Apparatus for producing bulk mesophase

Abstract From the Canadian patent

Bulk mesophase can be economically produced without coking trouble from a heavy oil in an apparatus comprising: a heat-treatment vessel for heat treating the oil thereby to form pitch containing mesophase microspheres; a cyclonetype separator installed directly below the vessel and operating to cause the mesophase microspheres within the pitch introduced into the separator to coalesce thereby to separate the mesophase microspheres from the matrix pitch; and ascent and descent pipes communicatively connecting the interiors of the vessel and the separator the ascent pipe returning matrix pitch after removal of the mesophase microspheres into the vessel together with newly supplied oil, which …