Patent ID: 8807214

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 having a reaction surface to provide a catalyst-crude oil reaction mixture; b. irradiating the mixture of the crude oil and one or more hydrotreating catalysts with microwave energy in the presence of hydrogen at a pressure level of from one atmosphere to 400 psig to raise the temperature of the reaction mixture to a reaction mixture temperature in the range from 70° C. to about 400° C.; c. maintaining the reaction mixture temperature by varying the microwave energy, for a period of time that is sufficient to form soluble sulfur compounds and thereby reduce the sulfur content of the crude oil; d. separating the irradiated mixture into a catalyst-containing solid phase and an upgraded oil phase; and e. recovering the upgraded oil phase.