Selective cracking of aliphatic hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS METHOD FOR SELECTIVELY CRACKING ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBONS FROM A MIXTURE OF THE SAME WITH CYCLIC HYDROCARBONS AND OBTAINING A RESULTANT CYCLIC HYDROCARBON CONCENTRATE WHICH COMPRISES CONDUCTING A CHARGE INITIALLY CONTAINING NORMAL ALIPHATIC, ISO-ALIPHATIC AND CYCLIC HYDROCARBON COMPONENTS IN A CONTINUOUS SYSTEM TO A CRACKING ZONE MAINTAINED UNDER CATALYTIC CRACKING CONDITIONS AND CONTAINING A CRACKING CATALYTIC COMPRISING A CRYSTALLINE ZEOLITE HAVING A UNIFORM PORE STRUCTURE OF SUFFICIENT SIZE TO AFFORD ENTRY INTO THE CATALYST STRUCTURE OF NORMAL ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBON COMPONENTS WHILE EXCLUDING HYDROCARBON COMPONENTS OF LARGER MOLECULAR SIZE WHEREBY SAID NORMAL ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBON COMPONENTS ARE SELECTIVELY CRACKED, SUBJECTING THE RESULTING MIXTURE OF CRACKED AND UNCRACKED COMPONENTS TO DE-ISOMERIZATION IN THE PRESENCE OF AN ISOMERIZATION CATALYST AND UNDER CATALYTIC ISOMERIZATION CONDITIONS WHEREBY ISO-ALIPHATIC COMPONENTS ARE CONVERTED TO NORMAL ALIPHATIC HYDROOCARBONS, RECYCLING THE RESULTING PRODUCT TO SAID CRACKING ZONE, REPEATING THE AFORESAID TREATMENT ON A CONTINUOUS CYCLIC BASIS TO YIELD A CONCENTRATE OF CYCLIC HYDROCARBONS AND REMOVING SAID CONCENTRATE FROM SAID CONTINUOUS SYSTEM.