Catalytic hydrogenation of benzene

Claim 1

A METHOD OF TREATING A PETROLEUM FRACTION CONTAINING C6 AND HIGHER BOILING HYDROCARBONS SUITABLE FOR LOW END POINT REFORMING WHICH COMPRISES PASSING SAID FRACTION TO A SEPARATION ZONE, IN SAID ZONE SEPARATING AS AN OVERHEAD A STREAM CONTAINING ISOHEXANE, METHYLCYCLOPENTANE, CYCLOHEXANE AND BENZENE AND AS A HIGHER BOILING MATERIAL THE STREAM CONTAINING HYDROCARBONS GENERALLY HIGHER BOILING THAN C6 HYDROCARBONS, PASSING THE HIGHER BOILING MATERIAL TO A LOW END POINT HYDROCARBON REFORMING ZONE, FRACTIONATING SAID OVERHEAD STREAM TO REMOVE THEREFROM ISOHEXANE SEPARATED AS A PRODUCT, FRACTIONATING THE REMAINDER OF SAID OVERHEAD STREAM TO REMOVE THEREFROM A BENZENE-CONTAINING OVERHEAD, PASSING THE REMAINDER OF SAID OVERHEAD STREAM TO SAID REFORMING ZONE, OBTAINING A REFORMED EFFLUENT STREAM FROM SAID REFORMING ZONE, REMOVING FROM SAID EFFLUENT STREAM A BENZENE-CONTAINING FRACTION; HYDROGENATING IN A FIRST HYDROGENATION ZONE SAID BENZENE-CONTAINING OVERHEAD, OBTAINING A HYDROGENATED EFFLUENT, ADMIXING SAID HYDROGENATED EFFLUENT WITH SAID BENZENE-CONTAINING FRACTION AT A TEMPERATURE AND IN AN AMOUNT SUCH THAT THE ADMIXTURE WILL BE AT A TEMPERATURE AND AT A BENZENE CONCENTRATION SUFFICIENTLY LOW THAT, UPON SUBSEQUENT HYDROGENATION, THE EXOTHERMICITY OF THE REACTION WILL YIELD ONLY THAT AMOUNT OF HEAT THAT A TEMPERATURE BEYOND WHICH UNDESIRED REACTIONS WILL OCCUR WILL NOT BE EXCEEDED AND PASSING SAID ADMIXTURE INTO AND THROUGH A SECOND HYDROGENATION ZONE UNDER CONDITIONS TO CAUSE HYDROGENATION OF BENZENE-CONTAINING FRACTION THEREIN.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF TREATING A PETROLEUM FRACTION CONTAINING C6 AND HIGHER BOILING HYDROCARBONS SUITABLE FOR LOW END POINT REFORMING WHICH COMPRISES PASSING SAID FRACTION TO A SEPARATION ZONE, IN SAID ZONE SEPARATING AS AN OVERHEAD A STREAM CONTAINING ISOHEXANE, METHYLCYCLOPENTANE, CYCLOHEXANE AND BENZENE AND AS A HIGHER BOILING MATERIAL THE STREAM CONTAINING HYDROCARBONS GENERALLY HIGHER BOILING THAN C6 HYDROCARBONS, PASSING THE HIGHER BOILING MATERIAL TO A LOW END POINT HYDROCARBON REFORMING ZONE, FRACTIONATING SAID OVERHEAD STREAM TO REMOVE THEREFROM ISOHEXANE SEPARATED AS A PRODUCT, FRACTIONATING THE REMAINDER OF SAID OVERHEAD STREAM TO REMOVE THEREFROM A BENZENE-CONTAINING OVERHEAD, PASSING THE REMAINDER OF SAID OVERHEAD STREAM TO SAID REFORMING ZONE, OBTAINING A REFORMED EFFLUENT STREAM FROM SAID REFORMING ZONE, REMOVING FROM SAID EFFLUENT STREAM A BENZENE-CONTAINING FRACTION; HYDROGENATING IN A FIRST HYDROGENATION ZONE SAID BENZENE-CONTAINING OVERHEAD, OBTAINING A HYDROGENATED EFFLUENT, ADMIXING SAID HYDROGENATED EFFLUENT WITH SAID BENZENE-CONTAINING FRACTION AT A TEMPERATURE AND IN AN AMOUNT SUCH THAT THE ADMIXTURE WILL BE AT A TEMPERATURE AND AT A BENZENE CONCENTRATION SUFFICIENTLY LOW THAT, UPON SUBSEQUENT HYDROGENATION, THE EXOTHERMICITY OF THE REACTION WILL YIELD ONLY THAT AMOUNT OF HEAT THAT A TEMPERATURE BEYOND WHICH UNDESIRED REACTIONS WILL OCCUR WILL NOT BE EXCEEDED AND PASSING SAID ADMIXTURE INTO AND THROUGH A SECOND HYDROGENATION ZONE UNDER CONDITIONS TO CAUSE HYDROGENATION OF BENZENE-CONTAINING FRACTION THEREIN.