Separating volatile components from a heavy oil by means of a venturi tube

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE RECOVERY OF VOLATILE COMPONENTS FROM A HEAVY OIL WHICH COMPRISES AXIALLY PROJECTING SAID HEAVY OIL WHILE IN LIQUID PHASE INTO A VENTURI TUBE A PORTION OF THE DISTANCE FROM THE UPSTREAM ENCLOSED END OF SAID VENTURI TUBE TO THE RESTRICTION OF SAID TUBE, SEPARATELY PASSING HOT GASES INTO SAID VENTURI TUBE UPSTREAM FROM SAID RESTRICTION AT A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TO VAPOR IZE THE LIGHTER COMPONENTS OF SAID HEAVY OIL UPON ADMIXTURE THEREWITH, MAINTAINING SAID AXIALLY PROJECTING HEAVY OIL SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY IN LIQUID PHASE AND BELOW THE CRACKING TEMPERATURE BY SURROUNDING SAID AXIALLY PROJECTING HEAVY OIL WITH CONCENTRIC LAYERS OF A CONTINUOUSLY CIRCULATING COOLING FLUID, SAID CIRCULATING COOLING FLUID BEING OUT OF CONTACT WITH SAID HEA VY OIL AND SAID HOT GASES, ONE OF SAID LAYERS BEING THE COOLER AND ONE OF SAID LAYERS BEING THE HOTTER WHEREIN THE COOLER LAYER CONTINUOUSLY CIRCULATES ADJACENT TO THE HEAVY OIL AND THE HOTTER LAYER CONTINUOUSLY CIRCULATES ADJACENT TO THE HOT GASES, THE FLOW OF FLUID IN EACH OF SAID LAYERS BEING COUNTERCURRENT WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, SPRAYING SAID HEAVY OIL INTO THE HOT GASES, PASSING SAID SPRAYED HEAVY OIL AND HOT GASES THROUGH A RESTRICTED AREA TO CAUSE THE INTIMATE ADMIXTURE THEREOF, SEPARATING A VOLATILE FRACTION OF SAID OIL FROM A NON-VOLATILE FRACTION AND QUENCHING SAID VOLATILE FRACTION TO A TEMPERATURE BELOW THE CRACKING RANGE WHEREBY A SUBSTANTIALLY UNCRACKED DISTILLATE IS OBTAINED.