Process for hydrocarbon boiling point reduction

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE SIMULTANEOUS BOILING POINT REDUCTION AND CATALYTIC CONVERSION OF HYDROCARBONS WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A MOVING COMPACT NONFLUIDIZED GRANULAR ADSORPTIVE SOLID CATALYST BED ADAPTED TO PROMOTE BOILING POINT REDUCTION AND CATALYTIC CONVERSION OF HYDROCARBONS DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A REACTION ZONE, AT LEAST PARTLY SATURATING SAID ADSORPTIVE CATALYST WITH LIQUID HYDROCARBON FEED WHEREBY SAID MOVING BED OF CATALYST CARRIES SAID HYDROCARBONS BSORBED THEREON AT LEAST PART WAY THROUGH SAID REACTION ZONE IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY SUBSTANTIAL DOWNWARD LIQUID FLOW THERETHROUGH MAINTAINING A TEMPERATURE WITHIN SAID REACTION ZONE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 500*F. AND ABOUT 1100*F., FLOWING A RECYCLE GAS CONTAINING HYDROGEN AT A RATE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 50S. C. F. AND ABOUT 10,000 S.C.F. PER BARRLE OF SAID HYDROCARBON FEED THROUGH SAID REACTION ZONE COUNTERCURRENT TO THE FLOW OF CATALYST THERETHROUGH WHEREBY HYDROCARBON PRODUCTS OF REDUCED BOILING POINT VAPORIZING FROM THE LIQUID HYDROCARBON PHASE CONTAINED ON SAID CATALYST ARE SWEPT OUT OF SAID REACTION ZONE IN THE VAPOR PHASE AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TO