Process for hydrodesulfurizing hydrocarbons employing an impure hydrogen stream

Claim 1

A METHOD OF EFFECTING SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE UNTILIZATION OF AN IMPURE HYDROGEN SUPPLY STREAM BY CHEMICAL CONSUMPTION IN HYDRODESULFURIZATION REACTIONS WITHOUT EMPLOYING EXTRANEOUS PURIFICATION MEASURES, SAID SUPPLY STREAM CONTAINING ABOUT 60-90% BY VOLUME OF HYFROGEN THE REMAINDER BEING PREDOMINATLY METHANE, WHICH COMPRISES FIRST UTILIZING SAID SUPPLY STREAM AS SUBSTANTIALLY THE SOLE SOURCE OF MAKEUP HYDROGEN IN AN INTERNAL-HYDROGEN-RECYCLE SEVERE DESULFURIZATION ZONE WHEREIN A FIRST SULFUR-CONTAINING MINERAL OIL IS SUBJECTED TO CATALYTIC HYDRODESULFURIZATION AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 650* AND 800* F., A PRESURE BETWEEN ABOUT 500 AND 10,000 P.S.I.G., AND A TOTAL HYDROGEN/FEED RATIO BETWEEN ABOUT 600 AND 10,000 S.C.F. PER BARREL, AND THE EFFLUENT THEREFROM IS COOLED AND CONDENSED AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE PRECEDING REACTOR PRESSURE TO RECOVER A DESULFURIZED LIQUID PRODUCT AND A HYDROGEN-CONTAINING RECYCLE GAS, RETURNING PART OF SAID RECYCLE GAS TO SAID SEVERE DESULFURIZATION ZONE WITHOUT INTERVENING PURIFICATION TO FORM SAID INTERNAT RECYCLE, WITHDRAWING THE ENTIRE REMAINDER SAID RECYCLE GAS FOR UTILIZATION AS HEREINAFTER PRESCRIBED, CONTROLLING THE RATE OF SAID WITHDRAWAL IN INVERSE RESPONSE TO THE HYDROGEN CONTENT OF SAID RECYCLE GAS SO AS TO (1) MAINTAIN A HYDROGEN/METHANE MOLE-RATIO THEREIN GRATER THAN ABOUT 0.66 AND (2) ASSURE THAT A MAJOR PORTION OF THE MAKEUP HYDROGEN SUPPLY STREAM ADMITTED TO SAID SERVE DESULFURIZATION ZONE IS CHEMICALLY CONSUMED THEREIN, ADMITTING SAID IMPURE SUPPLY STREAM ADMITTED TO SAID DESULFURIZATION ZONE AT A RATE CONTROLLED TO MAINTAIN A CONSTANT PRESSURE THEREIN, UTILIZING SAID WITHDRAWN PORTION OF RECYCLE GAS WITHOUT INTERVENING PURIFICATION AS SUBSTANTIALLY THE SOLE SOURCE OF MAKEUP HYDORGEN IN A MILD DESULFURIZATION ZONE WHEREIN A SULFUR-CONTAINING STRAIGHT-RUN DISTILLATE IS SUBJECTED TO CATALYTIC HYDRODESULFURIZATION AT A PRESSURE BETWEEN ABOUT 50 AND 2000 P.S.I.G., A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 550* AND 700* F., AND A HYDROGEN/FEED RATIO BETWEEN ABOUT 20 AND 400 S.C.F. PER BARREL, CONTROLLING THE RESIDENCE TIME IN SAID MILD DESULFURIZATION ZONE SO AS TO CONSUME A MAJOR PORTION OF THE WITHDRAWN HYDROGEN SUPPLIED THERETO, AND RECOVERING A DESULFURIZED LIQUID PRODUCT, THE CATALYST EMPLOYED IN EACH OF SAID DESULFURIZATION ZONES CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF AN ADSORBENT OXIDE CCARRIER CONTAINING DISTENDED THERREON A MINOR PROPORTION OF A MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF THE OXIDES AND SULFIDES OF GROUP VI B METALS, AND A MINOR PROPORTION OF A MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF THE OXIDES AND SULFIDES OF THE METALS FROM THE 4TH PERIOD OF GROUP VIII OF THE PERIODIC TABLE.