Catalyst regeneration process

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF REGENERATING A SPENT HIGHLY ACTIVE HYDROFORMING CATALYST COMPRISING PLATINUM ON AN ALUMINA BASE WHICH COMPRISES SATISFACTORILY REGENERATING SAID PLATINUM CATALYST WITHOUT OXIDATIVE TREATMENT BY SUSPENDING SAID CATALYST IN A HIGH BOILING NAPHTHENIC OIL, HYDROGENATING SAID SUSPENSION IN THE LIQUID PHASE FOR A PERIOD OF AT LEAST 10 SECONDS TO 10 MINUTES AT A HYDROGEN PARTIAL PRESSURE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 1,000 AND 10,000 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH AT TEMPERATURES OF BETWEEN ABOUT 600* AND 900* F. SETTLING SAID HYDROGENATED SUSPENSION, RE PLACING SAID HIGH BOILING OIL FROM THE HYDROGENATED SUSPENSION BY WASHING WITH AT LEAST AN EQUAL VOLUME OF A LOW BOILING SATURATED WASH OIL IN A HYDROGEN ATMOSPHERE AT A TEMPERATURE BELOW 500* F., REMOVING SAID LOW-BOILING WASH OIL BY DRYING IN A HOT HYDROGEN-CONTAINING GASEOUS ATMOSPHERE AND RECOVERING DRY REGENERATED CATALYST PARTICLES THEREFROM.