Hydrorefining of petroleum wax fractions

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR DECOLORIZING A MICROWAX PETROLATUM FEEDSTOCK TO A VALUE BELOW ABOUT 3.0 ON THE ASTM D1500 COLOR SCALE, SAID FEEDSTOCK CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF UNDISTILLED BOTTOMS FROM THE VACUUM DISTILLATION OF A FULL-RANGE PETROLEUM WAX FRACTION, AND BEING CHARACTERIZED BY: (1) A BOILING RANGE ABOVE ABOUT 500*F. AT 2 MM., (2) AN ASTM-D-1500 COLOR DARKER THAN 8 WHEN DILUTED WITH THREE VOLUMES OF KEROSENE, AND (3) AN ULTRA VIOLET ABSORPTION COEFFICIENT BETWEEN ABOUT 1.0 AND 3.5 AT 290 MILIMICRONS, WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY PASSING SAID FEEDSTOCK IS LIQUID-PHASE THROUGH A CATALYTIC FIXED BED OF GRANULAR HYDROFINING CATALYST AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 600*F AND 750*F., A PRESSURE BETWEEN ABOUT 300 AND 900 P.S.I.G. AND A LIQUID HOURLY SPACE VELOCITY BETWEEN ABOUT 0.05 AND 0.4, WHILE MAINTAINING SAID BED OF CATALYST SUBMERGED IN A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS PHASE OF LIQUID FEED WITH HYDROGEN PASSING UPWARDLY THERETHROUGH, CONTINUING SAID CONTACTING FOR A PERIOD OF AT LEAST ABOUT 10 DAYS WITHOUT REGENERATING SAID CATALYST WHILE CORRELATING SAID HYDROFINING CONDITIONS TO PRODUCE CONTINUOUSLY A MICROWAX PRODUCT HAVING AN ASTM D-1500 COLOR LIGHTER THAN ABOUT 3.0, SAID HYDROFINING CATALYST BEING IN THE FORM OF GRANULES OF SIZE BETWEEN ABOUT 1/16 INCH AND 8 MESH AND COMPRISING A GRANULAR CARRIER CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF ALUMINA UPON WHICH IS DEPOSITED MINOR PROPORTIONS OF A GROUP VIB METAL AND AN IRON-GROUP METAL IN THE FORM OF SULFIDES AND/OR OXIDES.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR DECOLORIZING A MICROWAX PETROLATUM FEEDSTOCK TO A VALUE BELOW ABOUT 3.0 ON THE ASTM D1500 COLOR SCALE, SAID FEEDSTOCK CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF UNDISTILLED BOTTOMS FROM THE VACUUM DISTILLATION OF A FULL-RANGE PETROLEUM WAX FRACTION, AND BEING CHARACTERIZED BY: (1) A BOILING RANGE ABOVE ABOUT 500*F. AT 2 MM., (2) AN ASTM-D-1500 COLOR DARKER THAN 8 WHEN DILUTED WITH THREE VOLUMES OF KEROSENE, AND (3) AN ULTRA VIOLET ABSORPTION COEFFICIENT BETWEEN ABOUT 1.0 AND 3.5 AT 290 MILIMICRONS, WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY PASSING SAID FEEDSTOCK IS LIQUID-PHASE THROUGH A CATALYTIC FIXED BED OF GRANULAR HYDROFINING CATALYST AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 600*F AND 750*F., A PRESSURE BETWEEN ABOUT 300 AND 900 P.S.I.G. AND A LIQUID HOURLY SPACE VELOCITY BETWEEN ABOUT 0.05 AND 0.4, WHILE MAINTAINING SAID BED OF CATALYST SUBMERGED IN A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS PHASE OF LIQUID FEED WITH HYDROGEN PASSING UPWARDLY THERETHROUGH, CONTINUING SAID CONTACTING FOR A PERIOD OF AT LEAST ABOUT 10 DAYS WITHOUT REGENERATING SAID CATALYST WHILE CORRELATING SAID HYDROFINING CONDITIONS TO PRODUCE CONTINUOUSLY A MICROWAX PRODUCT HAVING AN ASTM D-1500 COLOR LIGHTER THAN ABOUT 3.0, SAID HYDROFINING CATALYST BEING IN THE FORM OF GRANULES OF SIZE BETWEEN ABOUT 1/16 INCH AND 8 MESH AND COMPRISING A GRANULAR CARRIER CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF ALUMINA UPON WHICH IS DEPOSITED MINOR PROPORTIONS OF A GROUP VIB METAL AND AN IRON-GROUP METAL IN THE FORM OF SULFIDES AND/OR OXIDES.