Production of aromatics from petroleum

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF COVERTING HIGHER MOLECULAR WEIGHT HYDROCARBONS FRACTIONS RICH IN ALKYLATED FUSED-RING AROMATIC COMPOUNDS TO LOWER MOLECULAR WEIGHT HYDROCARBONS WHICH COMPRISES PASSING THE HYDROCARBON FRACTION INTO A REACTION ZONE IN THE PRESENCE OF A HYDROGEN-RICH GAS, STEAM AND A CATALYST PREPARED BY COMBINING A MAJOR AMOUNT OF IRON OXIDE WITH PROMOTING AMOUNTS OF CHROMIA AND A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF INORGANIC, OXYGEN-CONTAINING SODIUM AND POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS WHICH AFFORD THEIR RESPECTIVE OXIDES UNDER THE REACTION CONDITIONS AND WHICH IS STEAM-INSENSITIVE, WATER GAS-ACTIVE AND WHICH PROMOTES HYDRODEALKYLATION, AT A LIQUID SPACE VELOCITY IN THE RANGE APPROXIMATING 0.1 TO 5.0 VOLUMES PER VOLUME OF CATALYST PER HOUR, THE HYDROGEN AND STEAM EACH BEING PRESENT IN THE REACTION IN THE AMOUNT OF ABOUT 1 TO 20 MOLES OF EACH FOR EACH MOLE OF THE HYDROCARBON FRACTION, MAINTAINING THE REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE APPPROXIMATING 1200* TO 1800* C, AND SEPARATING THE LOWER MOLECULAR WEIGHT HYDROCARBONS FROM THE EFFLUENT REACTION PRODUCTS.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF COVERTING HIGHER MOLECULAR WEIGHT HYDROCARBONS FRACTIONS RICH IN ALKYLATED FUSED-RING AROMATIC COMPOUNDS TO LOWER MOLECULAR WEIGHT HYDROCARBONS WHICH COMPRISES PASSING THE HYDROCARBON FRACTION INTO A REACTION ZONE IN THE PRESENCE OF A HYDROGEN-RICH GAS, STEAM AND A CATALYST PREPARED BY COMBINING A MAJOR AMOUNT OF IRON OXIDE WITH PROMOTING AMOUNTS OF CHROMIA AND A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF INORGANIC, OXYGEN-CONTAINING SODIUM AND POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS WHICH AFFORD THEIR RESPECTIVE OXIDES UNDER THE REACTION CONDITIONS AND WHICH IS STEAM-INSENSITIVE, WATER GAS-ACTIVE AND WHICH PROMOTES HYDRODEALKYLATION, AT A LIQUID SPACE VELOCITY IN THE RANGE APPROXIMATING 0.1 TO 5.0 VOLUMES PER VOLUME OF CATALYST PER HOUR, THE HYDROGEN AND STEAM EACH BEING PRESENT IN THE REACTION IN THE AMOUNT OF ABOUT 1 TO 20 MOLES OF EACH FOR EACH MOLE OF THE HYDROCARBON FRACTION, MAINTAINING THE REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE APPPROXIMATING 1200* TO 1800* C, AND SEPARATING THE LOWER MOLECULAR WEIGHT HYDROCARBONS FROM THE EFFLUENT REACTION PRODUCTS.