Hydrogenation of oils

Claim 1

THE PROCESS OF HYDROGENATING A HYDROCARBON OIL IN THE LIQUID PHASE IN THE PRESENCE OF A MASS OF PARTICULATE SOLIDS, OF BETWEEN ABOUT 20 MESH AND 325 MESH (TYLER) AVERAGE PARTICLE SIZE, SAID SOLIDS BEING NOMINALLY MAINTAINED WITHIN A CONTACT ZONE, WHICH COMPRISES PASSING THE LIQUID OIL AND A HYDROGEN RICH GAS UPWARDLY THROUGH THE MASS OF SOLIDS, MAINTAINING THE ZONE AT HYDROGENATION CONDITIONS OF ELEVATED TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 650*-900*F. AND HYDROGEN PRESSURE IN EXCESS OF 400 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH GAUGE AND UP TO ABOUT 4,000 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH GAUGE, SO THAT AT LEAST A SUBSTANTIAL PART OF THE OIL REMAINS IN THE LIQUID PHASE, MAINTAINING LIQUID AND GAS VELOCITY WITHIN THE REACTOR SO THAT THE MASS OF PARTICULATE SOLIDS IS IN A STATE OF RANDOM MOTION AND EXPANDED TO OCCUPY AT LEAST 10% GREATER VOLUME THAN THE SETTLED STATE OF THE MASS, MAINTAINING IN SAID CONTACT ZONE AN INTERFACE BELOW WHICH THE MASS OF SOLIDS EXISTS AT A CONCENTRATION GREATER THAN 5 POUNDS PER CUBIC FOOT AND ABOVE WHICH SAID SOLIDS AR AT A CONCENTRATION OF LESS THAN 0.10 POUND PER CUBIC FOOT WITHOUT EMPLOYING A SETTLING ZONE OR OTHER DISENGAGEMENT DEVICE, AND OPERATING THE HYDROGENATION SYSTEM TO CONSUME AT LEAST 500 CUBIC FEET OF HYDROGEN PER BARREL OF LIQUID OIL CHARGED, AND MAINTAINING A LIQUID VELOCITY IN TE HYDROGENATION REACTOR OS AS NOT TO EXCEED 0.4 TIMES THE GAS VELOCITY.