Desulfurization of petroleum hydrocarbons with impregnated catalysts

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE CATALYTIC DESULFURIZATION OF PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS WHICH CONTAIN CONTAMINATING SULFUR COMPOUNDS WHICH COMPRISES SUBJECTING SAID HYDROCARBONS AND SAID CONTAMINATING SULFUR COMPOUNDS TO AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE IN THE PRESENCE OF HYDROGEN AND A CATALYST CONTAINING BETWEEN 8% AND ABOUT 20% BY WEIGHT OF AN OXIDE OF A METAL IN THE LEFT-HAND COLUMN OF GROUP VI OF THE PERIODIC TABLE PROMOTED BY A FINITE AMOUNT LESS THAN 2% BY WEIGHT OF AN OXIDE OF A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF COBALT AND NICKEL, AND WHEREIN SAID SULFUR COMPOUNDS CONTAMINATING SAID PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS ARE PRESENT THEREIN IN SUFFICIENT QUANTITIES TO RAPIDLY POISON THE GROUP VI METAL OXIDE CATALYST WHEN USED ALONE ON SAID CARRIER, SAID CATALYST BEING PREPARED BY THE ALTERNATE IMPREGNATION OF SAID CARRIER IN AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS OF SALTS OF SAID METALS, AND CALCINATION OF THE IMPREGNATED CARRIER TO CONVERT SAID SALTS TO THE CORRESPONDING OXIDES.