Patent ID: 7291258

Claim:
In a catalytic distillation hydrodesulfurization process comprising: (a) feeding a naphtha boiling range hydrocarbon stream containing organic sulfur compounds and hydrogen to a distillation column reactor; (b) concurrently in said distillation column reactor (i) separating said naphtha into a light boiling range naphtha boiling in the range C 5 to 330° F. and a heavy boiling range naphtha boiling in the range of about 330° F. and above; (ii) contacting a fraction of said naphtha and hydrogen with a hydrodesulfurization catalyst to selectively react the organic sulfur compounds therein with said hydrogen to form H 2 S; (c) recovering a portion of said light boiling range naphtha wherein said light boiling range naphtha contains recombinant mercaptans; (d) removing said heavier boiling range naphtha from said distillation column reactor; and (e) passing said portion of said light boiling range naphtha to a countercurrent flow reactor for contact with hydrogen in fixed bed hydrodesulfurization catalyst to reduce the recombinant mercaptans therein; wherein the improvement comprises fractionating said portion of light boiling range naphtha to remove a lighter fraction thereof, said lighter fraction having a boiling range between its Initial Point and End Point of up to about 120° F. and being substantially free of mercaptans, from said countercurrent flow reactor before contact of said lighter fraction with said fixed bed catalyst.