Apparatus for upgrading whole crude oil to remove nitrogen and sulfur compounds

An apparatus for treating a crude oil feedstream to reduce the content of undesired components, the apparatus comprising:

• a. a source of a crude oil feedstream containing undesired components;
• b. a source of solid adsorbent material particles including fresh solid porous adsorbent material particles;
• c. a mixing vessel in fluid communication with the source of crude oil and the source of adsorbent material particles and for mixing the crude oil and adsorbent material particles to form a slurry;
• d. an atmospheric flash distillation vessel in direct fluid communication with the mixing vessel for receiving the slurry, and having a distillate outlet for discharging product within a first prescribed temperature range and a bottoms outlet for discharging the solid adsorbent material particles and bottoms from atmospheric distillation;
• e. a vacuum distillation vessel in fluid communication with the atmospheric distillation vessel for receiving the solid adsorbent material particles and bottoms from the atmospheric distillation vessel, and having a distillate outlet for discharging product within a second prescribed temperature range and a bottoms outlet for discharging a mixture of vacuum residue and solid adsorbent material particles;
• f. an adsorbent regeneration vessel in fluid communication with the vacuum distillation vessel for receiving the mixture of vacuum residue and solid adsorbent material particles, and having a vacuum residue outlet and a bottoms outlet constructed and arranged for discharging and recycling at least a portion of regenerated splid absorbent material particles to the mixing vessel;
• and
• g. a transfer line between the bottoms outlet of the adsorbent regeneration vessel and source of solid adsorbent material particles or the mixing vessel.