Separation process for the recovery of high purity components of hydrocarbon mixtures

Claim 1

AN IMPROVEMENT IN A CONTINUOUS FLOW SEPARATION PROCESS FOR RESOLVING A MIXTURE OF HYDROCARBONS COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO TYPES: (1) A SORBATE COMPONENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF UNSATURATED AND NORMAL HYDROCARBONS AND (2) A RAFFINATE COMPONENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SATURATED HYDROCARBONS, BRANCHEDCHAIN HYDROCARBONS AND CYCLIC HYDROCARBONS, WHEREIN IT IS DESIRED TO MAXIMIZE THE SORBATE COMPONENT PURITY, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES CONTACTING SAID MIXTURE WITH A MASS OF SOLID PARTICLES OF SORBENT CAPABLE OF SELECTIVELY RETAINING SAID SORBATE COMPONENT OF SAID MIXTURE TO FORM A SPENT SORBENT AND OF REJECTING THE RAFFINATE COMPONENT WHICH THEREUPON OCCUPIES THE VOID SPACES BETWEEN ADJACENT PARTICLES OF SORBENT, REMOVING RAFFINATE COMPONENT FROM THE MASS OF SORBENT AT A POINT RELATIVELY DOWNSTREAM FROM THE POINT OF INITIALLY CONTACTING SAID MIXTURE WITH SAID SORBENT, REFLUXING A SECONDARY REFLUX PORTION OF SAID RAFFINATE INTO A MASS OF SORBENT DOWNSTREAM FROM THE POINT OF WITHDRAWING RAFFINATE COMPONENT, CONTACTING SAID SPENT SORBENT AT A POINT RELATIVELY DOWNSTREAM FROM THE POINT OF REMOVING RAFFINATE AT DESORPTION CONDITIONS WITH A DESORBENT HAVING A BOILING POINT WHICH DIFFERS FROM THE BOILING POINT OF SAID SORBATE COMPONENT TO THEREBY DISPLACE SORBATE HYDROCARBON FROM THE SPENT SORBENT, WITHDRAWING SORBATE COMPONENT FROM THE MASS OF SORBENT AT A POINT RELATIVELY DOWNSTREAM FROM THE POINT OF CHARGING SAID DESORBENT, REFLUXING A PRIMARY REFLUX PORTION OF THE SORBATE INTO THE MASS OF SORBENT DOWNSTREAM FROM THE POINT OF WITHDRAWING SORBATE COMPONENT, MAINTAINING A CONTINUOUSLY CIRCULATING FLUID STREAM FLOWING THROUGH THE MASS OF SORBENT, AND SHIFTING THE POINTS OF INTRODUCING AND WITHDRAWING SAID STREAMS RELATIVE TOS SAID MASS OF SORBENT PARTICLES IN A DOWNSTREAM DIRECTION WHILE MAINTAINING THE SAME ORDER OF CONTINUITY AND THE SAME SPATIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SAID POINTS, THE IMPROVEMENT IN SAID PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES MAINTAINING THE FLOW OF PRIMARY REFLUX AT A VOLUME RATE OF FLOW SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE A VOLUME OF REFLUX FLUID OF FROM GREATER THAN 100 TO ABOUT 140 PERCENT OF THE VOLUME OF VOID SPACES BETWEEN THE PARTICLES OF SORBENT IN THE NEXT ADJACENT DOWNSTREAM BED OF SORBENT, WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY MAINTAINING THE FLOW OF SECONDARY REFLUX AT A VOLUME RATE OF FLOW SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE A VOLUME OF FLUID OF FROM ABOUT 80 TO LESS THAN 100 PERCENT OF THE VOLUME OF VOID SPACES BETWEEN THE PARTICLES OF SORBENT IN THE NEXT ADJACENT DOWNSTREAM BED OF SORBENT.