Preparation of white oils and liquid paraffins

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF WHITE OILS AND LIQUID PARAFFINS IN HIGH YIELD FROM A MINERAL OIL DISTILLATE HAVING AROMATICS, NAPHTENES AND PARAFFINS THEREIN WHICH COMPRISES SUBJECTING THE MINERAL OIL DISTILLATE TO A CATALYTIC HYDROGENATION OPERATION AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM 250* TO 400*C., UNDER A PRESSURE OF FROM 5 TO 150 KG./CM.2, AT A DISTILLATE THROUGHPUT SPEED OF FROM 0.1 TO 5 VOLS, OF OIL PER VOL. OF CATALYST PER HOUR AND A HYDROGEN THROUGHPUT OF FROM 5 TO 500 VOLS. OF HYDROGEN PER VOL. OF OIL, THE HYDROGENATION CATALYST BEING SULPHUR RESISTANT AND BEING A MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF OXIDES AND SULPHIDES OF THE METALS OF THE 6TH GROUP AND THE 8TH GROUP OF THE PERIODIC TABLE ON A REFRACTORY OXIDE SUPPORT, SAID HYDROGENATING OPERATION CONVERTING STRONGLY POLAR COMPOUNDS OF SAID DISTILLATE INTO NON-POLAR COMPOUNDS AND INCREASING THE NAPHTHENIC AND PARAFFINIC CONTENT OF SAID DISTILLATE, FEEDING THE HYDROGENATED DISTILLATE AND A SOLID ADSORBENT MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SILICA GEL AND ACTIVE FORMS OF ALUMINUM OXIDE INTO AN ADSORPTION COLUMN, PASSING AN ELUTING AGENT THROUGH SAID ADSORPTION COLUMN TO SUCCESSIVELY ELUTE PARAFFINIC AND NAPHTHENIC HYDROCARBONS THEREFROM, AND RECOVERING A PARAFFINIC HYDROCARBON FRACTION AS A BASIS FOR OBTAINING LIQUID PARAFFIN AND A NAPHTHENIC HYDROCARBON FRACTION AS WHITE OIL.