Hydrodenitrification process and catalysts

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR REMOVING CONTAMINATING NITROGEN COMPOUNDS FROM HIGH-BOILING HYDROCARBON OIL BY HYDROGENATING SAID COMPOUNDS TO AMMONIA, WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING A HYDROCARBON OIL A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF WHICH BOILS ABOVE 750*F. AND CONTAINING CONTAMINATING NITROGEN COMPOUNDS, TOGETHER WITH 500-10,000 S.C.F. H2/BARREL, AT 550-800*F., 1000-4000 P.S.I.G., AND 0.3-3 LHSV WITH A SULFIDED CATALYST PREPARED BY A METHOD INCLUDING THESE STEPS OF SIMULTANEOUSLY PRECIPITATING A COMPOUND OF MOLYBDENUM AND A COMPOUND OF ALUMINUM BY MIXING SOLUTIONS CONTAINING SAID METALS TO FORM A COPRECIPITATE, CALCINING SAID COPRECIPITATE TO FORM A MOLYBDENUM OXIDE-ALUMINUM OXIDE COMPOSITE, IMPREGNATING THE CALCINED COMPOSITE WITH A NICKEL COMPOUND CONVERTIBLE TO THE OXIDE BY CALCINATION, CALCINING THE IMPREGNATED COMPOSITE TO FORM A NICKEL OXIDE-MOLYBDENUM OXIDE-ALUMINA CATALYST, CONTAINING BETWEEN 4 AND 10% BY WEIGHT NICKEL EXPRESSED AS METAL AND AT LEAST 15.5 BUT BELOW 19% BY WEIGHT MOLEBDENUM EXPRESSED AS METAL, AND SULFIDING THE CATALYST HAVING SAID METAL CONTENTS.