Method for upgrading hydrocarbon oils

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS CYCLIC PROCESS FOR HYDROPROCESSING A HYDROCABON OIL WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING THE SAME IN A PRIMARY CONTACT ZONE CONTAINING A CRYSTALLINE MOLECULAR SIEVE MATERIAL HAVING A VOLATILE TREATING AGENT ENCASED WITHIN ITS CRYSTAL STRUCTURE AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 400 AND ABOUT 1400*F., SAID TREATING AGENT BEING NONGASEOUS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE AND HAVING A VAPOR PRESSURE GREATER THAN 1 MM. AT THE TEMPERATURE USED IN THE PRIMARY TREATING ZONE, SAID TREATING AGENT BEING CAPABLE OF UPGRADING SAID HYDROCABON OIL AND OF BEING RELEASED FROM SAID MOLECULAR SIEVE MATERIAL AT THE TEMPERATURE USED IN THE PRIMARY TREATING ZONE, PASSING THE EFFLUENT STREAM CONTAINING SAID RELEASED TREATING AGENT FROM SAID PRIMARY CONTACT ZONE TO A SECONDARY CONTACT ZONE CONTAINING A CRYSTALLINE MOLECULAR SIEVE MATERIAL INITIALLY FREE OF SAID TREATING AGENT AND MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 50 AND 300*F. CAPABLE OF ABSORBING SAID TREATING AGENT, WHEREBY THE TREATING AGENT CONTAINED IN THE EFFLUENT STREAM FROM SAID PRIMARY ZONE IS ADSORBED ON THE MOLECULAR SIEVE MATERIAL IN SAID SECOND CONTACT ZONE UPON PASSAGE THERETHROUGH, MAINTAINING THE AFORESAID CONTACTING CONDITIONS UNTIL THE VOLATILE TREATING AGENT CONTAINED IN THE MOLECULAR SIEVE MATERIALS OF SAID PRIMARY AND SECOND CONTACT ZONES RESPECTIVELY REACH A PREDETERMINED MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM CONTENT, THEREAFTER REVERSING THE FLOW OF THE HYDROCARBON OIL CHARGE AND THE CONDITIONS INITIALLY PREVENT IN SAID PRIMARY ZONE AND SAID SECONDARY ZONE AND REPEATING THE AFORESAID CYCLIC OPERATION TO AFFORD A CONTINUOUS YIELD OF UPGRADED HYDROCARBON OIL PRODUCT.