Hydrodesulfurization process

Claim 1

THE PROCESS FOR SULFURIZING A HYDROCARBON WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING VAPORS OF A SULFURCONTAINING HYDROCARBON AT ELEVATED PRESSURE AND AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 820* AND 875* F. WITH HYDROGEN AND A NICKELIFEROUS AGENT COMPRISING BETWEEN ABOUT 15 AND 25 PER CENT NICKEL CALCULATED AS OXIDE DEPOSITED UPON A POROUS SUPPORT, A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF SAID NICKEL BEING IN THE METALLIC FORM, TERMINATING CONTACT BETWEEN THE VAPORS, HYDROGEN, AND NICKELIFEROUS AGENT WHEN REGENERATION IS REQUIRED, DEPRESSURIZING; REGENERATING THE NICKELIFEROUS AGENT BY COMBUSTION, AT LEAST PARTIALLY REDUCING THE REGENERATED NICKELIFEROUS AGENT BY TREATING SAID AGENT AT AN INITIAL REDUCTION TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 750* AND 800* F. AND AT A PRESSURE APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE REACTION PRESSURE WITH STEAM AND SIMULTANEOUSLY TREATING SAID AGENT WITH A REDUCING GAS, THE MOL RATIO OF STEAM TO REDUCING GAS BEING BETWEEN ABOUT 4.5:1 AND 28:1 AND BEING SUCH AS TO GIVE SAID AGENT A FINAL TEMPERATURE AFTER REDUCTION AT LEAST ABOUT 40* F. HIGHER THAN THE INITIAL REDUCTION TEMPERATURE BUT BETWEEN ABOUT 820* AND 875* F., TERMINATING THE FLOW OF STEAM AND IMMEDIATELY CONTACTING VAPORS OF THE SULFUR-CONTAINING HYDROCARBON WITH HYDROGEN AND THE REGENERATED AND AT LEAST PARTIALLY REDUCED NICKELFEROUS AGENT WHILE STILL AT APPROXIMATELY SAID FINAL TEMPERATURE AND REACTION PRESSURE.