Low temperature hydrocracking process

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE CONVERSION OF A HYDROCARBON DISTILLATE FEED BOILING ABOVE ABOUT 300*F., AND CONTAINING NITROGEN COMPOUNDS AND 1 TO 100 VOLUME PERCENT OF AROMATIC COMPOUNDS, TO PRODUCE SUPERIOR QUALITY FUEL PRODUCTS, WHICH COMPRISES: A. HYDROFINING SAID FEED BY CONTACTING SAID FEED AND AT LEAST 500 S.C.F. OF HYDROGEN PER BARREL THEREOF WITH A SULFUR-RESISTANT HYDROFINING CATALYST AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 450* TO 800*F., A PRESSURE OF AT LEAST 300 P.S.I.G., AND A LIQUID HOURLY SPACE VELOCITY OF FROM ABOUT 0.3 TO 5.0 WHEREBY THE NITROGEN CONTENT OF SAID FEED IS SUBSANTIALLY REDUCED, WITH NO MORE THAN A MINOR AMOUNT OF AROMATICS SATURATION. B. PASSING THE RESULTING HYDROFINED PRODUCT AND AT LEAST 2000 S.C.F OF HYDROGEN PER BARREL THEREOF INTO CONTACT WITH AN AROMATICS HYDROGENATION CATALYST AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 300* TO 700* F., A PRESSURE OF AT LEAST 300 P.S.I.G., AND A LIQUID HOURLY SPACE VELOCITY OF ABOUT 0.3 TO 5.0, WHEREBY AT LEAST 50% OF THE AROMATICS PRESENT ARE SATURATED. C. PASSING THE RESULTING HYDROFINED AND HYDROGENATED PRODUCT AND AT LEAST 500 S.C.F. OF HYDROGEN PER BARREL OF TOTAL FEED INTO CONTACT WITH A HYDROCRACKING CATALYST AT A TEMPERATURE FROM ABOUT 350* TO 700* F. AND A PRESSURE OF AT LEAST 400 P.S.I.G., WHEREBY AT LEAST 50 VOLUME PERCENT OF HE RESULTING HYDROCRACKED PRODUCTS BOIL BELOW THE INITIAL BOILING POING OF THE FEED, AND D. RECOVERING FROM THE HYDROCRACKING STEP A PRODUCT CHARACTERIZED BY A LOW AROMATIC CONTENT, A HIGH NAPHTHENE CONTENT, AND A RATIO OF ISOPARAFFINS TO NORMAL PARAFFINS THAT IS HIGHER THAN THE THEORETICAL THERMODYNAMIC EQUILIBRIUM RATIO.