Hydrocracking-reforming process combination

Claim 1

A MULTI-STAGE HYDROCRACKING-REFORMING PROCESS FOR CONVERTING A GAS OIL FEEDSTOCK CONTAINING SULFUR AND NITROGEN COMPOUNDS TO HIGH-OCTANE GASOLINE IN MAXIMUM LIQUID YIELDS, WHICH COMPRISES: (A) SUBJECTING SAID FEEDSTOCK PLUS ADDED HYDROGEN TO CATALYTIC HYDROFINING WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL CRACKING OF HYDROCARBONS; (B) SUBJECTING TOTAL HYDROGEN SULFIDE- AND AMMONACONTAINING EFFLUENT FROM SAID HYDROFINING TO A FIRST STAGE OF CATALYTIC HYDROCRACKING AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 675* AND 850*F; (C) SEPARATING THE EFFLUENT FROM SAID FIRST-STAGE HYDROCRACKING INTO A FIRST-STAGE C5-C6 HYDROCRACKATE GASOLINE FRACTION, AN INTERMEDIATE-BOILING-RANGE FIRSTSTAGE HYDROCRACKATE GASOLINE BOILING PREDOMINANTLY BELOW 290*F., A HEAVY FIRST-STAGE HYDROCRACKATE GASOLINE BOILING PREDOMINANTLY ABOVE 290*F., AND A SUBSTANTIALLY SULFUR- AND NITROGEN-FREE UNCONVERTED GAS OIL; (D) SUBJECTING SAID UNCONVERTED GAS OIL PLUS ADDED HYDROGEN TO A SECOND STAGE OF CATALYTIC HYDROCRACKING IN THE PRESENCE OF A GROUP VIII NOBLE METAL HYDROCRACKING CATALYST AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 400* AND 625*F., A PRESSURE BETWEEN ABOUT 500 AND 2,500 P.S.I.G., AND IN THE PRESENCE OF SUFFICIENT SULFUR TO PROVIDE A HYDROGEN SULFIDE CONCENTRATION GREATER THAN ABOUT 0.01 MILLIMOLE PER MOLE OF HYDROGEN THEREIN; (E) SEPARATING THE EFFLUENT FROM SAID SECOND-STAGE HYDROCRACKING INTO A SECOND-STAGE C5-C6 HYDROCRACKATE GASOLINE, AN INTERMEDIATE-BOILING-RANGE SECOND-STAGE HYDROCRACKATE GASOLINE BOILING PREDOMINANTLY BELOW 290*F., A HEAVY SECOND-STAGE HYDROCRACKATE GASOLINE BOILING PREDOMINANTLY ABOVE 290*F., AND A RECYCLE GAS OIL WHICH IS RECYCLED TO SAID SECOND HYDROCRACKING STAGE; (F) SUBJECTING SAID FIRST- AND SECOND-STAGE INTERMEDIATEBOILING-RANGE HYDROCRACKATE GASOLINES IN ADMIXTURE TO CATALYTIC REFORMING IN THE PRESENCE OF A GROUP VIII NOBLE METAL REFORMING CATALYST AT A PRESSURE BETWEEN ABOUT 200 AND 400 P.S.I.G., AND A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 825* AND 925*F., AND RECOVERING THEREFROM A C5+LIGHT REFORMATE GASOLINE PRODUCT; (G) SUBJECTING SAID FIRST- AND SECOND-STAGE HEAVY HYDROCRACKATE GASOLINES IN ADMIXTURE TO A SERPARATE CATALYTIC REFORMING OPERATION IN THE PRESENCE OF A GROUP VIII NOBLE METAL REFORMING CATALYST AT TEMPERATURES AND PRESSURES RELATIVELY HIGHER THAN THOSE EMPLOYED FOR REFORMING SAID INTERMEDIATE-BOILING-RANGE GASOLINES IN STEP (F), AND RECOVERING THEREFROM A C5+ HEAVY REFORMATE GASOLINE PRODUCT; AND (H) BLENDING AID HEAVY REFORMATE GASOLINE PRODUCT, SAID LIGHT REFORMATE GASOLINE PRODUCT, AND SAID FIRSTAND SECOND-STAGE C5-C6 HYDROCRACKATE GASOLINES TO PRODUCE A FULL-RANGE C5+ GASOLINE PRODUCT.