Fractionation process and apparatus

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR FRACTIONATING PETROLEUM CRUDE OILS CONSISTIG ESSENTIALLY OF THE STEPS OF ESTABLISHING TWO SEPARATE AND DISTINCT SIDE-BY-SIDE STRIPPING ZONES IN THE STRIPPING SECTION OF A FRACTIONATION TOWER, INTRODUCING THE STRIPPING SECTION OF A FRACTIONATION TOWER, INTRODUCING A FIRST HOT CRUDE OIL CONTAINING RELATIVELY LOW VALUE BOTTOMS INTO THE FLASH SECTION OF THE FIRST STRIPPING ZONE, INTRODUCING A SECOND HOT CRUDE OIL CONTAINIGN RELATIVELY HIGH VALUE BOTTOMS INTO THE FLASH SECTION OF THE SECOND STRIPPING ZONE, SIMULTANEOUSLY STEAM STRIPPING THE LIGHTER COMPONENTS FROM THE CRUDE OILS AS THEY PASS THROUGH THEIR RESPECTIVE STRIPPING ZONES, PASSING STRIPPED MATERIALS FROM THE TWO INDEPENDENT STRIPPING ZONES INTO A COMMON FRACTIONATION SECTION, FRACTIONATING SAID STRIPPED MATERIALS, RECOVERING AT LEAST ONE FRACTION FROM TEH FRACTIONATION SECTION, RECOVERING SEGREGATED LOW VALUE BOTTOMS FROM TEH FIRST STRIPPING ZONE; RECOVERING SEGREGATED HIGH VALUE BOTTOMS FROM THE SECOND STRIPPING ZONE WHEREBY TWO PETROLEUM CRUDE OILS ARE PROCESSED IN A SINGLE FRACTIONATION TOWER TO PROVIDE LOW BOILING OVERHEAD AND SIDE STREAM PRODUCTS CONTAINING THE DESIRABLE LIGHTER HYDROCARBON MATERIALS OF THE TWO CRUDE OILS AND TO PROVIDE SEGREGATED BOTTOMS FRACTIONS OF EACH CRUDE OIL IN CONDITION FOR FURTHER APPROPRIATE PROCESSING OF EACH BOTTOMS FRACTION.