Hydrogenation of high boiling oils

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE REMOVAL OF NITROGEN COMPOUNDS INITIALLY CONTAINED IN A HIGH BOILING HYDROCARBON OIL BOILING AT LEAST 90% ABOVE 600*F. AND AT LEAST 10% ABOVE 750*F. IN AT LEAST TWO STAGES OF CONTACTING WITH SULFACTIVE HYDROGENATION CATALYST, INCLUDING A SECOND STAGE AND A FIRST STAGE, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES THE STEPS: (1) PASSING HIGH BOILING HYDROCARBON OIL IN THE LIQUID PHASE AND HYDROGEN-RICH GAS THROUGH A FIRST STAGE AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE TO CONVERT A MAJOR PORTION OF THE NITROGEN COMPOUNDS INITIALLY CONTAINED IN SAID OIL TO AMMONIA, (2) SEPARATING THE EFFLUENT FROM STEP (1) INTO A LIQUID PHASE AND A VAPOR PHASE AT SUBSTANITALLY SAID ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE, (3) PASSING HYDROGEN-RICH GAS AND SAID LIQUID PHASE SEPARATED IN STEP (2) THROUGH A SECOND STAGE AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE, TO CONVERT A MAJOR PORTION OF THE REMAINING NITROGEN COMPOUNDS TO AMMONIA, (4) COOLING SAID VAPOR PHASE SEPARATED IN STEP (2) AND REMOVING AMMONIA AND CONDENSED LIGHT HYDRO/ CARBONS THEREFROM TO OBTAIN A CLEAN VAPOR COMPRISING HYDROGEN AND UNCONDENSED LIGHT HYDROCARBONS. (5) COOLING THE ENTIRE EFFLUENT FROM STEP (3) AT SUBSTANTIALLY SAID ELEVATED PRESSURE TO OBTAIN A COOLED LIQUID HYDROCARBON EFFLUENT, (6) CONTACTING THE CLEAN VAPOR FROM STEP (4) WITH THE COOLED LIQUID HYDROCARBON EFFLUENT FROM STEP (5) AT SUBSTANTIALLY SAID ELEVATED PRESSURE TO ABSORB LIGHT HYDROCARBONS FROM SAID CLEAN VAPOR IN SAID COOLED EFFLUENT AND THEREBY OBTAIN A PURIFIED HYDROGEN-RICH GAS AND A LIQUID HYDROCARBON EFFLUENT CONTAINING DISSOLVED LIGHT HYDROCARBONS, (7) RECYCLING SAID PURIFIED HYDROGEN-RICH GAS FROM STEP (6) TO AT LEAST ONE STAGE, AND (8) RECOVERING PURIFIED HIGH BOILING HYDROCARBON OIL FROM THE LIQUID HYDROCARBON EFFLUENT FROM STEP (6).