Hydrogenolysis of petroleum hydrocarbons

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR THE CATALYTIC HYDROGENOLYSIS OF REFINERY RESIDUAL OILS CONTAINING AT LEAST 60 PARTS PER MILLION OF HEAVY METALS, WHICH COMPRISES INTRODUCING SAID RESIDUAL OIL IN ADMIXTURE WITH HYDROGEN IN AN AMOUNT OF 500 TO 20,000 CUBIC FEET PER BARREL OF OIL, AND 2 TO 20 WEIGHT PERCENT OF SAID OIL OF A CATALYST, AS HEREINAFTER DESCRIBED, INTO A REACTION ZONE MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 825 TO 950 DEGREES F., AND A PRESSURE IN THE RANGE OF 1000 TO 5000 P. S. I. G.; REACTING SAID MIXTURE IN SAID REACTION ZONE FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE SUBSTANTIAL HYDROGENOLYSIS WHEREBY COKE IS FORMED IN AN AMOUNT OF LESS THAN 20 WEIGHT PERCENT OF SAID OIL; REMOVING THE REACTION PRODUCTS COMPRISING HYDROGEN, HYDROCARBON VAPORS AND LIQUID HYDROCARBONS FROM SAID REACTION ZONE; SEPARATING LIGHT GASES COMPRISING HYDROGEN FROM SAID REACTIONS PRODUCTS AND RETURNING SAME TO SAID REACTION ZONE AS RECYCLE HYDROGEN; RECOVERING DISTILLATE PRODUCTS AS PRODUCTS OF THE PROCESS; RECOVERING HEAVY GAS OIL AS AN ADDITIONAL PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS; RECOVERING LOW-ASH LIQUID RESIDUUM AS AN ADDITIONAL PRODUCT OF THE PROCESS; AND RETURNING TO SAID REACTION ZONE A PORTION OF SAID RESIDUUM, CONTAINING SUSPENDED THEREIN, AS THE SOLE CATALYST FOR THE REACTION, COKE FORMED IN SAID HYDROGENOLYSIS REACTION AND HAVING ABSORBED THEREON HEAVY METALS.