Patent ID: 7959794

Claim:
A process for hydrodesulphurising a gas oil or vacuum distillate, comprising subjecting said gas oil or vacuum distillate to hydrodesulfurization conditions in at least one hydrodesulphurization reaction section ( 10 ), passing effluent from ( 10 ) to a separator drum ( 13 ), operated at a controlled temperature in the range of 280°-350° C. combining liquid effluent from ( 13 ) and liquid hydrocarbon phase ( 20 ) from a flash drum ( 19 ) and sending said combined liquid effluent ( 15 ) and liquid hydrocarbon phase ( 20 ) to at least one stripping section ( 29 ) to recover a gas fraction in line ( 30 ) overhead from the stripping section, a naphtha in line ( 31 ) with an end point that is more than 100° C., and to decant an aqueous liquid phase in line ( 33 ) from the bottom of the stripping section, passing liquid effluent from ( 29 ) to at least one fractionation section ( 34 ) in which said fractionation section comprises at least one fractionation column operated under a moderate vacuum, and a pressure of 0.05 to 0.95 bars and in which in the fractionation section the desulphurised liquid effluent from the stripping section is separated into at least 3 fractions: a fraction covering naphtha to kerosene with an end point in the range from about 160° C. to about 180° C., a light gas oil fraction with an end point in the range from about 350° C. to about 380° C. and a heavy gas oil fraction with an initial boiling point in the range from about 350° C. to about 370° C., said separator drum ( 13 ) being located between the hydrodesulphurization reaction section ( 10 ) and the stripping section ( 29 ), the liquid hydrocarbon phase ( 20 ) being recycled and mixed with the liquid effluent from drum ( 13 ) via an exchanger ( 6 ), and a gas phase ( 21 ) from said flash drum ( 19 ) being recycled to the hydrodesulphurization reaction section ( 10 ), wherein the liquid effluent is not passed through a still between the stripping section ( 29 ) and the fractionation section ( 34 ).