Hydrogenation process and apparatus

Claim 1

A CATALYTIC HYDROCRACKING PROCESS FOR CONVERTING A HYDROCARBON FEEDSTOCK BOILING ABOVE THE GASOLINE RANGE TO GASOLINE-BOILING-RANGE HYDROCARBONS WHICH COMPRISES: (A) PASSING SAID FEEDSTOCK IN LIQUID PHASE DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A VERTICALLY ELONGATED BED OF GRANULAR HYDROCRACKING CATALYST UNDER HYDROCRACKING CONDITIONS OF TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE, (B) SEPARATELY PERMEATING A HYDROGEN-RICH GAS SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY THROUGH ONE LATERAL SURFACE OF SAID CATALYST BED AND FLOWING THE SAME ACROSS SAID BED IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH CATALYST AND IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THE FLOW OF SAID LIQUID FEEDSTOCK THEREIN, (C) WITHDRAWING A VAPOR PHASE EFFLUENT COMPRISING HYDROGEN AND GASOLINE-BOILING-RANGE HYDROCARBONS SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY FROM AN OPPOSITE LATERAL SURFACE AREA OF SAID CATALYST BED, AND (D) WITHDRAWING UNCONVERTED LIQUID PHASE HYDROCARBON FROM THE LOWER END OF SAID CATALYST BED.