Slurry liquid phase hydrogenation

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS METHOD FOR FORMING GAS OIL SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF SULFUR AND CONTAMINATING METALS AND SALTS FROM A CRUDE OIL CONTAINING SULFUR, METALS AND SALTS WHICH COMPRISES SUBJECTING THE SAID CRUDE OIL IN A HYDROGENATION ZONE HAVING AN UPPER EXPANDED PORTION TO DESTRUCTIVE HYDROGENATION AT SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AND ELEVATED TEMPERATURES IN THE PRESENCE OF ADDED HYDROGEN, THE SAID OIL BEING IN LIQUID PHASE AND CONTAINING A HYDROGENATION CATALYST SUSPENDED THEREIN, PREVENTING A HYDROGENATION MIXING OF OIL FROM THE UPPER EXPANDED PORTION OF SAID ZONE TO A LOWER PORTION THEREOF, PERMITTING CATALYST TO SETTLE FROM THE UPPER EXPANDED PORTION OF SAID ZONE TO THE LOWER PORTION WHEREBY THE CONVERSION OF FORMED GAS OIL TO GASOLINE AND OTHER LOW BOILING PRODUCTS IS MINIMIZED, WITHDRAWING A PORTION OF THE OIL FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF THE RESTRICTED PART OF THE HYDROGENATION ZONE, COOLING SAID OIL AND RETURNING THE COOLED OIL TO THE HYDROGENATION ZONE FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONTROLLING TEMPERATURE THEREIN, RECOVERING A PRODUCT CONTAINING SUBSTANTIAL QUANTITIES OF GAS OIL FROM THE UPPER EXPANDED PORTION OF SAID HYDROGENATION ZONE, SUBJECTING THE SAID WITHDRAW PRODUCT TO FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION RECOVERING A GAS OIL PRODUCT FROM SAID FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION ZONE, WITHDRAWING A HEAVY BOTTOMS FROM SAID FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION ZONE CONTAINING METALS, SALTS AND CATALYST, CHARGING THE SAID HEAVY BOTTOMS TO A SETTLING ZONE WHEREIN CATALYST IS SEPARATED FROM SAID BOTTOMS, REJECTING SAID BOTTOMS CONTAINING METALS AND SALTS FROM THE SYSTEM AND RETURNING RECOVERED CATALYST TO THE HYDROGENATION ZONE.