Catalytic hydrocracking

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR CRACKING HYDROCARBON FRACTIONS WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING, IN THE PRESENCE OF HYDROGEN, A HYDROCARBO FRACTION HAVING AN INITIAL BOILING POINT OF AT LEAST ABOUT 400*F., A 50 PERCENT POINT OF AT LEAST ABOUT 500*F. AND AN EMD POINT OF AT LEAST ABOUT 600*F. AND BOILING SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY BETWEEN SAID INITIAL BOILING POINT AND SAID END POINT WITH A CATLYST CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF 15 TO 40 PERCENT BE WEIGHT SILICA, 1 TO 8 PERCENT COBALT OXIDE, 3 TO 20 PERCENT BY WEIGHT MOLYBDENUM TRIOXIDE AND REMAINDER ALUMINA PREPARED BY IMPREGNATING THE ALUMINA COMPONENT WITH THE COBALT OXIDE AND MOLYBDENUM TRIOXIDE AND REMAINDER ALUMINA PREPARED BY IMPREGNATING THE ALUMINA COMPONENT WITH THE COBALT OXICE AND MOLYBDENUM TRIOXIDE COMPONENTS, MECHANICALLY MIXING THE RESULTING IMPREGNATED PRODUCT WITH THE SILICA COMPONENT, DRYING AND CALCINING THE RESULTING COMPOSITE AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE, SAID CONTACTING BEING EFFECTED AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 600*F. AND ABOUT 950* F., A LIQUID HOURLY SPACE VELOCITY BETWEEN ABOUT 0.1 AND ABOUT 10, A HYDROGEN PARTIAL PRESSURE BETWEEN ABOUT 700 AND ABOUT 3000 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH GUAGE EMPLOYING A MOLAR RATIO OF HYDROGEN TO HYDROCARBON CHARGE BETWEEN ABOUT 2 AND ABOUT 80.