Process for fractionating and blending a reformate to obtain a high octane gasoline

Claim 1

IN THE PRODUCTION OF HIGH OCTANE PREMINUM GASOLINE AND A SECOND GASOLINE OF LOWER OCTANE NUMBER FROM GASOLINE FORMING AND GASOLINE BLENDING COMPONENTS OF A COMMON REFINERY GASOLINE POOL, A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING 100 OCTANE AND HIGHER OCTANE FULL BOILING RANGE PREMIUM GASOLINE FROM LOW OCTANE NAPHTHAS, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES CHARGING A HEAVY NAPHTHA CHARGE BOILING WITHIN THE RANGE OF C7 HYDROCARBONS TO ABOUT A 400*F. END POINT TO A CATALYTIC REFORMING ZONE CONTAINING A PLATINUMALUMINA REFORMING CATALYST, SUBJECTISNG SAID CHARGE IN SAID REFORMING ZONE TO A COMBINATION OF CONDITIONS,S INCLUDING A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 875* TO 1000* F., A PRESSURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 100 TO 500 P.S.I.G., A HYDROGEN RECYCLE GAS RATIO IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 2000 TO 10,000 CUBIC FEET OF GAS PER BARREL OF CHARGE AND A SPACE VELOCITYS IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 0.1 TO 5.0 WEIGHT RATIO CHARGE PER HOUR TO WEIGHT OF CATALYST IN SAID REFORMING ZONE, PROVIDING THEREBY A SEVERITY SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE A REFORMATE HAVING A C5+ OCTANE NUMBER OF AT LEAST ABUT 93 F-1 (CLEAR), CHARGING SAID REFORMATE TO A FRACTIONATING ZONE, SPLITTING SAID REFORMATE IN SAID FRACTIONATING ZONE AT A CUT POINT WITHIN THE RANGE OF BETWEEN A MAXIMUM OF ABOUT 300*F. AND A MINIMUN OF ABOUT 225*F. ACCORDING TO THE RELATIONSHIP WHEREIN SAID CUT POINT IS NEAR SAID MAXIMUM OF 300*F. WHEN THE C5+ OCTANE NUMBER OF SAID REFORMATE IS ABOUT 95F-1 (CLEAR) AND SAID CUT POINT IS DECREASED WITHIN SAID RANGE, THEREBY INCREASING THE YIELD OF THE HEREINAFTER DESIGNATED HEAVY FRACTION ABOVE A MINIMUM OF AT LEAST ABOUT 40 VOLUME PERCENT OF THE TOTAL C5+ REFORMATE, TOWARDS SAID 3 MINIMUM CUT POINT OF ABOUT 225*F. AS THE SEVERITY OF REFORMING IS INCREASED TO PROVIDE A REFORMATE HAVING A C5+ OCTANE NUMBER OF AT LEAST ABOUT 100F-1 (CLEAR), WHEREBY TWO FRACTIONS ARE RECOVERED CONSTITUTING A LIGHT FRACTION BOILING BELOW SAID CUT POINT AND A HEAVY FRACTION BOILING IN THE RANGE OF SAID CUT POINT TO THE END POINT OF SAID REFORMATE, AND WHEREBY SAID HEAVY FRACTION COMPRISES AT LEAST ABOUT 40 VOLUME PERCENT OF THE TOTAL C5+ REFORMATE AND CONTAINS AT LEAST ABOUT 80 VOLUME PERCENT AROMATICS AND HAS AN OCTANE NUMBER OF AT LEAST ABOUT 100F-1 (CLEAR), AND THEREAFTER BLENDING SASID HEAVY FRACTION WITH AN EXTRANEOUS LIGHT FRACTION OF HIGH BLENDING OCTANE NUMBER IN PROPORTIONS SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE A FULL BOILING RANGE PREMINUM GASOLINE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 100 F-1 OCTANE NUMBER.