Chemical process for hydrocracking and hydrorefining of hydrocarbon oils

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR HYDROGEN TREATMENT OF HEAVY PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS CONTAINING SULFUR, ASPHALTIC AND METALLIFEROUS COMPOUNDS AS CONTAMINANTS, CONTAINING SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF HYDROCARBON COMPONENTS BOILING ABOVE 300*F. AND CONTAINING RESIDUAL MATERIALS, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES CONTACTING THE HYDROCARBONS WITH HYDROGEN AT A HYDROGEN PARTIAL PRESSURE FROM ABOUT 300 TO ABOUT 3000 P.S.I., A SPACE VELOCITY FROM ABOUT 0.1 TO ABOUT 10.0 VOLUMES OF HEAVY HYDROCARBON PER VOLUME OF CATALYST PER HOUR, A HYDROGEN COMSUMPTION RATE FROM ABOUT 1 TO ABOUT 40 MOLS OF HYDROGEN PER GRAM ATOM OF SULFUR REMOVED FROM THE HEAVY HYDROCARBONS AND AT A TEMPERATURE FROM ABOUT 700* TO ABOUT 900*F. IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYST COMPRISING ESSENTIALLY A MINOR AMOUNT OF A HYDROGENATING CATALYST COMPOSITED WITH A MAJOR AMOUNT OF AN ACTIVATED ALUMINA HAVING LESS THAN 5 PERCENT OF ITS PORE VOLUME THAT IS IN THE FORM OF PORES HAVING A RADIUS OF 0 TO 300 A. IN PORES LARGER THAN 100 A. RADIUS AND HAVING LESS THAN 10 PERCENT OF SAID PORE VOLUME IN PORES LARGER THAN 80 A. RADIUS PREPARED BY DRYING AND CALCINING AN ALUMINUM SOL HAVING THE FORMULA AL(OH)XZY, WHEREIN Z IS THE ANION OF WATER SOLUBLE ALUMINUM SALT, X+Y=3 AND Y IS LESS THAN 1, SAID ALUMINA SOL BEING PREPARED BY THE REACTION OF SAID SALT AND ANOTHER SOURCE OF ALUMINUM IONS IN THE PRESENCE OF WATER AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE ABOUT 120*F. AND AT A PH BELOW ABOUT 4.5.