Patent ID: 7410565

Claim:
A reforming process comprising contacting a naphtha feedstock with a first catalyst under reforming conditions to produce a first product stream, and contacting at least a portion of the first product stream with at least a second catalyst under reforming conditions to provide an aromatized product with increased octane over the feedstock; the first catalyst comprising an alumina support having dispersed thereon a platinum group component, a chloride component, and a stabilizer component selected from the group consisting of phosphorus, boron, titanium, silicon, zirconium and mixtures thereof, present in an amount from greater than 0 to about 1 wt-% of the catalyst calculated on an elemental basis; the second catalyst comprising an alumina support having dispersed thereon a platinum group component, a chloride component, and an optional stabilizer component, characterized in that the amount of stabilizer component, if present, in the second catalyst is an effective amount different from the first catalyst wherein the second catalyst is characterized after steaming fresh catalyst with air comprising about 40 mol-% water for about 6 hours at about 725° C. to produce steamed second catalyst, the steamed second catalyst has an equilibrium level of chloride adsorption greater than about 0.8 wt-% as determined under a flowing air stream containing hydrochloric acid and water with a molar ratio of 55.5 H 2 O/Cl and a temperature of 525° C.