Combination desulfurization and catalytic reforming process

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR DESULFURIZING AND INCREASING THE QUALITY OF SULFUR-CONTAINING DISTILLATE PETROLEUM FRACTION THAT HAS A CRITICAL TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 400* F. AND 700* F. AND THAT BOILS WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 100* F. TO 500* F., WHICH COMPRISES PASSING SAID PETROLEUM FRACTION TO A HYDROFINING ZONE OPERATING AT TEMPERATURES OF 500* F. TO 750* F. AND AT A HIGH ENOUGH PRESSURE TO KEEP THE FEED AS A LIQUID AT A TEMPERATURE SLIGHTLY LESS THAN ITS CRITICAL, WHEREBY SAID SULFUR COMPOSITIONS ARE SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY CONVERTED TO YDROGEN SULFIDE, COOLING THE HYDROFINED FRACTION AT SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT PRESSURE TO A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 25 TO 50* F. BELOW THE CRITICAL TEMPERATURE OF THE FEED TO PRODUCE LIQUID HYDROCARBON CONSTITUENTS AND VAPORIZED HYDROCARBON CONSTITUENTS AND HYDROGEN SULFIDE, SEPARATIING THE LIQUID CONSTITUENTS FROM THE VAPORIZED CONSTITUENTS AND HYDROGEN SULFIDE IN A HIGH PRESSURE SEPARATION ZONE, WITHDRAWING SAID LIQUID CONSTITUENTS FROM SAID HIGH PRESSURE SEPARATION ZONE AND ADJUSTING THEIR PRESSURE TO THAT OF A CATALYTIC REFORMING ZONE, WITHDRAWING SAID VAPORIZED HYDROCARBON CONSTITUENTS AND HYDROGEN SULFIDE FROM SAID HIGH PRESSURE SEPARATION ZONE AND COOLING TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO CONDENSE SAID VAPORIZED HYDROCARBON CONSTITUENTS AT SUBSTANTIALLY ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, SEPARATING THE RESULTING CONDENSED HYDROCARBON CONSTITUENTS FROM ANY NON-CONDENSED HYDROCARBON CONSTITUENTS AND HYDROGEN SULFIDE AT SUBSTANTIALLY ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, ADJUSTING THE PRESSURE OF THE CONDENSATE TO THAT OF SAID CATALYTIC REFORMING ZONE, COMBINING SAID LIQIUD HYDROCARBON CONSTITUENTS AND SAID CONDENSATE, PASSING THE COMBINED SAID CONSTITUENTS AND SAID CONDENSATE TO SAID CATALYTIC REFORMING ZONE TO FORM A CATALYTIC REFORMATE AND A HYDROGEN-RICH GAS, RECYCLING A PORTION OF SAID GAS TO SAID CATALYTIC REFORMING ZONE AND PASSING A SECOND PORTION OF SAID GAS TO SAID HYDROFINING ZONE.