Improvement in hydrodesulfurization with an irradiated catalyst

Claim 1

THE PROCESS FOR HYDRODESULFERIZING A HYDROCARBON WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING THE HYDROCARBON WITH HYDROGEN IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYST SELECTD FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF NICKEL OXIDE-MOLYBDENUM OVIDE AND NICKEL OXIDE-TUNGSTEN OXIDE COMPOSITED WITH A POROUS CARRIER, WHICH CATALYST HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY SUBJECTED TO IRRADIATION WITH IONIZING RADIATION IN AN AMOUNT ABOVE ABOUT 0.05 WATT HOUR PER GRAM OF CATALYST, SAID CONTACTING BEING CARRIED OUT AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 550* AND 725* F., A PRESSURE BETWEEN ABOUT 250 AND 4000 P.S.I.G., AT A SPACE VELOCITY BETWEEN ABOUT 0.25 AND 10 TERMINATING SAID CONTACTING BEFORE A THROUGHPUT OF 60 HAS BEEN REACHED, SUBJECTING THE CATALYST TO REGENERATION BY CONTACTING IT WITH AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS UNDER COMBUSTION CONDITIONS, SUBJECTING THE REGENERATED CATALYST TO IRRADIATION AS SPECIFIED ABOVE AND RE-USING THE REGENERATED AND IRRADIATED CATALYST IN SAID HYDRODESULFURIZATION PROCESS.