Stripping hydrogen halide from hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR STRIPPING HYDROGEN CHLORIDE FROM A FEEDSTOCK COMPRISING A NORMALLY LIQUID HYDROCARBON CONTAINING HYDROGEN CHLORIDE IN SOLUTION, COMPRISING HEATING SAID FEEDSTOCK BY COMBINING THEREWITH A HOT VAPOR AS SUBSEQUENTLY PRODUCED, INTRODUCING THE COMBINED AND HEATED FEED MATERIAL INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF A STRIPPING ZONE MAINTAINED UNDER STRIPPING CONDITIONS, WITHDRAWING OVERHEAD VAPOROUS MATERIAL FROM A LEVEL OF SAID ZONE ABOVE THE LEVEL OIF FEED INTRODUCTION, WITHDRAWING KETTLE MATERIAL FROM THE KETTLE PORTION OF SAID ZONE, DIVIDING THE WITHDRAWN KETTLE MATERIAL INTO TWO PORTIONS, HEATING ONE PORTION IN A FIRED HEATING ZONE TO A TEMPERATURE HIGHER THAN THE DESIRED KETTLE TEMPERATURE, SEPARATING THE HEATED PORTION INTO A HOT VAPOR PHASE AND A HOT LIQUID PHASE, SAID HOT VAPOR PHASE BEING THE AFORESAID HOT VAPOR PHASE SUBSEQUENTLY PRODUCED, INTRODUCING THE HOT LIQUID PHASE INTO THE KETTLE PORTION OF SAID STRIPPING ZONE THEREBY PROVIDING REBOILING HEAT THERETO, AND REMOVING THE OTHER PORTION OF KETTLE MATERIAL AND THE VAPOROUS OVERHEAD MATERIAL AS PRODUCTS OF THE OPERATION.