Catalytic desulfurization of gas oilkerosene mixtures

Claim 1

IN A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR THE HYDROCATALYTIC DESULPHURIZATION OF A STRAIGHT RUN SULPHURAND-NAPHTHENE-CONTAINING PETROLEUM DISTILLATE CONSISTING OF A MIXTURE OF MATERIAL BOILING SUBSTANTIALLY WITHIN THE GAS OIL RANGE AND MATERIAL BOILING SUBSTANTIALLY WITHIN THE KEROSENE RANGE, WHEREIN THE DISTILLATE IS CONTACTED IN VAPOR FORM IN A REACTION ZONE AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE IN THE PRESSENCE OF HYDROGEN WITH A DEHYDROGENATIN-HYDROGENATION CATALYST WHICH IS IMMUNE TO SULPHUR POISONING AND COMBINES ACTIVITY FOR THE DEHYDROGENATION OF NAPHTHENES IN SAID DISTILLATE TO AROMATICS WITH ACTIVITY FOR THE HYDROGENATION OF ORGANICALLY COMBINED SULPHUR IN THE DISTILLATE TO HYDROGEN SULPHIDE, THE METHOD OF OPERATING THE PROCESS SO THAT IT WILL BE SELF-SUPPORTING WITH RESPECT TO THE AMOUNT OF HYDROGEN NEEDED AND PRODUCE A DESULPHURIZED DISTILLATE FROM WHICH DESULPHURIZED DISTILLATE FRACTIONS MAY BE RECOVERED BY A SINGLE DISTILLATION STEP, SAID DESULPHURIZED DISTILLATE HAVING, EXCEPT FOR LOWERED SULPHUR CONTENT, PROPERTIES AND BOILING RANGE SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS THE FEEDSTOCK; COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PASSING THE DISTILLATE TO BE TREATED THROUGH SAID REACTION ZONE AND CONTACTING THE DISTILLATE THEREIN WITH SAID CATALYST AND WITH HYDROGEN DERIVED SOLELY FROM THE DISTILLATE, MAINTAINING A SELECTED TEMPERATURE IN SAID ZONE BETWEEN ABOUT 700* F. TO ABOUT 800* F. AT WHICH HYDROGEN IS CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCED FROM SAID DISTIALLATE, MAINTAINING A SELECTED PRESSURE IN SAID ZONE BETWEEN ABOUT 50 TO ABOUT 250 LBS./SQ. IN. GAUGE, SAID SELECTED TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE BEING CORRELATED TO PROVIDE, FROM THE DEHYDROGENATION OF NAPHTHENES CONTAINED IN SAID DISTILLATE, A NET PRODUCTION OF HYDROGEN AT LEAST SUFFICIENT TO CONVERT ORGANIC SULPHUR COMPOUNDS IN SAID DISTILLATE TO HYDROGEN SULPHIDE AND TO MAINTAIN THE SELECTED PRESSURE IN SAID ZONE; SEPARATING A HYDROGEN-RICH GAS MIXTURE FROM THE TREATED DISTILLATE, RECYCLING SAID HYDROGEN-RICH GAS MIXTURE TO THE REACTION ZONE TO CONSTITUTE THE WHOLE OF THE HYDROGEN SUPPLIED TO SAID ZONE, THE HYDROGEN RECYCLE RATE BEING SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN THE NECESSARY PARTIAL PRESSURE OF HYDROGEN IN SAID ZONE; AND FRACTIONATING THE DESULPHURIZED DISTILLATE FOR THE SEPARATE RECOVERY OF A DESULPHURIZED DISTILLATE FRACTION BOILING WITHIN THE GAS OIL RANGE AND A DESULPHURIZED DISTILLATE FRACTION BOILING WITHIN THE NAPHTHA/KEROSENE RANGE.