Process for reduction of high sulfur residue

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR TREATING A SULFUR-CONTAINING HEAVY HYDROCARBON OIL, WITH AT LEAST 95 VOL.% BOILING ABOVE ABOUT 975*F., TO OBTAN ESSENTIALLY ONLY LOW-SULFUR HYDROCARBON PRODUCTS BOILING BELOW 975*F., SAID PROCESS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A. HYDROCRACKING AND HYDRODESULFURIZING SAID HEAVY HYDROCARBON OIL WITH HYDROGEN IN A HYDROGEN REFINING ZNE, AT A PRESSURE FROM ABOUT 1,000 PSI TO ABOUT 4,000 PSI AND A TEMPERATURE OF BETWEEN 650*F. AND 950*F. BY PASSING SAID OIL AND HYDROGEN UPWARDLY THROUGH A PARTICULATE CATALYST BED IN SAID ZONE, THIS MAINTAING THE CATALYST BED IN AN EXPANDED STAT TO OBTAIN A HYDROREFINED OIL: B. FRACTIONING THE HYDROREFINED OIL, OBTAINING THEREFORM AT LEAST ONE FRACTION BOILING ABOVE ABOUT 975*F. AND AT LEAST ONE FRACTION BOILING BELOW 975*F., C. SOLVENT DEASPHALTING SAID FRACTIONBOILING ABOVE ABOUT 975*F. TO GIVE A DEESPHALTED GAS OIL AND A RAFFINATE: D. PARTIALLY OXIDIZING SAID RAFFINATE TO EXTINCTION, TO OBTAIN A HYDROGEN STREAM THEREFROM EQUIVALENT IN QUANTITY TO THAT USED IN STEP (A), AND E. RECYCLING THE HYDROGEN FROM STEP (D) TO STEP (A).