Catalytic hydrogenation of dripolene

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE CATALYTIC SELECTIVE HYDROGENATION OF OLEFINIC HYDROCARBONS IN A LOW-BOILING FRACTION OF DRIPOLENE, SAID DRIPOLENE BEING THE NORMALLY LIQUID MIXTURE OF HYDROCARBONS OBTAINED IN THE PRYOLYSIS OF NORMALLY GASEOUS HYDROCARBONS HAVING AT LEAST TWO CARBON ATOMS IN THE MOLECULE AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 1200 AND 1800*F. AND A CONTACT TIME BETWEEN ABOUT 0.05 AND 5 SECONDS THE IMPROVED METHOD OF OPERATION WHEREBY CONVERSION OF OLEFINS TO COKE IS SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED WHICH COMPRISES COMMINGLING SAID DRIPOLENE FRACTION WITH A HYDROGEN CONTAINING GAS, SAID HYDROGEN CONTAINING GAS HAVING LESS THAN 12 GRAINS OF HYDROGEN SULFIDE PER 100 STANDARD CUBIC FEET, AND PASSING SAID COMMINGLED DRIPOLENE FRACTION AND HYDROGEN-CONTAINING GAS STREAM, WHILE SAID DRIPOLENE FRACTION IS INITIALLY SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE LIQUID PHASE AND AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 100 AND 150* F., INTO AT LEAST ONE FIXED SUBSTANTIALLY-ADIABATIC BED OF PLATINUM-ALUMINUM HYDROGENATION CATALYST, WHEREBY MONOOLEFINS AND DIOLEFINS IN SAID DRIPOLENE FRACTION ARE HYDROGENATED AND WHEREIN SAID STREAM TEMPERATURE IS INCREASED BY THE EXOTHERMIC HEAT OF HYDROGENATION TO VAPORIZE SAID DRIPOLENE FRACTION.