Process of reducing sulfate content in stock feed

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF TREATING A HYDROCARBON STREAM CONTAINING SULFUR COMPONENTS WHICH COMPRISES INTIMATELY AND VIGOROUSLY ADMIXING WITH SUCH HYDROCARBON STREAM SULFURIC ACID HAVING A STRENGTH OF BETWEEN 85 AND 98% TITRATABLE ACIDITY IN PROPORTIONS OF 2 TO 25 POUNDS OF SAID ACID PER BARREL OF HYDROCARBON OF A PERIOD OF 3 TO 6 MINUTES, CONDUCTING THE ACID-HYDROCARBON MIXTURE INTO A SETTLING ZONE, ALLOWING SAID MIXTURES TO REMAIN IN SAID SETTLING ZONE FOR A PERIOD OF TIME SUFFICIENT TO BRING ABOUT THE FORMATION OF SULFUR-CONTAINING REACTION PRODUCTS WHICH DISSOLVE IN THE ACID, PASSING THE MIXTURE THROUGH AN ELECTRICAL FIELD ZONE WHEREIN THE ELECTRICAL FIELD IS GENERATED BY A DIRECT CURRENT OF APPROXIMATELY 1900 TO 2500 VOLTS PER INCH OF ELECTRODE SPACING WITH THE ELECTRODE SPACING BEING BETWEEN 6 AND 12 INCHES, WHILE MAINTAINING A TEMPERATURE IN THE SETTLING AN ELECTRICAL FIELD ZONES WITHIN THE RANGE OF 40 AND 150*F. AND A COMBINED RESIDENCE TIME OF THE ACID-HYDROCARBON MIXTURE WITHIN THE SETTLING AND ELECTRICAL FIELD ZONES BETWEEN 20 AND 40 MINUTES, REMOVING ACID FROM THE SETTLING ZONE, AND REMOVING A DESULFURIZED HYDROCARBON STREAM FROM THE ELECTRICAL FIELD ZONE.