Selective hydrogenation of hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE SELECTIVE NONDESTRUCTIVE HYDROGENATION OF A LIQUID HYDROCARBON FEED BOILING BELOW ABOUT 500*F. AND CONTAINING AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS, OLEFINS, DIOLEFINS AND SULFUR COMPOUNDS WHICH COMPRISES PASSING SAID FEED SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE LIQUID PHASE AND HYDROGEN THROUGH AN INITIAL HYDROGENATION ZONE IN CONTACT WITH A POROUS SOLID HYDROGENATION CATALYST OFHIGH HYDROGENATION ACTIVITY AND LOW POLYMERIZATION ACTIVITY WHILE CONTROLLING HYDROGENATING CONDITIONS INAID ZONE INCLUDING HYDROGEN PARTIAL PRESSURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 200-800 P.S.I.A., HOURLY SPACE VELOCITY WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 0.2-15.0 BASED ON THE VOLUME OF LIQUID FEED, THE HYDROGEN CHARGE WITHINTHE RANGE OF ABOUT 5005000 S.C.F./B. OF LIQUID FEED AND FEED TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE BROAD RANGE OF ABOUT 75-300*F., SAID HYDROGENATING CONDITIONS BEING REGULATED TO PROVIDE A HYDROGENATION EFFLUENT FROM SAID ZONE IN WHICH AT LEAST ABOUT 35% OF THE DIOLEFINS HAVE BEEN AT LEAST PARTIALLY SATURATED AND IN WHICH A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF SAID EFFLUENT IS IN THE LIQUID PHASE,EFFECTING CONTROLED VAPORIZATION OF A PORTION OF THE LIQUID PHASE OF SAID HYDROGENATION EFFLUENT, PASSING HYDROGEN TOGETHER WITH GASEOUS MATERIAL DERIVED FROM VAPORIZATION STEP THROUGH A SUBSEQUENT CONVERSION ZONE IN CONTACT WITH A POROUS SOLID CONVERSION CATALYST OF AT LEAST MODERATE HYDROGENATION ACTIVITY AND HIGH DESULFURIZATION ACTIVITY AT A SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER AVERAGE TEMPERATURE THAN IN SAID INITIAL ZONE WHILE CONTROLLING CONVERSION CONDITIONS IN SAID CONVERSION ZONE INCLUDING HYDROGEN PARTIAL PRESSURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 200-800 P.S.I.A., HOURLY SPACE VELOCITY WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 0.2-6.0 BASED ON THE VOLUME OF SAID LIQUID FEED, THE TOTAL HYDROGEN CHARGE WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 50010,000 S.C.F./B. OF SAID LIQUID FEED AND INLET TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE WIDE RANGE OF ABOUT 350-700*F., SAID CONVERSION CONDITIONS BEING REGULATED TO PRODUCE A SUBSTANTIALLY DESULFURIZED CONVERSION EFFLUENT HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER BROMINE NUMBER THAN SAID LIQUID FEED.