Petroleum-derived pitch

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A PETROLEUM-DERIVED PITCH, SUITABLE FOR USE AS A SATURANT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF MOLDED MATERIALS, WHICH COMPRISES: CONTACTING A PETROLEUM HYDROCARBON FRACTION HAVING AN INITIAL BOILING POINT ABOVE ABOUT 400*F. AND AN END BOILING POINT OF ABOUT 1200*F. WITH A CRACKING CATALYST UNDER CATALYTIC CRACKING CONDITIONS; REMOVING FROM THE RESULTING PRODUCT A CATALYTICALLY CRACKED HYDROCARBON FRACTION BOILING PREDOMINANTLY ABOVE 500*F. AND HAVING AN ATOMIC CARBON TO HYDROGEN RATIO IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 0.6 TO ABOUT 0.91; SUBJECTING SAID CATALYTICALLY CRACKED HYDROCARBON FRACTION TO THERMAL CRACKING UNDER CONDITIONS WHICH INCLUDE A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 850*F. TO ABOUT 1050*F. TO PRODUCE A THERMAL ASPHALT HAVING A SOFTENING POINT IN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 130*F. TO ABOUT 180* F., AND A SPECIFIC GRAVITY IN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 1.10 TO ABOUT 1.20; PASSING SAID THERMAL ASPHALT THROUGH A HEAT-SOAKING ZONE AT A PRESSURE WITHIN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 30 TO 400 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH GAUGE AND AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 900*F. TO AOBUT 1100*F., AT A RESIDENCE TIME FROM ABOUT 4 TO ABOUT 20 MINUTES TO PRODUCE A PETROLEUM PITCH HAVING A SOFTENING POINT IN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 210*F. TO ABOUT 240* F. AND A SPECIFIC GRAVITY IN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 1.24 TO ABOUT 1.25: AND BLENDING THE PETROLEUM PITCH THUS PRODUCED WITH A HYDROCARBON FRACTION BOILING PREDOMINANTLY ABOVE 500*F. AND HAVING AN ATOMIC CARBON TO HYDROGEN RATIO IN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 0.6 TO ABOUT 0.91 TO PRODUCE AN IMPROVED PETROLEUM-DERIVED PITCH HAVING A SOFTENING POINT IN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 160*F. TO ABOUT 180*F. AND A SPECIFIC GRAVITY IN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 1.215 TO ABOUT 1.240.