Increased efficiency in molecular sieve adsorption system

Claim 2

A PROCESS FOR SEPARATING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBONS FROM A MIXTURE COMPRISING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBONS AND NON-STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBONS WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES CHARGING SAID MIXTURE THROUGH A BED OFMOLECULAR SIEVE ADSORBENT MATERIL HAVING PORE SIZES OF ABOUT

Claim 3

A. FROM AN INLET END TO AN OUTLET END OF SAID BED IN THE LIQUID STATE WHEREBY STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBONS FROM SAID MIXTURE ARE ADSORBED, THEREAFTER CHARGING A DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON THROUGH SAID BED FROM SAID INLET TO SID OUTLET END IN THE LIQUID STATE THEREBY CREATING A FIRST MASS TRANSFER FRONT AND STRAIGHTCHAIN HYDROCARBONS FROM SAID MIXTURE ARE DESORBED FROM SAID BED PRECEDING SAID FIRST FROM AND SAID DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON ADSORBED ON SAID BED BEHIND SAID FIRST FRONT RECOVERING A FIRST EFFLUENT FROM SAID BED COMPRISING A MIXTURE OF SAID DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHTCHAIN HYDROCARBON AND SAID DESORBED STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBONS FROM SAID MIXTURE, FRACTIONATING SAID FIRST EFFLUENT INTO A FIRST PRODUCT CONSISTING OF SAID DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON AND A PRODUCT CONSISTING OF SAID STRAIGHT CHAIN HYDROCARBONS FROM SAID MIXTURE, CHARGING ADDITONAL SAID MIXTURE THROUGH SAID BED FROM SAID INLET TO SAID OUTLET THEREBY CREATING A SECOND MASS TRANSFER FRONT PRECEDING SAID MIXTURE TO SAID BED AND THE ADSORBED DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON IS DESORBED BEFORE SAID SECOND FRONT AND STRAIGHTCHAIN HYDROCARBONS FROM SAID MIXTURE ARE ADSORBED BEHIND SAID SECOND FRONT, RECOVERING A SECOND EFFUENT CONSISTING OF SAID DESORBED DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON AND SAID NON-STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBONS FROM SAID MIXTURE FROM THEOUTLET OF SAID BED, FRACTIONATING SAID SECOND EFFLUENT INTO A SECOND DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON FRACTION AND AS A PRODUCT NON-STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON FROM SAID MIXTURE, CHARGING ADDITIONAL SAID DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON THROUGH SAID BED FROM SAID INLET TO SAID OUTLET BEFORE SECOND MASS TRANSFER FRONT PASSES COMPLETELY THROUGH SAID BED, ALTERNATING THE CHARGING OF SAID MIXTURE AND SAID DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON THROUGH SAID BED FROM SAID INLET TO SAID OUTLET THEREBY CREATING MASS TRANSFER FRONTS WITHIN SID BED AND PRECEDING EACH CHARGING OF SAID MIXTURE AND SAID DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON THROUGH SAID BED THEREBY DESORBING OF ADSORBED HYDROCARBON OCCURS BEFORE EACH FRONT AND ADSORBING CHARGED STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON OCCURS BEHIND EACH FRONT, RECYCLING SAID DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON FROM SAID FRACTIONING STEPS TO THE DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBONS CHARGE, AND CONTROLLING THE AMOUNT OF SAID MIXTURE CHARGED IN EACH CHARGING OF SAID MIXTURE THROUGH SAID BED SO THAT THE AMOUNTS OF SAID MIXTURE IN EACH CHARGING ARE LESS THAN THOSE AMOUNTS SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE PASSAGE OF SAID MIXTURE THROUGH SAID BED IN THE SAME COMPOSITION AS CHARGED AT SAID INLET.

Claim 4

A. FROM AN INLET END TO AN OUTLET END OF SAID BED IN THE LIQUID STATE WHEREBY STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBONS FROM SAID MIXTURE ARE ADSORBED, THEREAFTER CHARGING A DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON THROUGH SAID BED FROM SAID INLET TO SID OUTLET END IN THE LIQUID STATE THEREBY CREATING A FIRST MASS TRANSFER FRONT AND STRAIGHTCHAIN HYDROCARBONS FROM SAID MIXTURE ARE DESORBED FROM SAID BED PRECEDING SAID FIRST FROM AND SAID DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON ADSORBED ON SAID BED BEHIND SAID FIRST FRONT RECOVERING A FIRST EFFLUENT FROM SAID BED COMPRISING A MIXTURE OF SAID DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHTCHAIN HYDROCARBON AND SAID DESORBED STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBONS FROM SAID MIXTURE, FRACTIONATING SAID FIRST EFFLUENT INTO A FIRST PRODUCT CONSISTING OF SAID DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON AND A PRODUCT CONSISTING OF SAID STRAIGHT CHAIN HYDROCARBONS FROM SAID MIXTURE, CHARGING ADDITONAL SAID MIXTURE THROUGH SAID BED FROM SAID INLET TO SAID OUTLET THEREBY CREATING A SECOND MASS TRANSFER FRONT PRECEDING SAID MIXTURE TO SAID BED AND THE ADSORBED DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON IS DESORBED BEFORE SAID SECOND FRONT AND STRAIGHTCHAIN HYDROCARBONS FROM SAID MIXTURE ARE ADSORBED BEHIND SAID SECOND FRONT, RECOVERING A SECOND EFFUENT CONSISTING OF SAID DESORBED DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON AND SAID NON-STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBONS FROM SAID MIXTURE FROM THEOUTLET OF SAID BED, FRACTIONATING SAID SECOND EFFLUENT INTO A SECOND DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON FRACTION AND AS A PRODUCT NON-STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON FROM SAID MIXTURE, CHARGING ADDITIONAL SAID DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON THROUGH SAID BED FROM SAID INLET TO SAID OUTLET BEFORE SECOND MASS TRANSFER FRONT PASSES COMPLETELY THROUGH SAID BED, ALTERNATING THE CHARGING OF SAID MIXTURE AND SAID DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON THROUGH SAID BED FROM SAID INLET TO SAID OUTLET THEREBY CREATING MASS TRANSFER FRONTS WITHIN SID BED AND PRECEDING EACH CHARGING OF SAID MIXTURE AND SAID DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON THROUGH SAID BED THEREBY DESORBING OF ADSORBED HYDROCARBON OCCURS BEFORE EACH FRONT AND ADSORBING CHARGED STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON OCCURS BEHIND EACH FRONT, RECYCLING SAID DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBON FROM SAID FRACTIONING STEPS TO THE DIFFERENT BOILING STRAIGHT-CHAIN HYDROCARBONS CHARGE, AND CONTROLLING THE AMOUNT OF SAID MIXTURE CHARGED IN EACH CHARGING OF SAID MIXTURE THROUGH SAID BED SO THAT THE AMOUNTS OF SAID MIXTURE IN EACH CHARGING ARE LESS THAN THOSE AMOUNTS SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE PASSAGE OF SAID MIXTURE THROUGH SAID BED IN THE SAME COMPOSITION AS CHARGED AT SAID INLET.