Oil removal from liquid refrigerant

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR RECOVERING GASOLINE BOILING RANGE HYDROCARBONS FROM NATURAL GAS COMPRISING THE STEPS: (1) COOLING A RAW NATURAL GAS STREAM IN AN INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGER WITH LIQUID PROPANE AS A REFRIGERANT WHEREIN PROPANE IS VAPORIZED, COMPRESSED, COOLED, AND PUMPED BACK INTO THE HEAT EXCHANGER WITH A MINOR AMOUNT OF OIL IMPURITIES PICKED UP FROM THE EQUIPMENT; (2) CONTACTING THE COOLED NATURAL GAS FROM STEP (1) WITH LEAN OIL ABSORBENT TO RECOVER A RICH OIL STREAM CONTAINING HYDROCARBONS IN THE GASOLINE BOILING RANGE AND C2 AND C3 HYDROCARBONS IN MINOR PROPORTIONS; (3) PASSING THE RICH OIL FROM STEP (2) TO A DEHEXANIZER AND RECOVERING C6 AND LIGHTER HYDROCARBONS AS AN OVERHEAD STREAM AND HOT LEAN OIL AS A BOTTOMS STREAM; AND (4) WITHDRAWING A MINOR STREAM OF LIQUID PROPANE CONTAINING OIL IMPURITIES FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE HEAT EXCHANGER OF STEP (1), HEATING SAME, AND PASSING THE HEATED PROPANE IN VAPOR FORM INTO THE DEHEXANIZER OF STEP (3) TO SEPARATE SAID OIL IMPURITIES THEREFROM AND RECOVER THE PROPANE IN THE OVERHEAD HYDROCARBONS.