Hydrocarbon conversion process, including preliminary nitrogen removal by adsorption

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE CATALYTIC CONVERSION OF A MINERAL OIL DISTILLATE BOILING BELOW ABOUT 700* F. AND CONTAINING BETWEEN ABOUT 0.01% AND 5.0% BY WEIGHT OF NITROGEN IN THE FORM OF ORGANIC BASES, WHICH COMPRISES FLOWING A COMPACT BED OF GRANULAR CATALYST THROUGH A RELATIVELY COOL SORPTION ZONE, THEN THROUGH A REGENERATION ZONE WHEREIN SAID CATALYST IS SUBJECTED TO COMBUSTION-REGENERATION AND IS REHEATED TO AT LEAST THE TEMPERATURE OF THE HEREINAFTER SPECIFIED CONVERSION ZONE, DIVIDING THE RESULTING REGENERATED CATALYST INTO A FIRST STREAM AND A SECOND STREAM, FLOWING SAID FIRST STREAM THROUGH A COOLING ZONE AND THEN INTO SAID SORPTION ZONE, FLOWING SAID SECOND STREAM THROUGH A RELATIVELY HOT CONVERSION ZONE AND THEN INTO SAID SORPTION ZONE, COUNTERCURRENTLY CONTACTING SAID DISTILLATE IN VAPOR PHASE FIRST WITH THE COMBINED CATALYST STREAMS IN SAID SORPTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 10* AND 200* F. ABOVE THE 90% BOILING POINT OF SAID DISTILLATE, A PRESSURE BETWEEN ABOUT ATMOSPHERIC AND 100 P. S. I. G., AND AT A FLOW RATE CONTROLLED TO PROVIDE A CATALYST/OIL RATIO BETWEEN ABOUT 0.1 AND 20.0 THEREBY SORBING A MAJOR PROPORTION OF SAID NITROGEN BASES ON SAID CATALYST WITHOUT EFFECTING ANY SUBSTANTIAL DEGREE OF CONVERSION, WITHDRAWING NITROGEN-LEAN DISTILLATE FROM SAID SORPTION ZONE, COUNTERCURRENTLY CONTACTING SAID NITROGEN-LEAN DISTILLATE WITH SAID SECOND CATALYST STREAM IN SAID CONVERSION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 750* AND 1000* THEREBY EFFECTING A SUBSTANTIAL CONVERSION OF SAID NITROGEN-LEAN DISTILLATE, SAID SORPTION ZONE BEING MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE AT LEAST 100* F. LOWER THAN SAID CONVERSION ZONE, SAID CATALYST COMPRISING A MAJOR PROPORTION OF AT LEAST ONE ADSORPTIVE OXIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SILICA, ALUMINA, AND NATURAL CLAYS.