Process for the manufacture of a hydrocarbon solvent

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF AN OLEFIN-FREE, AROMATIC HYDROCARBON FRACTION, WHICH COMPRISES SUBJECTING A GAS OIL PETROLEUM FRACTION TO CATALYTIC CRACKING AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE TO PRODUCE A HYDROCARBON MATERIAL BOILING BETWEEN ABOUT 250 TO ABOUT 500* F. CONTAINING AT LEAST 50 PER CENT BY VOLUME OF AROMATIC AND NAPHTHENE HYDROCARBONS AND THE REMAINDER PRIMARILY OLEFIN AND PARAFFIN HYDROCARBONS, SAID OLEFIN HYDROCARBONS BEING 10 TO 30 PER CENT BY VOLUME OF SAID HYDROCARBON MATERIAL, SEPARATING SUCH A HYDROCARBON MATERIAL FROM EFFLUENTS OF SAID CATALYTIC CRACKING, ADDING TO SAID MATERIAL A LOWER-BOILING AROMATIC HYDROCARBON IN AN AMOUNT IN EXCESS OF THAT MOLECULARLY EQUIVALENT TO THE OLEFIN CONTENT OF SAID HYDROCARBON MATERIAL SUCH THAT THE RATIO OF SAID AROMATIC TO THE OLEFIN WILL BE IN THE RANGE OF 5:1 TO 15:1, SUBJECTING THE RESULTING LIQUID MIXTURE TO THE ACTION OF AN ALKYLATION CATALYST UNDER ALKYLATION CONDITIONS FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO REACT BY ALKYLATION SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE OLEFIN CONTENT OF SAID MIXTURE, AND RECOVERING FROM EFFLUENTS OF SAID ALKYLATION AN OLEFINFREE AROMATIC HYDROCARBON MATERIAL WITH AN INITIAL BOILING POINT NOT LESS THAN ABOUT 250* F. AND AN END POINT NOT GREATER THAN ABOUT 500* F. CONTAINING THE FIRST SAID PARAFFIN, NAPHTHENE, AND AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AND ALSO BEING FREE FROM REACTION PRODUCTS OF SAID ALKYLATION.