Process for reducing the pour point of crude oil and the like

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR REDUCING THE POUR POINT OF CRUDE PETROLEUM AND THE LIKE, SAID POUR POINT REDUCTION BEING EFFECTED WITHOUT THE PRODUCTION OF SUBSTANTIAL GAS DUE TO CRACKING, AND TO RECOVER AT LEAST 90 WEIGHT PERCENT OF THE CHARGE MATERIAL AS LIQUID PRODUCT, SAID PROCESS COMPRISING CONTACTING IN THE ABSENCE OF ADDED HYDROGEN GAS SAID MIXTURE AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOUT 350*F. TO ABOUT 850*F. WITH A CATALYST COMPRISING AN ALUMINOSILICATE MATERIAL OF PREDOMINANTLY CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE IN WHICH THE CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE IS A THREE-DIMENSIONAL FRAMEWORK CONTAINING CATION SITES AND SIO4 AND ALO4 TETRAHEDRA BONDED TO EACH OTHER THROUGH OXYGEN IN REGULAR ORIENTATION AND FORMING A UNIFORM INTRACRYSTALLINE PORE SYSTEM HAVING A PORE SIZE OF FROM ABOUT 6 A. TO ABOUT 14 A., THE SILICON TO ALUMINUM RATIO IN SAID ALUMINOSILICATE MATERIAL BEING FROM ABOUT 1:1 TO ABOUT 4:1, AND SAID CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE BEING FURTHER CHARACTERIZED BY THE ABSENCE OF MONOVALENT CATIONS FROM SOME OF THE AVAILABLE CATION SITES IN SAID THREE-DIMENSIONAL SRUCTURE AND BY THE ABSENCE OF GROUPS VI AND VIII METAL CATIONS OR FREE METAL FROM ALL OF SAID AVAILABLE CATION SITES.