Catalytic reforming process and catalyst

Claim 1

A process for reforming a naphtha feedstock which comprises contacting said feedstock at reforming conditions with a catalyst comprising platinum, rhenium and chloride on an alumina support, said catalyst having been prepared by the steps of: a. selecting an alumina support obtained by removing water from aluminum hydroxide produced as a by-product from a Ziegler higher-alcohol synthesis; b. forming said alumina into an alumina catalyst support in particulate form; c. calcining said support at a temperature between 1000° F and 1500° F until the surface area of the support is in the range from 140 m 2 /g to 240 m 2 /g; d. impregnating the resulting calcined support with a platinum compound and a rhenium compound in the presence of enough chloride so that the impregnated composition, after drying and before calcining, contains more than 1.4 weight percent total chloride; e. drying the resulting impregnated composition to provide a dried composition containing said more than 1.4 weight percent total chloride; and f. calcining the resulting dried composition at a temperature between about 500° F and about 1200° F until the total chloride content of said composition is between about 0.8 and about 1.2 weight percent of the total weight of said catalyst.

Claim 6

A method for preparing a catalyst having 0.01 to 5 weight percent platinum and 0.01 to 5 weight percent rhenium disposed on an alumina support, which comprises the steps of: a. selecting an alumina support obtained by removing water from aluminum hydroxide produced as a by-product from a Ziegler higher-alcohol synthesis; b. forming said alumina into an alumina catalyst support in particulate form; c. calcining said support at a temperature between about 1000° F and about 1500° F until the surface area of said support is in the range from 140 m 2 /g to 240 m 2 /g; d. impregnating the resulting calcined support with a platinum compound and a rhenium compound in the presence of enough chloride so that the impregnated composition, after drying and before calcining, contains more than 1.4 weight percent total chloride; e. drying the resulting impregnated composition to provide a dried composition containing said more than 1.4 weight percent total chloride; and f. calcining the resulting dried composition at a temperature between about 500° F and about 1200° F until the total chloride content of said composition is between about 0.8 and about 1.2 weight percent of the total weight of said catalyst.

Claim 7

A method for preparing a catalyst having 0.01 to 5 weight percent platinum and 0.01 to 5 weight percent rhenium disposed on an alumina support, which comprises the steps of: a. selecting an alumina support obtained by removing water from aluminum hydroxide produced as a by-product from a Ziegler higher-alcohol synthesis; b. forming said alumina into an alumina catalyst support in particulate form; c. calcining said support at a temperature between about 1000° F and about 1500° F until the surface area of said support is in the range from 140 m 2 /g to 240 m 2 /g; d. impregnating the resulting calcined support with a platinum compound and a rhenium compound in the presence of enough chloride so that the impregnated composition, after drying and before calcining, contains more than 1.4 weight percent total chloride; e. drying the resulting impregnated composition to provide a dried composition containing said more than 1.4 weight percent total chloride; and f. calcining the resulting dried composition at a temperature between about 500° F and about 1200° F until the total chloride content of said composition is between about 0.8 and about 1.2 weight percent of the total weight of said catalyst.