Process for hydrogenating a hydrocarbonaceous charge stock

Abstract

A process for hydrogenating a hydrocarbonaceous charge stock containing nitrogen, sulfur or halogen-based impurities which process comprises the steps of: (a) contacting the hydrocarbonaceous charge stock in the presence of hydrogen with a hydrogenation catalyst in a hydrogenation reaction zone to simultaneously increase the hydrogen content of the hydrocarbonaceous charge stock and to generate at least one water-soluble inorganic compound produced from the reaction of said nitrogen, sulfur or halogen-based impurities in said hydrocarbonaceous charge stock and the hydrogen; (b) contacting the reaction zone effluent containing hydrogenated hydrocarbonaceous compounds and at least one said water-soluble inorganic compound with a fresh aqueous scrubbing solution; (c) introducing a resulting admixture of the reaction zone effluent and the aqueous scrubbing solution into a separation zone to provide a hydrogenated hydrocarbonaceous stream and a spent aqueous scrubbing solution stream containing at least a portion of the water-soluble inorganic compound and trace quantities of hydrogenated hydrocarbonaceous compounds; (d) contacting the spent aqueous scrubbing solution stream with an adsorbent to remove the trace quantities of the hydrocarbonaceous compounds from the aqueous scrubbing solution stream thereby providing an aqueous stream essentially free from hydrocarbonaceous compounds; (e) removing the hydrocarbonaceous compounds from spent adsorbent with an elution solvent thereby regenerating the adsorbent; and (f) passing the elution solvent in admixture with hydrocarbonaceous compounds which are removed from the spent adsorbent in step (e) into the hydrogenation reaction zone of step (a) thereby recovering the hydrocarbonaceous compounds.