Gas stripping process for removal of sulfur-containing components from crude oil

22 2High rate gas stripping for removal of sulfur-containing components such as mercaptans from crude oil may be conducted by feeding sweet gas to the bottom of a tower containing pre-heated mercaptan-containing crude oil feed. The gas bubbles up through the crude becoming enriched with HS, mercaptans, COand/or hydrocarbons. The rich gas exits the tower, and is treated to produce a sweetened gas, a portion of which is recycled to the tower, and an acid gas. The remainder of the sweetened and/or the acid gas may be used as a fuel or processed to recover a portion of any hydrocarbons that may have been stripped out of the crude oil with the mercaptans, sulfur-containing components, CO, used for enhanced oil recovery or disposed.