Hydrocarbon conversion

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE CONVERSION OF HYDROCARBONS WHICH INCLUDES PASSING A FEED STOCK COMPRISING STRAIGHT RUN PETROLEUM FRACTIONS BOILING BETWEEN 400*F. AND 500* F. IN THE PRESENCE OF ADDED HYDROGEN TO A DEHYDROGENATION ZONE; CONTACTING IT THEREIN WITH A PLATINUM-CONTAINING CATALYST HAVING A TITRATABLE ACIDITY LESS THAN 1.5 MILLIEQUIVALENTS OF KOH PER GRAM OF CATALYST, AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 830*F. AND 900*F., AT A PRESSURE OF FROM 200 P.S.I.G. TO 1000 P.S.I.G. AND AT A LIQUID HOURLY SPACE VELOCITY OF FROM 5 TO 20, SAID CONDITIONS OF TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE AND SPACE VELOCITY BEING CO-ORDINATED TO PROMOTE DEHYDROGENATIONOF NAPHTHENES CONTAINED IN THE FEED WHILE MINIMIZING HYDROCRACKING; RECOVERING AN INTERMEDIATE PRODUCT MORE AROMATIC THAN THE FEED; SEPARATING SAID INTERMEDIATE PRODUCT INTO AN AROMATIC-RICH FRACTION AND A SATURATE-RICH FRACTION ESSENTIALLY FREE OF BICYCLIC AROMATICS; PASSING SAID SATURATE-RICH FRACTION TO A HYDROCRACKING ZONE AND CONTACTING IT THEREIN, IN THE PRESENCE OF ADDED HYDROGEN, WITH A PLATINUM CONTAINING CATALYST HAVING A TITRATABLE ACIDITY IN EXCESS OF 1.5 MILLIEQUIVALENTS OF KOH PER GRAM OF CATALYST, AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 870*F. TO ABOUT 920*F., AT A PRESSURE OF FROM ABOUT 300 TO ABOUT 600 P.S.I.G. AND AT A LIQUID HOURLY SPACE VELOCITY OF FROM ABOUT 2 TO ABOUT 5, SAID CONDITIONS OF TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE AND SPACE VELOCITY BEING COORDINATED TO PROMOTE HYDROCARACKING WHILE MINIMIZING COKE FORMATION; RECOVERING A HYROCARBON FRACTION BOILING IN THE GASOLINE BOILING RANGE, AND A HYDROCARBON FRACTION BOILING ABOVE 400*F.; AND RECYCLING THE HYDROCARBON FRACTION BOILING ABOVE 400*F. TO THE AROMATICS SEPARATION STEP.