Desulfurization process

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR DESULFURIZING DISSIMILAR HYDROCARBON FEED MATERIALS IN A PLURALITY OF DESULFURIZATION ZONES WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A FIRST HYDROCARBON FEED MATERIAL ADMIXED WITH SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE HYDROGEN-RICH MAKE UP GAS ADDED TO THE PROCESS HEREINAFTER DESCRIBED IN CONTACT WITH A DESULFURIZATION CATALYST IN AT LEAST ONE FIRST DESULFURIZATION ZONE MAINTAINED UNDER ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE DESULFURIZING CONDITIONS, RECOVERING A FIRST PRODUCT EFFLUENT FROM SAID FIRST DESULFURIZATION ZONE, COOLING SAID FIRST PRODUCT EFFLUENT AND PASSING SAID COOLED FIRST PRODUCT EFFLUENT TO A FIRST SEPARATION ZONE MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE NOT SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE ABOUT 500* F., IN SAID FIRST SEPARATION ZONE SEPARATING THE FIRST PRODUCT EFFLUENT AND RECOVERING THEREFROM A FIRST HYDROGEN-RICH GASEOUS STREAM AND A FIRST LIQUID HYDROCARBON PRODUCT STREAM, PASSING THE THUS SEPARATED HYDROGEN-RICH GASEOUS MATERIAL WITH A SECOND HYDROCARBON FEED MATERIAL IN CONTACT WITH A DESULFURIZATION CATALYST IN A SECOND DESULFURIZATION ZONE MAINTAINED UNDER ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE CONDITIONS, RECOVERING A SECOND PRODUCT EFFLUENT FROM SAID SECOND DESULFURIZATION ZONE, COOLING SAID SECOND PRODUCT EFFLUENT AND SEPARATING INTO A SECOND HYDROGEN-RICH GASEOUS STREAM FROM A SECOND LIQUID HYDROCARBON PRODUCT STREAM, RECOVERING AND TREATING SAID SECOND HYDROGEN-RICH GASEOUS STREAM TO REMOVE HYDROGEN SULFIDE THEREFROM AND RECYCLING A PORTION OF THE THUS TREATED SECOND HYDROGEN-RICH GASEOUS STREAM TO EACH OF SAID DESULFURIZATION ZONES, PASSING ANOTHER PORTION OF SAID TREATED SECOND HYDROGEN-RICH GASEOUS STREAM WITH SAID FIRST LIQUID HYDROCARBON PRODUCT STREAM TO AND ADDITIONAL SEPARATION ZONE TO RECOVER A RELATIVELY LOW-BOILING HYDROCARBON FRACTION FROM A THIRD LIQUID HYDROCARBON PRODUCT, RECOVERING SAID THIRD LIQUID HYDROCARBON PRODUCT AND PASSING THE THUS RECOVERED RELATIVELY LOW-BOILING HYDROCARBON FRACTION TO SAID SECOND DESULFURIZATION ZONE.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR DESULFURIZING DISSIMILAR HYDROCARBON FEED MATERIALS IN A PLURALITY OF DESULFURIZATION ZONES WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A FIRST HYDROCARBON FEED MATERIAL ADMIXED WITH SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE HYDROGEN-RICH MAKE UP GAS ADDED TO THE PROCESS HEREINAFTER DESCRIBED IN CONTACT WITH A DESULFURIZATION CATALYST IN AT LEAST ONE FIRST DESULFURIZATION ZONE MAINTAINED UNDER ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE DESULFURIZING CONDITIONS, RECOVERING A FIRST PRODUCT EFFLUENT FROM SAID FIRST DESULFURIZATION ZONE, COOLING SAID FIRST PRODUCT EFFLUENT AND PASSING SAID COOLED FIRST PRODUCT EFFLUENT TO A FIRST SEPARATION ZONE MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE NOT SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE ABOUT 500* F., IN SAID FIRST SEPARATION ZONE SEPARATING THE FIRST PRODUCT EFFLUENT AND RECOVERING THEREFROM A FIRST HYDROGEN-RICH GASEOUS STREAM AND A FIRST LIQUID HYDROCARBON PRODUCT STREAM, PASSING THE THUS SEPARATED HYDROGEN-RICH GASEOUS MATERIAL WITH A SECOND HYDROCARBON FEED MATERIAL IN CONTACT WITH A DESULFURIZATION CATALYST IN A SECOND DESULFURIZATION ZONE MAINTAINED UNDER ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE CONDITIONS, RECOVERING A SECOND PRODUCT EFFLUENT FROM SAID SECOND DESULFURIZATION ZONE, COOLING SAID SECOND PRODUCT EFFLUENT AND SEPARATING INTO A SECOND HYDROGEN-RICH GASEOUS STREAM FROM A SECOND LIQUID HYDROCARBON PRODUCT STREAM, RECOVERING AND TREATING SAID SECOND HYDROGEN-RICH GASEOUS STREAM TO REMOVE HYDROGEN SULFIDE THEREFROM AND RECYCLING A PORTION OF THE THUS TREATED SECOND HYDROGEN-RICH GASEOUS STREAM TO EACH OF SAID DESULFURIZATION ZONES, PASSING ANOTHER PORTION OF SAID TREATED SECOND HYDROGEN-RICH GASEOUS STREAM WITH SAID FIRST LIQUID HYDROCARBON PRODUCT STREAM TO AND ADDITIONAL SEPARATION ZONE TO RECOVER A RELATIVELY LOW-BOILING HYDROCARBON FRACTION FROM A THIRD LIQUID HYDROCARBON PRODUCT, RECOVERING SAID THIRD LIQUID HYDROCARBON PRODUCT AND PASSING THE THUS RECOVERED RELATIVELY LOW-BOILING HYDROCARBON FRACTION TO SAID SECOND DESULFURIZATION ZONE.