Hydrocarbon separation process

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR SEPARATING HYDROCARBONS BY DIFFERENCES IN ADSORPTION CHARACTERISTICS WHEREIN A HYDROCARBON FEED CONTAINING HYDROCARBONS OF DIFFERING ADSORBABILITIES IS PASSED THROUGH A BED OF MOLECULAR SIEVE ADSORBENT AND THE MORE READILY ADSORBABLE HYDROCARBONS IS ADSORBED ON SAID ADSORBENT AND WHEREIN THE ADSORBED HYDROCARBON IS DESORBED BY DISPLACEMENT WITH ANOTHER READILY ADSORBABLE HYDROCARBON, SAID OTHER READILY ADSORBABLE HYDROCARBON BOILING IN A RANGE DIFFERING FROM THE BOILING RANGE OF SAID FEED, THE COMBINATION WITH SAID PROCESS OF THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A HOT HYDROCARBON FLUID AT LEAST ABOUT 100*F. ABOVE THE ADSORPTION TEMPERATURE THROUGH THE BED IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO DESORPTION IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO CREATE ACROSS SAID BED A HOT TEMPERATURE FRONT AT LEAST ABOUT 100*F. ABOVE THE ADSORPTION TEMPERATURE IN SAID PROCESS AND CONDUCTING THE ADSORPTION AND DESORPTION STEPS WITH COLD FEED AND SAID OTHER READILY ADSORBABLE HYDROCARBON AT TEMPERATURES AT LEAST ABOUT 100*F. BELOW THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID HOT TEMPERATURE FRONT.