Patent ID: 7435329

Claim:
A process comprising: charging a reforming feedstream to a reforming zone containing a reforming catalyst and operating at reforming conditions to generate a reforming zone effluent; charging hydrogen and an isomerization feedstream comprising at least C 5 -C 6 hydrocarbons into an isomerization zone to contact an isomerization catalyst at isomerization conditions to increase the branching of the feedstream hydrocarbons and produce the isomerization zone effluent comprising at least normal pentane, normal hexane, methylbutane, dimethylbutane, and methylpentane; wherein said isomerization catalyst is a solid acid catalyst comprising a support comprising a sulfated oxide or hydroxide of at least an element of Group IVB (IUPAC 4) of the Periodic Table, a first component selected from the group consisting of at least one lanthanide series element, mixtures thereof, and yttrium, and a second component selected from the group consisting of platinum group metals and mixtures thereof and wherein the atomic ratio of the first component to the second component is at least about 2; separating the isomerization zone effluent into an isomerization zone product stream and an isomerization zone light ends stream; separating the reforming zone effluent into a reforming zone product stream and a reforming zone light ends stream; combining at least a portion of the isomerization zone light ends stream and at least a portion of the reforming zone light ends stream to form a combined light ends stream; separating the combined light ends stream into a product stream enriched in C 5 and heavier hydrocarbons and a stream enriched in C 4 and lighter boiling compounds.