Utilization of reformer make gas

Claim 1

IN THE METHOD OF UPGRADING A HYDROCARBON MIXTURE BOILING ABOVE THE BOILING RANGE OF REFORMER FEED AND BELOW THE BOILING RANGE OF LUBRICATING OIL, DESIGNATED HYDROTREATER FEED, AND OBTAINING A HYDROCARBON MIXTURE BOILING ABOVE THE BOILING RANGE OR REFORMER FEED AND BELOW THE BOILING RANGE OF LUBRICATING OIL AND HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER CONCENTRATIONS OF SULFUR AND NITROGEN THAN SAID HYDROTREATER FEED, DESIGNATED HYDROTREATER PRODUCT, AND UPGRADING REFORMER FEED CONTAINING MORE THAN 1 P.P.M. OF NITROGEN AND OBTAINING REFORMER FEED CONTAINING NOT MORE THAN 1 P.P.M. OF NITROGEN WHEREIN THE AFORESAID HYDROTREATER FEED IS CONTACTED WITH A STATIC BED OF SULFURAND NITROGEN-INSENSITIVE PARTICLE-FORM SOLID HYDROGENATING CATALYST HAVING HYDRODESULFURIZING AND HYDROGENITROGENIZING CAPABILITIES IN A HYDROTREATER AT HYDROTREATER HYDRODECONTAMINATING CONDITIONS OF PRESSURE IN THE RANGE OF 200 TO 1000 P.S.I.G., TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 550* TO 850*F., LIQUID HOURLY SPACE VELOCITY IN THE RANGE OF 2 TO 10, AND HYDROGEN-TO-HYDROTREATER FEED MOL RATIO IN THE RANGE OF 0.4 TO 3.8; WHEREIN A HYDROTREATER EFFLUENT COMPRISING HYDROGEN, HYDROGEN SULFIDE, AMMONIA, AND C1 AND HEAVIER HYDROCARBONS IS OBTAINED; WHEREIN SAID HYDROTREATER EFFUENT IS SEPARATED INTO HYDROTREATER GAS COMPRISING HYDROGEN, HYDROGEN SULFIDE, AMMONIA, AND C1 TO C3 HYDROCARBONS, AUTOGENOUS REFORMER FEED HAVING A NITROGEN CONCENTRATION GREATER THAN 1 P.P.M., AND COMPRISING C4 AND HEAVIER HYDROCARBONS HAVING AN END BOILING POINT IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 350* TO ABOUT 420*F., DESIGNATED PRETREATER BLEND STOCK, AND UPGRADED HYDROCARBON MIXTURE BEING THE AFORESAID HYDROTREATER PRODUCT HAVING CONCENTRATIONS OF SULFUR AND NITROGEN SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER THAN THOSE OF SAID HYDROTREATER FEED; WHEREIN SAID HYDROTREATER GAS IS VENTED; WHEREIN SAID PRETREATER BLEND STOCK IS ADMIXED WITH EXTRANEOUS REFORMER FEED HAVING A LOWER CONCENTRATION OF NITROGEN IN PROPORTION TO FORM A BLENDED PRETREATER FEED HAVING A NITROGEN CONTENT REDUCIBLE TO NOT MORE THAN 1 P.P.M. IN THE AFORESAID PRETREATER AT PRETREATER HYDRODECONTAMINATING CONDITIONS SET FORTH HEREINAFTER TO PROVIDE BLENDED PRETREATER FEED; WHEREIN SAID BLENDED PRETREATER FEED IS CONTACTED WITH A STATIC BED OF PARTICLE-FORM SOLID SULFUR-AND NITROGEN-INSENSITIVE HYDROGENATING CATALYST HAVING HYDRODESULFURIZING AND HYDRODENITROGENIZING CAPABILITIES UNDER PRETREATER HYDRODECONTAMINATING CONDITIONS OF PRESSURE IN THE RANGE OF 100 TO 1000 P.S.I.G., TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 600* TO 850*F., LIQUID HOURLY SPACE VELOCITY IN THE RANGE OF 1 TO 10, AND HYDROGEN CIRCULATION IN THE RANGE OF 350 TO 2500 S.C.F. OF HYDROGEN PER BARREL OF SAID BLENDED PRETREATER FEED; WHEREIN PRETREATER EFFUENT COMPRISING HYDROGEN SULFIDE, AMMONIA, HYDROGEN, AND C1 AND HEAVIER HYDROCARBONS IS OBTAINED; WHEREIN SAID PRETREATER EFFUENT IS SEPARATED INTO PRETREATER GAS COMPRISING HYDROGEN SULFIDE, AMMONIA, HYDROGEN, AND C1 TO C3 HYDROCARBONS, AN INTERMEDIATE FRACTION COMPRISING C4 HYDROCARBONS, AND