Catalytic desulfurization of petroleum hydrocarbons

Claim 1

IN A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR THE HYDROCATALYTIC DESULPHURIZATION OF A SULPHUR AND NAPHTHENE-CONTAINING HYDROCARBON OIL WHEREIN THE OIL IS CONTACTED IN A REACTION ZONE AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE IN THE PRESENCE OF HYDROGEN WITH A DEHYDROGENATION-HYDROGENATION CATALYST WHICH IS IMMUNE TO SULPHUR POISONING AND COMBINES ACTIVITY FOR THE DEHYDROGENATION OF NAPHTHENES TO AROMATICS WITH ACTIVITY FOT THE HYDROGENATION OF ORGANICALLY COMBINE SULPHUR IN THE OIL TO HYDROGEN SULPHIDE, THE METHOD OF OPERATING THE PROCESS SO THAT IT WILL BE SELFSUPPORTING 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 OIL TO BE TREATED THROUGH SAID REACTION ZONE AND CONTACTING THE OIL THEREIN WITH SAID CATALYST AND WITH HYYDROGEN DERIVED SOLELY FROM THE OIL, MAINTAINING A SELECTED TEMPERATURE IN SAID ZONE BETWEEN ABOUT 650* F. TO ABOUT 800* F. AT WHICH HYDROGEN IS CONTINUOUSLY EVOLVED FROM SAID OIL, BY DEHYDROGENATION OF NAPHTHENES CONTAINED IN THE OIL, FOR CONSUMPTION IN CONVERTING ORGANICALLY COMBINED SULPHUR IN THE OIL TO HYDROGEN SULPHIDE; ALLOWING THE PRESSURE IN SAID ZONE TO RISE TO AN EQUILIBRIUM PRESSURE AT WHICH THE HYDROGEN EVOLVED EQUALS THE HYDROGEN CONSUMED, BY SEPARATING A HYDROGEN-RICH GASEOUS FRACTION FROM THE PRODUCTS FROM THE REACTION ZONE, SAID FRACTION CONTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY THE CONTENT OF HYYDROGEN AS SUCH IN SAID PRODUCTS, AND RECYCLING SAID HYDROGEN-RICH GASEOUS FRACTION TO SAID REACTION ZONE, THE HYDROGEN OF SAID FRACTION CONSTITUTING THE WHOLE OF THE HYDROGEN SUPPLIED AS SUCH TO SAID ZONE; AND, RECOVERING THE DESIRED PRODUCT OIIL FROM THE RESIDUE OF SAID SEPARATING OPERATION.