Patent ID: 7862708

Claim:
A process for removing sulfur from a sulfur-containing heavy oil feedstream, comprising: a) contacting a sulfur-containing heavy oil feedstream with a hydrogen-containing gas and potassium hydroxide in a superheated water solution in a reaction zone to produce a reaction effluent stream; b) separating the reaction effluent stream into a degassed effluent stream and an overhead light gas stream; c) conducting at least a portion of the degassed effluent stream to an initial gravity settler wherein the initial gravity settler is operated at a temperature from about 212 to about 482Â° F. (100 to 250Â° C.), thereby producing an asphaltene-containing aqueous solution stream and an intermediate desulfurized heavy oil product stream; and d) contacting at least a portion of the asphaltene-containing aqueous solution stream with a paraffin enriched stream containing C 6 to C 8 paraffins, and gravity separating the mixture to produce an emulsion breaker bottoms stream and an emulsion breaker overhead stream wherein the emulsion breaker overhead stream contains at least a portion of the asphaltenes and C 6 to C 8 paraffins from the mixture; wherein the reaction zone is operated at temperature from about 482Â° F. to about 698Â° F. (250 to 370Â° C.) and a pressure of about 600 to about 3000 psig (4,137 to 20,684 kPa) and the sulfur content of the intermediate desulfurized heavy oil product stream is lower than the sulfur content of the sulfur-containing heavy oil feedstream.