Hydrodesulfurization of petroleum hydrocarbons

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS FOR HYDRODESULFURIZING A PETROLEUM HYDROCARBON BY CONTACTING THE PETROLEUM HYDROCARBON CONTAINING SULFUROUS MATERIAL AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE WITH A HYDROGEN-CONTAINING GAS IN THE PRESENCE OF A CONTACT MATERIAL HAVING HYDROGENATING CHARACTERISTICS, COOLING THE EFFLUENT FROM THE AFORESAID HYDRODESULFURIZING TREATMENT TO OBTAIN A FIRST GAS PORTION AND A HYDROCARBON LIQUID PORTION WHICH LIQUID PORTION CONTAINS DISSOLVED GASES, SEPARATING SAID HYDROCARBON LIQUID PORTION AND REMOVING THE DISSOLVED GASES FROM SAID HYDROCARBON LIQUID PORTION TO OBTAIN A SECOND GAS PORTION, THE IMPROVEMENT IN THE ABOVE WHICH COMPRISES SUBJECTING THIS SECOND GAS PORTION, WITHOUT PREVIOUS SEPARATION OF THE HYDROGEN AND HYDROCARBON COMPONENTS THEREOF, TO A REFORMING AND SHIFT REACTION WHEREBY THE HYDROCARBON GAS COMPONENTS OF THE SECOND GAS PORTION ARE CONVERTED INTO HYDROGEN WITHOUT REQUIRING PHYSICAL SEPARATION OF THE HYDROGEN GAS FROM THE HYDROCARBON GASES AND WHEREBY THE HYDROGEN CONTAINED IN THE SECOND GAS PORTION IS CAUSED TO IMPROVE THE OPERATION OF THE REFORMING REACTION, ADDING THE GAS STREAM FROM THE REFORMING AND SHIFT REACTION TO THE FIRST GAS PORTION AND RECYCLING SAID COMBINED GAS MIXTURE INTO CONTACT WITH THE PETROLEUM HYDROCARBON TO BE DESULFURIZED.