Patent ID: 8403043

Claim:
A process for upgrading a sulfur-containing crude oil feedstream to improve the API gravity and reduce the sulfur content, the process comprising: a. mixing the crude oil with one or more hydrotreating catalysts to provide a catalyst-crude oil reaction mixture; b. irradiating the reaction mixture with microwave energy at a power level of from about 100 watts to about 10,000 watts for an exposure time of up to 30 minutes in the presence of hydrogen at a pressure ranging from one atmosphere to 300 psig to raise the temperature of the reaction mixture to a range of from 200° C. to 250° C.; c. maintaining the temperature of the reaction mixture for said exposure time to form a hydrodesulfurized mixture; d. separating the hydrodesulfurized mixture into a catalyst-containing solid phase and a liquid phase containing a hydrodesulfurized crude oil and sulfur-containing compounds; and e. recovering the hydrodesulfurized crude oil.