Patent ID: 6984312

Claim:
A process for the treatment of light cracked naphtha, containing organic sulfur compounds, comprising the steps of: (a) fractionating a light cracked naphtha and recovering a first higher boiling naphtha fraction; (b) feeding hydrogen, a heavy cracked naphtha and said first higher boiling naphtha fraction to a distillation reaction zone containing a hydrodesulfurization catalyst; (c) concurrently in said distillation reaction zone: (i) reacting a portion of said organic sulfur compounds with hydrogen to produce hydrogen sulfide, and (ii) separating a lower boiling naphtha fraction containing said hydrogen sulfide and a second higher boiling naphtha fraction comprising said heavy cracked naphtha by fractional distillation; (d) removing said lower boiling naphtha fraction from said distillation reaction zone as overheads; (e) removing the hydrogen sulfide from said overheads; and (f) removing said second higher boiling naphtha fraction from said distillation reaction zone recycling said heavy cracked naphtha to said distillation reaction zone along with said first higher boiling naphtha fraction, whereby the heavy cracked naphtha is used as a solvent so that the distillation column reactor may be operated at higher temperatures and still have boiling material in the catalyst bed.