Fluid hydrogenative cracking process with the use of unsulfided metallic nickel on a cracking catalyst support

Claim 1

A METHOD OF HYDROCRACKING HIGH BOILING HYDROCARBONS CONTAINING NOT LESS THAN ABOUT 30 PARTS PER MILLION OF NITROGEN WITH FINELY DIVIDED UNSULFIDED METALLIC NICKEL CATALYST CONTAINING ABOUT 6 WEIGHT PERCENT NICKEL ON A SILICA-ALUMINA CRACKING CATALYST SUPPORT IN A FLUIDIZED SOLIDS SYSTEM WHICH COMPRISES HYDROCRACKING HYDROCARBON FEED WITH A FLUIDIZED TURBULENT BED OF SAID NICKEL CATALYST IN A REACTION ZONE MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 500*F. AND 700*F., AT A PRESSURE BETWEEN ABOUT 350 P.S.I.G. AND 1000 P.S.I.G., IN THE PRESENCE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 7,500 AND 13,000 S.C.F. OF H2 PER BARREL OF FEED AT AN OIL FEED RATE BETWEEN ABOUT 0.3 W./HR./W. AND 2.0 W/HR./W. WITH A CATALYST HOLDING TIME IN SAID REACTION ZONE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 15 MINUTES AND 120 MINUTES AND RECOVERING LOWER BOILING HYDROCARBONS FROM THE REACTION PRODUCTS LEAVENING SAID REACTION ZONE, WITHDRAWING PARTIALLY SPENT CATALYST CONTAINING CONTAMINATING DEPOSITS FROM SAID REACTION ZONE AND PASSING IT TO A REGENRATION ZONE FOR CONTACT WITH AIR TO BURN OFF CONTAMINATING DEPOSITS FROM SAID CATALYST, MAINTAINING SAID CATALYST PARTICLES AS A DENSE FLUIDIZED TURBULENT BED IN SAID REGENERATION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 750*F. AND 1100*F. UNDER A PRESSURE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 350 P.S.I.G. AND 100 P.S.I.G. AND THEN RUNNING SAID REGENERATED CATALYST PARTICLES TO SAID REACTION ZONE AND CONTINUOUSLY CIRCULATING SAID SOLID CATALYST PARTICLES BETWEEN SAID REACTION ZONE AND SAID REGENERATION ZONE.