Catalytic composition for conversion of hydrocarbon distillates

Claim 1

A CATALYST COMPRISING AN ACTIVE SILICEOUS CRACKING COMPONENT CONTAINING FROM ABOUT 40 TO 99% BY WEIGHT OF SILICA, TOGETHER WITH AT LEAST ONE HYDROGENATING COMPONENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF COBALT SULFIDE AND NICKEL SULFIDE, SAID CATALYST CONTAINING FROM 0.5 TO 25% BY WEIGHT NICKEL WHEN A NICKEL-CONTAINING MATERIAL IS EMPLOYED AS A HYDROGENATING COMPONENT, AND FROM ABOUT 3 TO 25% BY WEIGHT COBALT WHEN A COBALT-CONTAINING MATERIAL IS SO EMPLOYED, SAID CATALYST HAVING A 610*F. ACTIVITY INDEX OF AT LEAST 18 AS DEVELOPED THEREIN BY HEATING THE CATALYST, WITH THE METAL OF THE HYDROGENATING COMPONENT BEING PRESENT IN THE OXIDE FORM, AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM 1200 TO 1600*F. IN A STREAMA OF A DRY, NON-REDUCING GAS, FOR A PERIOD OF FROM ABOUT 0.25 TO 48 HOURS, THE LOWER TEMPERATURES HAVING BEEN USED GENERALLY WITH THE LONGER TIMES AND VICE VERSA, FOLLOWED BY AT LEAST PARTIALLY CONVERTING THE HYDROGENATING COMPONENT OF THE CATALYST TO THE CORRESPONDING SULFIDE AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE CATALYST HEATING TREATMENT.