Abstract:
There is provided a process for reforming a petroleum hydrocarbon stream, which process comprises contacting said hydrocarbon stream in a first reforming zone under reforming conditions and in the presence of hydrogen with a first reforming catalyst to produce a first reformate and subsequently contacting said first reformate in a second reforming zone under reforming conditions and in the presence of hydrogen with a second catalyst comprising a hydrogenation component and a small amount of gallium on a solid catalytic support comprising a porous refractory inorganic oxide. The first reforming catalyst may be any suitable reforming catalyst in the art.
Abstract:
The catalyst comprises a hydrogenation component, a small amount of rhenium, and a small amount of gallium on a solid catalytic support comprising a porous refractory inorganic oxide. The rhenium and the gallium may be present either in the elemental form or as compounds. The preferred hydrogenation component is a Group VIII noble metal and the preferred porous refractory inorganic oxide is a catalytically active alumina. The reforming process comprises contacting a petroleum hydrocarbon stream in a reforming zone under reforming conditions and in the presence of hydrogen with the above-described catalyst. In one embodiment, the process comprises contacting a partially-reformed hydrocarbon stream in a reforming zone under reforming conditions and in the presence of hydrogen with the above catalyst. In another embodiment, the process comprises contacting a naphtha in a reforming zone under reforming conditions and in the presence of hydrogen with the above catalyst. In a third embodiment, the process comprises contacting the petroleum hydrocarbon stream in a first reforming zone under reforming conditions and in the presence of hydrogen with a first reforming catalyst to produce a first reformate and subsequently contacting the first reformate in a second reforming zone under reforming conditions and in the presence of hydrogen with a second reforming catalyst, said second reforming catalyst being the catalyst described in the preceding paragraph.