Sulfur-free reforming with a platinum-tin catalyst

Claim 2

A PROCESS FOR CATALYTICALLY REFORMING A SUBSTANTIALLY SULFUR-FREE GASOLINE FRACTION, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES CONTACTING THE GASOLINE FRACTION AND A SUBSTANTIALLY SULFUR-FREE HYDROGEN STREAM AT REFORMING CONDITIONS WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY SULFUR-FREE CATALYST COMPRISING A COMBINATION OF A PLATINUM GROUP COMPONENT, A TIN COMPONENT AND A HALOGEN COMPONENT WITH A POROUS CARRIER MATERIAL, WHEREIN THE COMPONENTS ARE PRESENT IN AMOUNTS SUFFICIENT TO RESULT IN THE CATALYST CONTAINING, ON AN ELEMENTAL BASIS, ABOUT 0.01 TO ABOUT 2 WT. % PLATINUM GROUP METAL, 0.01 WT. % HALOGEN, WHEREIN THE TIN COMPONENT IS UNIFORMLY 3.5 WT. % HALOGEN, WHEREIN THE TIN COMPONENT IS UNIFORMLY DISPERSED THROUGHOUT THE POROUS CARRIER MATERIAL IN A PARTICLE SIZE WHICH IS LESS THAN 100 ANGSTROMS IN MAXIMUM DIMENSION, WHEREIN SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE PLATINUM GROUP COMPONENT IS PRESENT IN THE CATALYST AS AN ELEMENTAL METAL AND WHEREIN SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE TIN COMPONENT IS PRESENT IN THE CATALYST IN AN OXIDATION STATE ABOVE THAT OF THE ELEMENTAL METAL.

Claim 3

A process as defined in claim 1 wherein the platinum group component of the catalyst is platinum metal.

Claim 4

A process as defined in claim 1 wherein the platinum group metal is palladium metal.

Claim 5

A process as defined in claim 1 wherein the platinum group component of the catalyst is iridium metal.

Claim 6

A process as defined in claim 1 wherein the porous carrier material is a refractory inorganic oxide.

Claim 7

A process as defined in claim 5 wherein the refractory inorganic oxide is alumina.

Claim 8

A process as defined in claim 1 wherein the halogen component is chlorine or a compound of chlorine.

Claim 9

A process as defined in claim 1 wherein the halogen component is fluorine or a compound of fluorine.

Claim 10

A process as defined in claim 1 wherein the tin component of the catalyst is tin oxide.

Claim 11

A process as defined in claim 1 wherein the atomic ratio of tin to platinum group metal contained in the composite is selected from the range of 0.1:1 to about 3:1.

Claim 12

A process as defined in claim 1 wherein the catalyst contains, on an elemental basis, about 0.05 to about 1 wt. % platinum group metal, about 0.1 to about 1 wt. % tin and about 0.5 to about 1.5 wt. % halogen.

Claim 13

A process as defined in claim 1 wherein the hydrogen stream is autogenously produced and the gasoline fraction contains less than about 10 wt. ppm. of sulfur.

Claim 14

A process as defined in claim 1 wherein the total amount of sulfur entering the reforming zone is continuously maintained at a value corresponding to less than about 10 wt. ppm. of the gasoline fraction.

Claim 15

A process as defined in claim 1 wherein the total amount of water entering the reforming zone corresponds to about 5 to about 50 wt. ppm. of the gasoline fraction.

Claim 16

In a process for catalytically reforming a sulfur-containing gasoline charge stock; wherein the charge stock and autogenous hydrogen are contacted at reforming conditions with a catalyst comprising a combination of the platinum group component, a tin component and a halogen component with a porous carrier material; wherein the components are present in the catalyst in amounts sufficient to result from the composite containing on an elemental basis, about 0.01 to about 2 wt. % platinum group metal, about 0.01 to about 5 wt. % tin and about 0.1 to about 3.5 wt. % halogen; wherein the tin component is uniformly dispersed throughout the porous carrier material in a particle size which is less than 100 Angstroms in maximum dimension; wherein substantially all of the platinum group component is present in the catalyst as an elemental metal; and, wherein substantially all of the tin component is present in the catalyst in an oxidiation state above that of the elemental metal, the improvement which comprises operating said process in a substantially sulfur free environment, said catalyst being substantially sulfur-free, and said gasoline charge stock being pretreated to remove substantially all sulfurous, nitrogenous and water-yielding contaminants therefrom.

Claim 17

In a process for catalytically reforming a sulfur-containing gasoline charge stock; wherein the charge stock and autogenous hydrogen are contacted at reforming conditions with a catalyst comprising a combination of the platinum group component, a tin component and a halogen component with a porous carrier material; wherein the components are present in the catalyst in amounts sufficient to result from the composite containing on an elemental basis, about 0.01 to about 2 wt. % platinum group metal, about 0.01 to about 5 wt. % tin and about 0.1 to about 3.5 wt. % halogen; wherein the tin component is uniformly dispersed throughout the porous carrier material in a particle size which is less than 100 Angstroms in maximum dimension; wherein substantially all of the platinum group component is present in the catalyst as an elemental metal; and, wherein substantially all of the tin component is present in the catalyst in an oxidiation state above that of the elemental metal, the improvement which comprises operating said process in a substantially sulfur free environment, said catalyst being substantially sulfur-free, and said gasoline charge stock being pretreated to remove substantially all sulfurous, nitrogenous and water-yielding contaminants therefrom.