Solvation process for carbonaceous fuels

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR PREPARING AN UPGRADED, SUBSTANTIALLY ASH-FREE AND LOW-SULFUR FUEL FROM CARBONACEOUS FUELS WHICH COMPRISES: (A) PREPARING A SLURRY OF AN ORGANIC SOLVENT AND A FINELY DIVIDED CARBONACEOUS FUEL IN A RATION OF ABOUT 1/1 TO ABOUT 4/1 WITH SAID SOLVENT BEING HIGHLY AROMATIC AND HAVING A BOILING RANGE OF ABOUT 150*C. TO ABOUT 750*C., A DENSITY OF ABOUT 1.1 AND A CARBON TO HYDROGEN MOLE RATIO FROM ABOUT 1.0 TO 0.9 TO ABOUT 1.0 TO 0.4; (B) FEEDING SAID SLURRY TO A HEATING ZONE; (C) HEATING SAID SLURRY IN SAID HEATING ZONE TO A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 370*C. TO ABOUT 500* C.; (D) CHARGING THE SLURRY AT SAID TEMPERATURE TO A SOLUBILIZING ZONE; (E) HOLDING THE CHARGE OF STEP (D) IN SAID SOLUBILIZING ZONE; (F) SEPARATING THE SOLUTION FORMED IN THE SOLUBILIZING ZONE FROM THE RESIDUE OF SAID FUEL; (G) RECOVERING AT LEAST A MAJOR PORTION OF SOLVENT HAVING A BOILING POINT IN THE RANGE OF 150* TO 750*C. FROM SAID SOLUTION; AND (H) RETURNING THE RECOVEERED SOLVENT TO THE PROCESS FOR FURTHER PROCESSING OF FURESH CARBONACEOUS FUELS; THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING; ADDING HYDROGEN BEFORE THE SLURRY IS CHARGED TO THE SOLUBILIZING ZONE TO INCREASE THE PRESSURE OF THE SAID SLURRY AND HYDROGEN MIXTURE TO AT LEAST 500 P.S.I.; HOLDING THE HYDROGEN PRESSURIZED SLURRY IN SAID SOLUBILIZING ZONE AT A PRESSURE OF AT LEAST 500 P.S.I. UNTIL THE RELATIVE VISCOSITY OF THE SAID HYDROGEN PRESSURIZED SLURRY RISES SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE 20 AND THEN DECREASES BELOW 10; AND THEN SEPARATING THE SOLUTION FORMED IN THE SOLUBILIZING ZONE FROM THE RESIDUE OF SAID FUEL WHILE THE RELATIVE VISCOSITY OF THE SAID SOLUTION IS BELOW 10.