Selective multistage 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 IN THE LIQUID PHASE AND HYDROGEN THROUGH AN INITIAL HYDROGENATION ZONE IN CONTACT WITH A POROUS SOLID HYDROENATION CATALYST HAVING A HIGH HYDROGENATION ACTIVITY AND A LOW POLYMERIZATION ACTIVITY WHILE CONTROLLING HYDROGENATING CONDITIONS IN SAID ZONE TO PROVIDE A HYDROGENATION EFFLUENT FROMSAID ZONE IN WHICH A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF THE DIOLEFINS HAVE BEEN AT LEAST PARTIALLY SATURATED AND IN WHICH A SUBSTANTIAL PART OF SAID LIQUID FEED AND PRODUCTS THEREOF ARE IN THE LIQUID PHASE, VAPORIZING LIQUID IN SAID INITIAL HYDROGENATION EFFLUENT, PASSING THE RESULTING VAPORS TOGETHER WITH HYDROGEN THROUGH AN INTERMEDIATE HYDROGENATION ZONE IN CONTACT WITH A POROUS SOLID HYDROGENATION CATALYST HAVING A HIGH HYDROGENATION ACTIVITY AND A LOW POLYMERIZATION ACTIVITY AT A TEMPERATURE SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN SAID INITIAL ZONE UNDER CONDITIONS CONTROLLED TO FURTHER HYDROGENATE SAID VAPORS, PASSING THE EFFLUENT FROM SAID INTERMEDIATE ZONE THROUGH A SUBSEQUENT CONVERSION ZONE AT A SUITABLE DESULFURIZATION TEMPERATURE IN CONTACT WITH A POROUS SOLID SULFUR-RESISTANT CONVERSION CATALYST HAVING AT LEAST MODERATE HYDROGENATION ACTIVITY AND A HIGH DESULFURIZATION ACTIVITY,AND REGULATING CONDITIONS IN SAID CONVERSION ZONE TO PRODUCE A SUBSTANTIALLY DESULFURIZED CONVERSION EFFLUENT WITH A NORMALLY LIQUID FRACTION HAVING A SUBSTANTIAL LOWER BROMINE NUMBER THAN SAID LIQUID FEED.