Production of gas suitable for use as town gas

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF TOWN GAS AND AN AROMATIC-ENRICHED PRODUCT COMPRISING CONTACTING A RELATIVELY AROMATIC-FREE PETROLEUM FRACTION BOILING WITHIN THE RANGE ENCOMPASSED BY THE GASOLINE AND NAPHTHA RANGE IN A REACTION ZONE WITH A DEHYDROGENATION AND DEHYDROCYCLIZATION CATALYST CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF CHROMIUM OXIDE SUPPORTED ON ALUMINA AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM 450*C. TO 580*C., AT A PRESSURE NOT IN EXCESS OF 50 P.S.I. GA., AND IN THE ABSENCE OF ADDED HYDROGEN TO THE REACTION ZONE TO PRODUCE AN AROMATIC-ENRICHED PRODUCT AND A MAKE OF HYDROGEN-RICH GAS; RECOVERING A NORMALLY LIQUID AROMATIC-ENRICHED PRODUCT AND A HYDROGEN-RICH GAS, REGENERATING THE SPENT DEHYDROGENATION AND DEHYDROCYCLIZATION CATALYST IN A REGENERTION ZONE BY CONTACTING SAME WITH A STREAM OF OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS, RECOVERING FROM THE REGENERATION ZONE THE REGENERATED CATALYST FOR RE-USE IN THE CONTACTING ZONE AND A FLUE GAS HAVING A LOWER CALORIFIC VALUE THAN SAID HYDROGEN-RICH GAS, AND COMBINING THE RECOVERED FLUE GAS WITH THE HYDROGEN-RICH GAS TO REDUCE THE CALORIFIC VALUE OF SAID HYDROGEN-RICH GAS TO A VALUE APPROPRIATE TO THE USE OF THE FORMED BLENDED GAS AS A TOWN GAS.