Catalytic hydrogenation of hydrocarbons in the liquid phase

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE LIQUID PHASE CATALYTIC HYDROGENATION TREATMENT OF A HYDROCARBON STARTING MATERIAL COMPRISING THE STEPS OF ADMIXING A HYDROCARBON MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CRUDE IMPURE HYDROCARBON FRACTIONS, UNSATURATED LIGHT HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, AND MIXTURES OF UNSATURATED AND SATURATED LIGHT HYDROCARBONS, SAID MATERIAL HAVING AS AN AVERAGE TWO TO ABOUT FOURTEEN CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE AND A MOLECULAR WEIGHT OF 25 TO 200, WITH AN ORGANIC HYDROCARBON SOLVENT HAVING AN AVERAGE NUMBER OF CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE HIGHER THAN THAT OF SAID HYDROCARBON STARTING MATERIAL AND WHICH IS INERT WITH REGARD TO SAID MATERIAL AND HAS A CRITICAL POINT SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER THAN THE MAXIMUM PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE APPLIED DURING THE SUBSEQUENT HYDROGENATION STEP, SUBJECTING THE RESULTANT MIXTURE IN THE LIQUID PHASE TO PRESSURES AND TEMPERATURES AT WHICH SAID HYDROCARBON MATERIAL WOULD BE IN THE GASEOUS STATE IN THE ABSENCE OF SOLVENT AND TO THE ACTION OF HYDROGEN IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYST CONVENTIONALLY USED FOR THE HYDROGENATION TREATMENT OF HYDROCARBONS SAID PRESSURES BEING ABOVE NORMAL PRESSURE UP TO ABOUT 100 ATMOSPHERES AND SAID TEMPERATURES BETWEEN 100* AND 500*C.; AND SEPARATING THE RESULTANT PRODUCT FROM THE SOLVENT AND EXCESS HYDROGEN.