Extraction of residuum

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR EXTRACTING A RESIDIUM FRACTION TO OBTAIN A SUBSTANTIALLY ASPHALT-FREE OIL WHICH COMPRISES FORMING A SOLUTION OF A CRUDE PETROLEUM RESIDUUM CONTAINING ASPHALT CONSTITUENTS AND OIL IN A LIQUIFIED NORMALLY GASEOUS HYDROCARBON SOLVENT, INTRODUCING SAID SOLUTION INTO AN ELONGATED VERTICAL EXTRACTION ZONE AT AN UPPER LEVEL THEREOF, INTRODUCING SAID SOLVENT INTO SAID ZONE AT A LOWER LEVEL THEREOF, SAID SOLUTION AND SOLVENT BEING MAINTAINED IN SAID ZONE UNDER EXTRACTION CONDITIONS INCLUDING A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 100* AND 250*F. AND PRESSURE SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN A LIQUID PHASE, FLOWING CONTERCURRENTLY IN SAID ZONE SAID SOLVENT AND SOLUTION, FORMING IN SAID ZONE AT LEAST A LIGHT PHASE COMPRISING PREDOMINANTLY SAID SOLVENT AND SAID OIL, FORMING IN SAID ZONE AT LEAST A HEAVY PHASE COMPRISING PREDOMINANTLY SAID ASPHALT CONSTITUENTS AND SOLVENT, DISPERSING SAID LIGHT PHASE INTO SAID HEAVY PHASE, SAID LIGHT PHASE AND HEAVY PHASE BEING IN A RATIOK IN THE RANGE FROIM ABOUT 3 TO 30:1, AND SAID LIGHT PHASE HAVING A DENSITY OF ABOUT 0.4 TO ABOUT 0.6, AND SAID HEAVY PHASE HAVING A DENSITY OF ABOUT 0.7 TO 0.9, AND RECOVERING FROM SAID ZONE INCREASED YIELDS OF SUBSTANTIALLY ASPHALT-FREE OIL AND AN ASPHALT CONSTITUENT PHASE.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR EXTRACTING A RESIDIUM FRACTION TO OBTAIN A SUBSTANTIALLY ASPHALT-FREE OIL WHICH COMPRISES FORMING A SOLUTION OF A CRUDE PETROLEUM RESIDUUM CONTAINING ASPHALT CONSTITUENTS AND OIL IN A LIQUIFIED NORMALLY GASEOUS HYDROCARBON SOLVENT, INTRODUCING SAID SOLUTION INTO AN ELONGATED VERTICAL EXTRACTION ZONE AT AN UPPER LEVEL THEREOF, INTRODUCING SAID SOLVENT INTO SAID ZONE AT A LOWER LEVEL THEREOF, SAID SOLUTION AND SOLVENT BEING MAINTAINED IN SAID ZONE UNDER EXTRACTION CONDITIONS INCLUDING A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 100* AND 250*F. AND PRESSURE SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN A LIQUID PHASE, FLOWING CONTERCURRENTLY IN SAID ZONE SAID SOLVENT AND SOLUTION, FORMING IN SAID ZONE AT LEAST A LIGHT PHASE COMPRISING PREDOMINANTLY SAID SOLVENT AND SAID OIL, FORMING IN SAID ZONE AT LEAST A HEAVY PHASE COMPRISING PREDOMINANTLY SAID ASPHALT CONSTITUENTS AND SOLVENT, DISPERSING SAID LIGHT PHASE INTO SAID HEAVY PHASE, SAID LIGHT PHASE AND HEAVY PHASE BEING IN A RATIOK IN THE RANGE FROIM ABOUT 3 TO 30:1, AND SAID LIGHT PHASE HAVING A DENSITY OF ABOUT 0.4 TO ABOUT 0.6, AND SAID HEAVY PHASE HAVING A DENSITY OF ABOUT 0.7 TO 0.9, AND RECOVERING FROM SAID ZONE INCREASED YIELDS OF SUBSTANTIALLY ASPHALT-FREE OIL AND AN ASPHALT CONSTITUENT PHASE.