Hydrodesulfurization of petroleum distillates

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR CATALYTICALLY HYYDRODE-SULFURIZING A SULFUR CONTAINING ASPHALTENE-FREE PETROLEUM DISTILLATE WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING SAID DISTILLATE WITH HYDROGEN AT HYDROSULFURIZATION CONDITIONS AND WITH A CATALYST CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A HYDROGENATING COMPONENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP VI-B METALS AND AT LEAST ONE HYDROGENATING COMPONENT SELECTED FROM THE IRON GROUP METALS COMPOSITED WITH AN ALUMINA BASE, AT LEAST 65 PERCENT OF THE PORE VOLUME OF SAID COMPOSITE CATALYST BEING IN PORES HAVING A RADIUS IN THE RANGE OF 50 TO 300 A UNITS, THE AVERAGE PORE RADIUS OF SAID COMPOSITE CATALYST BEING IN THE RANGE OF 45 TO 75A UNITS, THE SURFACE AREA OF SAID COMPOSITE CATALYST BENG AT LEAST 150 SQUARE METERS PER GRAM, THE PORE VOLUME OF SAID COMPOSITE CATALYST BEING AT LEAST 0.5 CC PER GRAM SAID COMPOSITE CATALYST HAVING BEEN PREPARED BY CALCINING AN ALUMINA SUPPORT HAVING A BAYERITE CONTENT IN THE RANGE OF 0 TO 50 WEIGHT PERCENT AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 800* TO 1600*F., IMPREGNATING SAID CALCINED ALUMINA SUPPORT WITH SAID HYDROGENATING COMPONENTS, AND THEREAFTER CALCINING SAID IMPREGNATED ALUMINA SUPPORT AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 800* TO 1600*F.