Catalytic cracking of petroleum hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION FROM A SULPHURCONTAINING PETROLEUM FEEDSTOCK BOILING IN THE WAX DISTILLATE RANGE OF CRACKED GASOLINE AND OF A GOOD QUALITY DIESEL FUEL WITHOUT APPRECIABLE REDUCTION IN THE AMOUNT OF CRACKED GASOLINE WHICH MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE WAX DISTILLATE, WHICH CONSISTS IN PASSING THE WAX DISTILLATE TO A HYDROFINING STAGE WHERE IT IS CONTACTED WITH A SULPHURRESISTANT HYDROGENATION CATALYST IN THE PRESENCE OF HYDROGEN AND UNDER CONDITIONS OF TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE TO EFFECT THE CONVERSION OF ORGANICALLY COMBINED SULPHUR PRESENT IN THE FEEDSTOCK INTO HYDROGEN SULPHIDE, REMOVING THE HYDROGEN SULPHIDE FROM THE HYDROFINED FEEDSTOCK, SEPARATING FROM THE HYDROFINED FEEDSTOCK A GAS OIL FRACTION SUITABLE FOR USE AS A DIESEL FUEL PASSING THE RESIDUE BOILING ABOVE THE GAS OIL RANGE TO A CATALYTIC CRACKING STAGE, AND RECOVERING GASOLINE FROM THE CRACKED PRODUCTS.