Octane upgrading process for light paraffins using a combination of two palladium-zeolite catalysts

Claim 1

A process for upgrading a hydrocarbon paraffinic feed (a) boiling in the range of about from 25° C. to 70° C., (b) containing at least about 25 volume percent of a C 5 component and (c) having a research octane number below about 65, which comprises: effectively increasing said octane number by consecutively contacting said feed with a first fixed bed catalyst and second fixed-bed catalyst, said contacting being under hydrocarbon conversion conditions, including: (1) a temperature in the range of from about 250° to 315° C.; (2) a pressure in the range of from about 20 to 54 atmospheres gauge; (3) a hydrogen gas to hydrocarbon mol ratio in the range of from about 3-8 to 1; and (4) a composite liquid hourly space velocity in the range of from about 0.5 to 2; said first catalyst consisting essentially of palladium, ultrastable H-Y zeolite and alumina, said second catalyst consisting essentially of palladium, HZSM-5-type zeolite and alumina; and said catalysts each containing, for each 100 parts by weight thereof (a) an amount of palladium in the range of from about 0.1 to 1 part and (b) an amount of alumina and the respective zeolite in the range of from about 25 to 75 parts, and said ZSM-5-type zeolite having a silica-to-alumina ratio in the range of from about 40 to 160; and recovering the resulting hydrocarbon effluent having, relative to said feed, an improved research octane number.