Catalytic desulfurization of kerosene and white spirits

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE HYDROCATALYTIC DESULPHURIZATION OF A SULPHUR-AND-NAPHTHENE-CONTAINING PETROLEUM FRACTION BOILING WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 150-240* C., WHEREIN THE FRACTION IS PASSED IN VAPOR FORM TO A REACTION ZONE WHEREIN IT IS CONTACTED IN THE PRESENCE OF HYDROGEN AND AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE WITH A DEHYDROGENATION-HYDROGENATION CATALYST WHICH IS IMMUNE TO SULPHUR POISONING AND COMBINES ACTIVITY FOR THE DEHYDROGENATION OF NAPHTHENES TO AROMATICS WITH ACTIVITY FOR THE HYDROGENATION OF ORGANICALLY COMBINED SULPHUR IN THE FRACTION TO HYDROGEN SULPHIDE, AND WHEREIN THE TREATED FRACTION IS REMOVED FROM THE REACTION ZONE AND THE HYDROGEN SULPHIDE SUBSEQUENTLY REMOVED THEREFROM, THE METHOD OF OPERATING THE PROCESS SO THAT IT WILL BE SELF-SUPPORTING WITH RESPECT TO THE AMOUNT OF HYDROGEN NEEDED AND PRODUCE PRODUCT OIL HAVING, EXCEPT FOR LOWERED SULPHUR CONTENT, PROPERTIES AND BOILING RANGE SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS THE FEEDSTOCK, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PASSING THE FRACTION TO BE TREATED THROUGH SAID REACTION ZONE AND CONTACTING THE FRACTION THEREIN WITH SAID CATALYST AND WITH HYDROGEN DERIVED SOLELY FROM THE OIL, MAINTAINING A SELECTED TEMPERATURE IN SAID ZONE BETWEEN ABOUT 700* F. TO ABOUT 800* F. AT WHICH HYDROGEN IS PRODUCED CONTINUOUSLY FROM SAID FRACTION, MAINTAINING A SELECTED PRESSURE IN SAID ZONE BETWEEN ABOUT 50 TO ABOUT 250 LB./SQ. IN GAUGE, SAID SELECTED TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE BEING CORRELATED TO EFFECT THE DEHYDROGENATION OF NAPHTHENES CONTAINED IN THE FRACTION TO AN EXTENT NOT SUBSTANTIALLY IN EXCESS OF THEAT REQUIRED TO PRODUCE SUFFICIENT HYDROGEN TO CONVERT THE ORGANICALLY COMBINED SULPHUR INTO HYDROGEN SULPHIDE AND TO MAINTAIN THE PRESSURE IN THE REACTION ZONE, SEPARATING THE PRODUCTS FROM THE REACTION ZONE INTO THE DESIRED LIQUID PRODUCT OIL SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF SULPHUR, A HYDROGEN SULPHIDE-RICH GAS MIXTURE, AND A HYDROGEN-RICH GAS MIXTURE, THE RECYCLING SAID HYDROGEN-RICH GAS MIXTURE TO THE REACTION ZONE AS THE SOLE SOURCE OF HYDROGEN TO SAID ZONE AND AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN THE NECESSARY PARTIAL PRESSURE OF HYDROGEN THEREIN.