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF EFFECTING SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE UNTILIZATION OF AN IMPURE HYDROGEN SUPPLY STREAM BY CHEMICAL CONSUMPTION IN HYDRODESULFURIZATION REACTIONS WITHOUT EMPLOYING EXTRANEOUS PURIFICATION MEASURES, SAID SUPPLY STREAM CONTAINING ABOUT 60-90% BY VOLUME OF HYFROGEN THE REMAINDER BEING PREDOMINATLY METHANE, WHICH COMPRISES FIRST UTILIZING SAID SUPPLY STREAM AS SUBSTANTIALLY THE SOLE SOURCE OF MAKEUP HYDROGEN IN AN INTERNAL-HYDROGEN-RECYCLE SEVERE DESULFURIZATION ZONE WHEREIN A FIRST SULFUR-CONTAINING MINERAL OIL IS SUBJECTED TO CATALYTIC HYDRODESULFURIZATION AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 650* AND 800* F., A PRESURE BETWEEN ABOUT 500 AND 10,000 P.S.I.G., AND A TOTAL HYDROGEN/FEED RATIO BETWEEN ABOUT 600 AND 10,000 S.C.F. PER BARREL, AND THE EFFLUENT THEREFROM IS COOLED AND CONDENSED AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE PRECEDING REACTOR PRESSURE TO RECOVER A DESULFURIZED LIQUID PRODUCT AND A HYDROGEN-CONTAINING RECYCLE GAS, RETURNING PART OF SAID RECYCLE GAS TO SAID SEVERE DESULFURIZATION ZONE WITHOUT INTERVENING PURIFICATION TO FORM SAID INTERNAT RECYCLE, WITHDRAWING THE ENTIRE REMAINDER SAID RECYCLE GAS FOR UTILIZATION AS HEREINAFTER PRESCRIBED, CONTROLLING THE RATE OF SAID WITHDRAWAL IN INVERSE RESPONSE TO THE HYDROGEN CONTENT OF SAID RECYCLE GAS SO AS TO (1) MAINTAIN A HYDROGEN/METHANE MOLE-RATIO THEREIN GRATER THAN ABOUT 0.66 AND (2) ASSURE THAT A MAJOR PORTION OF THE MAKEUP HYDROGEN SUPPLY STREAM ADMITTED TO SAID SERVE DESULFURIZATION ZONE IS CHEMICALLY CONSUMED THEREIN, ADMITTING SAID IMPURE SUPPLY STREAM ADMITTED TO SAID DESULFURIZATION ZONE AT A RATE CONTROLLED TO MAINTAIN A CONSTANT PRESSURE THEREIN, UTILIZING SAID WITHDRAWN PORTION OF RECYCLE GAS WITHOUT INTERVENING PURIFICATION AS SUBSTANTIALLY THE SOLE SOURCE OF MAKEUP HYDORGEN IN A MILD DESULFURIZATION ZONE WHEREIN A SULFUR-CONTAINING STRAIGHT-RUN DISTILLATE IS SUBJECTED TO CATALYTIC HYDRODESULFURIZATION AT A PRESSURE BETWEEN ABOUT 50 AND 2000 P.S.I.G., A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 550* AND 700* F., AND A HYDROGEN/FEED RATIO BETWEEN ABOUT 20 AND 400 S.C.F. PER BARREL, CONTROLLING THE RESIDENCE TIME IN SAID MILD DESULFURIZATION ZONE SO AS TO CONSUME A MAJOR PORTION OF THE WITHDRAWN HYDROGEN SUPPLIED THERETO, AND RECOVERING A DESULFURIZED LIQUID PRODUCT, THE CATALYST EMPLOYED IN EACH OF SAID DESULFURIZATION ZONES CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF AN ADSORBENT OXIDE CCARRIER CONTAINING DISTENDED THERREON A MINOR PROPORTION OF A MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF THE OXIDES AND SULFIDES OF GROUP VI B METALS, AND A MINOR PROPORTION OF A MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF THE OXIDES AND SULFIDES OF THE METALS FROM THE 4TH PERIOD OF GROUP VIII OF THE PERIODIC TABLE.