A MASS OF HIGH POROSITY HAVING A LARGE SURFACE AREA SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF GRANULATED ACTIVATED CARBON AND GRANULATED ACTIVATED METALLURGICAL COKE, MAINTAINING THE SPACE VELOCITY OF THE OIL FED TO THE CONTACT CHAMBER BETWEEN 0.5 AND 5.0 VOLUMES OF LIQUID/HOUR/VOLUME OF CONTACT MASS, AND MAINTAINING A HYDROGEN RECIRCULATION AT ABOUT 3.2 TO 16 STANDARD CU. FT/LB. OF OIL TO PROMOTE DECOMPOSITION OF THE ORGANO METALLIC COMPLEXES AND SULFUR COMPOUNDS AND THE COAGULATION OF THE ASPHALTENES CONTAINED IN THE OIL, AND SEPARATING THE DECOMPOSED ORGANO METALLIC COMPLEXES AND SULFUR COMPOUNDS AND THE COAGULATED ASPHALTENES FROM THE OIL.