REFORMER FEED COMPRISING C5 AND HEAVIER HYDROCARBONS CONTAINING NOT MORE THAN 1 P.P.M. OF NITROGEN; WHEREIN SUFFICIENT OF SAID PRETREATER GAS FLOWS TO SAID HYDROTREATER TO SUPPLY THE AFORESAID 0.4 TO 3.8 MOLS OF HYDROGEN PER MOL OF HYDROTREATER FEED; WHEREIN SAID REFORMER FEED IS CONTACTED IN A REFORMER WITH A STATIC BED OF NITROGEN-SENSITIVE PARTICLEFORM SOLID PLATINUM-GROUP METAL REFORMING CATALYST AT REFORMING CONDITIONS OF PRESSURE IN THE RANGE OF 100 TO 1000 P.S.I.G., TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 800* TO 1000*F., LIQUID HOURLY SPACE VELOCITY IN THE RANGE OF 0.5 TO 10, AND HYDROGEN-TO-REFORMER FEED MOL RATIO IN THE RANGE OF 4 TO 20; WHEREIN A REFORMER EFFUENT COMPRISING HYDROGEN AND C1 AND HEAVIER HYDROCARBONS IS OBTAINED; WHEREIN SAID REFORMER EFFUENT IS SEPARATED INTO REFORMER GAS COMPRISING HYDROGEN AND C1 TO C3 HYDROCARBONS, AND RAW REFORMATE COMPRISING C4 AND HEAVIER HYDROCARBONS, WHEREIN SAID REFORMER FAS IS SEPARATED INTO REFORMER RECYCLE GAS FLOWS FORMER MAKE-GAS; WHEREIN SAID REFORMER RECYCLE GAS FLOWS TO SAID REFORMER TO MAINTAIN THE AFORESAID HYDROGEN-TOREFORMER FEED MOL RATIO; AND WHEREIN SAID REFORMER MAKEGAS FLOWS TO SAID PRETREATER TO MAINTAIN THE AFORESAID HYDROGEN CIRCULATION IN THE RANGE OF 350 TO 2500 S.C.F. OF HYDROGEN PER BARREL OF BLENDED PRETREATER FEED; THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES MIXING THE AFORESAID HYDROTREATER FEED WITH HIGH NITROGEN CONTENT HYDROCARBON MIXTURE IN THE PROPORTION OF ABOUT 100 VOLUMES OF HYDROTREATER FEED PER 1 TO 100 VOLUMES OF HIGH NITROGEN CONTENT HYDROCARBON MIXTURE TO FORM NOVEL HYDROTREATER FEED, SAID HIGH NITROGEN CONTENT HYDROCARBON MIXTURE BOILING IN THE BOILING RANGE OF REFORMER FEED AND HAVING A HIGHER CONCENTRATION OF NITROGEN THAN CAN BE REDUCED TO NOT MORE THAN 1 P.P.M. IN THE AFORESAID PRETREATER AT THE AFOREDESCRIBED PRETREATER HYDRODECONTAMINATING CONDITIONS, EVEN WHEN MIXED WITH THE AFORESAID NOVEL TRANEOUS REFORMER FEED; CONTACTING THE AFORESAID NOVEL HYDROTREATER FEED IN THE AFORESAID HYDROTREATER WITH THE AFORESAID PARTICLE-FORM SOLID SULFUR- AND NITROGEN-INSENSITIVE HYDROGENATING CATALYST AT THE AFORESAID HYDROTREATER HYDRODECONTAMINATING CONDITIONS; OBTAINING HYDROTREATER EFFUENT COMPRISING HYDROGEN SULFIDE, AMMONIA, HYDROGEN, AND C1 AND HEAVIER HYDROCARBONS; SEPARATING SAID HYDROTREATER EFFLUENT INTO HYDROTREATER GAS COMPRISING HYDROGEN SULFIDE, AMMONIA, HYDROGEN, AND C1 TO C3 HYDROCARBONS, PRETREATER BLEND STOCK CONSISTING OF AUTOGENOUS REFORMER FEED AND PARTIALLY HYDRODENITROGENIZED HIGH NITROGEN CONTENT HYDROCARBON MIXTURE, SAID PRETREATER BLEND STOCK COMPRISING C4 AND HEAVIER HYDROCARBONS HAVING AN END BOILING POINT IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 350* TO ABOUT 420*F., AND HAVING A HIGHER CONCENTRATION OF NITROGEN THAN CAN BE REDUCED TO MORE THAN 1 P.P.M. IN THE AFORESAID PRETREATER AT THE AFORESAID PRETREATER HYDRODECONTAMINATING CONDITIONS, AND THE AFORESAID UPGRADED HYDROTREATER PRODUCT; TREATING A MAJOR PORTION OF SAID HYDROTREATER GAS TO REMOVE HYDROGEN SULFIDE; AND RECYCLING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE SO-TREATED HYDROTREATER GAS TO THE AFORESAID HYDROTREATER.