Process for hydro-desulfurization of light hydrocarbons using a nickel oxide catalyst

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR DESULFURIZING A CRACKED GASOLINE CONTAINING BETWEEN ABOUT 0.1% AND 4% SULFUR AT LOW TOTAL PRESSURES AND LOW HYDROGEN PRESSURES WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL DESTRUCTIVE CRACKING, WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING A MIXTURE OF HYDROGEN AND SAID GASOLINE WITH A DESULFURIZATION CATALYST CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF (1) BETWEEN ABOUT 10% AND 20% BY WEIGHT OF NICKEL OXIDE AND (2) BETWEEN ABOUT 90% AND 80% BY WEIGHT OF AN ACID-WASHED, MONTMORILLONITE CLAY CARRIER, SAID CONTACTING BEING CARRIED OUT AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 600* AND 700* F., A PRESSURE BETWEEN ABOUT 50 AND 150 P. S. I. G., A HYDROGEN RATIO BETWEEN ABOUT 100 AND 400 S. C. F. PER BARREL OF FEED, AND A SPACE VELOCITY BETWEEN ABOUT 0.5 AND 3 VOLUMES OF FEED PER VOLUME OF CATALYST PER HOUR, CONTINUING SAID CONTACTING UNTIL SAID CATALYST HAS CONTACTED BETWEEN ABOUT 0.5 AND 2.0 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF GASOLINE, THEN TERMINATING SAID CONTACTING AND HEATING THE CATALYST IN THE PRESENCE OF AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 900* AND 1200* F., AND CONTACTING THE REGENERATED CATALYST WITH FURTHER QUANTITIES OF SAID GASOLINE UNDER THE STATED CONDITIONS.