Simultaneous deasphalting-extraction process

A simultaneous solvent-deasphalting-extracting process for a heavy petroleum oil feed selected from the group consisting essentially of crude oils, atmospheric resids and vacuum resids containing both asphaltic and aromatic components, which comprises the steps of:

• (1) contacting said feed in a combination deasphalting-extracting zone, at a temperature and pressure ranging from about 120.degree.-190.degree. F. and 180-500 psig, respectively, with a solvent comprising a mixture of (a) NMP containing from 0-5 LV% water, (b) one or more liquid, low molecular weight C.sub.2 -C.sub.10 carbon atom hydrocarbons to form two layers or phases, an upper raffinate phase containing the desired oil, most of the hydrocarbon solvent and some NMP and a lower, extract layer or phase containing most of the NMP and water along with the asphaltenes and most of the aromatic and polar components of the feed;
• (2) removing the raffinate from said combination zone and heating same to a temperature ranging from between 180.degree. to 450.degree. F.;
• (3) passing said hot raffinate from step (2) to a flash zone to remove most of the hydrocarbon solvent therefrom as vapor and produce a hydrocarbon solvent-reduced raffinate;
• (4) chilling said hydrocarbon solvent-reduced raffinate to a temperature sufficiently low to produce bulk liquid-liquid immiscibility between the raffinate oil and the NMP, thereby forming two phases or layers, an oil-rich light phase and an NMP-rich heavy phase containing some oil and most of the NMP present in the raffinate formed in step (1) above;
• (5) separating the oil-rich phase from the NMP-rich phase;
• and
• (6) passing said NMP-rich phase back into said combination zone.