| abstract |
A process for treating C3 to C12 petroleum fractions, such as a light cracked naphtha to be used as an etherification feed stock in which H2S is removed by distillation of at least the C3 fraction and mercaptans and diolefins are removed simultaneously in a distillation column reactor using a dual catalyst bed. The mercaptans and H2S are reacted with the diolefins in the presence of a reduced nickel catalyst to form sulfides which are higher boiling than the portion of the feed which is fractionated to an upper hydrogenation catalyst bed of palladium for hydrogenating diolefins and acetylenes. The higher boiling sulfides are removed as bottoms along with heavier materials. Any diolefins not converted to sulfides and acetylenes are selectively hydrogenated to mono-olefins in the presence of a palladium oxide catalyst in an upper bed, producing overheads, substantially free of sulfur compounds, diolefins and acetylenes. |