GB770391A - Method and apparatus for treating liquid hydrocarbons with moving absorbents - Google Patents

Abstract

Liquid hydrocarbons are counter-currently contacted with adsorbent by pas <PICT:0770391/III/1> <PICT:0770391/III/2> sing the hydrocarbons upwardly through a columnar mass, greater than 5 feet in vertical length, of downwardly gravitating adsorbent; the used adsorbent is withdrawn from the columnar mass as a plurality of confined streams from a plurality of spaced points, the area of columnar mass feeding each stream being less than 17 square feet, and the streams then combined into a single discharge stream while the rate of flow of the streams is controlled by throttling the flow at a point along the discharge stream. The process is also applicable to solvent washing oil-contaminated adsorbent. The adsorbent used is made up of particles of size 4-100 mesh (Tyler); adsorbents referred to are fuller's earth, bauxite, bentonite, bone char, charcoal, magnesium silicate, heat and acid activated kaolin, activated carbon, synthetic silica and alumina and silica-alumina gel. Lubricating oils and other petroleum fractions may be treated. In Fig. 1 adsorbent is fed via conduit 12 and vertical slots 15 into pipes 18 and thus into the treater 10; the particles of adsorbent fall through the upper portions of tubes 20, then through the liquid oil in the lower portions to the surface of the column 55. Spent adsorbent is withdrawn through lines 37 which converge in an annular stream 84 in flow collector 38 (Fig. 4), to form a single discharge stream 81. The flow in stream 81 is controlled by a valve in section 87; this valve may also be controlled by motor 61 actuated by motor controller 49 connected to instrument 60, which measures the pressure differential due to oil flow between taps 47 and 48. An alternative arrangement for a collecting device is also described. Specifications, 576,058, 770,392, 770,393, 770,394 and U.S.A. Specification 2,188,007 are referred to.