Hydrorefining petroleum crude oil

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR HYDROREFINING A HYDROCARBON CHARGE STOCK CONTAINING ASPHALTENES WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF: (A) ADMIXING SAID CHARGE STOCK WITH A DECOMPOSABLE COMPOUND OF A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THE METALS FROM GROUPS V-B, VI-B AND THE IRON-GROUP, HEATING THE RESULTING MIXTURE, IN THE ABSENCE OF FREE HYDROGEN, AT A TEMPERATURE LESS THAN ABOUT 310*C., AND FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO DECOMPOSE SAID COMPOUND AND FORM A COLLOIDAL SUSPENSION OF SAID METAL COMPLEXED WITH SAID ASPHALTENES; (B) REACTING THE RESULTANT COLLOIDAL SUSPENSION WITH HYDROGEN AND IN CONTACT WITH A FIXED BED OF A SOLID CATALYTIC COMPOSITE CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE METALLIC COMPONENT SELECTED FROM THE METALS OF GROUPS V-B, VI-B AND VIII, AND COMPOUNDS THEREOF, COMBINED WITH A REFRACTORY INORGANIC OXIDE CARRIER MATERIAL (C) SEPARATING THE TOTAL REACTION PRODUCT EFFLUENT TO PROVIDE A HYDROGEN-RICH GASEOUS PHASE AND A HYDROREFINED LIQUID PHASE CONTAINING A SLUDGE, RECYCLING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID GASEOUS PHASE TO COMBINE WITH SAID COLLOIDAL SUSPENSION; AND, (D) SEPARATING SAID SLUDGE FROM SAID HYDROREFINED LIQUID PHASE, COMBINING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID SLUDGE WITH SAID CHARGE STOCK AND RECOVERING THE REMAINDER OF SAID HYDROREFINED LIQUID PHASE.