Catalytic hydro-reforming and hydrofining of petroleum hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE HYDROFORMING OF A PETROLEUM NAPHTHA WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A DESULPHURISED NAPHTHA TO A HYDROFFORMING ZONE, WHEREIN THE NAPHTHA IS CONTACTED AT ELECTATED TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE WITH A HYDROFORMING CATALYST COMPRISING A PLATINUM GROUP METAL SUPPORTED ON ALUMINA, WITHDRAWING A HYDROGEN-RICH GAS FORM THE PRODUCTS OF THE HYDROFORMING ZONE, PASSING SAID GAS AND AN UNDESULPHURIZED NAPHTHA TO A DESULPHURISATION ZONE WHEREIN SAID GAS FLOWS DOWNWARDLY IN ADMIXTURE WITH THE UNDESULPHURRISED NAPHTHA AND IN CONTACT WITH A SULPHUR-RESISTANT HYDROGENATION CATALYST AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE APPRECIABLY BELOW THE TEMPERATURE IN SAID HYDROFORMING ZONE AND AT AN ELEVATED PRESSURE SUFFICIENTLY BELOW THE PRESSURE IN SAID HYDROFORMING ZONE TO MAINTAIN THE FLOW IN SAID DESULPHURISATION ZONE, THE QUANTITY OF HYDROGEN-RICH GAS WITHDRAWN FROM THE HYDROFORMING ZONE BEING JUST SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN A SLIGHT EXCESS OF HYDROGEN IN THE DESULPHURISATION ZONE, REDUCING THE PRODUCTS FROM THE DESULPHURISATION ZONE TO ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE WITHOUT EXTRANEOUS COOLING, PASSING SAID PRODUCTS FROM SAID DESULPHURISATION ZONE TO A FRACTIONATING ZONE FOR THE SEPARATION OF HYDROGEN SULPHIDE, WATER, AND OTHER DISSOLVED GASES, AND THE RECOVERY OF A DESULPHURISED NAPHTHA, VENTING SAID HYDROGEN SULPHIDE, WATER, AND OTHER DISSOLVED GASES FROM THE SYSTEM, INCREASING THE PRESSURE ON THE RECOVERED DESULPHURISED NAPHTHA TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE HYDROFORMING PRESSURE, PASSING THE DESULPHURIZED NAPHTHA TO SAID HYDROFORMING ZONE AS THE DESULPHURIZED NAPHTHA FIRST ABOVE MENTIONED, AND PASSING THE HYDROFORMED PRODUCT TO A SEPARATION ZONE TO REMOVE THE HYDROGEN THEREFROM.