Abstract:
A novel two-stage hydrogenation process for producing lubricating oils is disclosed which comprises passing a deasphalted vacuum residue and/or vacuum distillate feedstock through a preheater, contacting the resulting feedstock with a catalyst consisting of sulfides and/or oxides of the VI and VIII group metals on a slightly acid support in the presence of hydrogen at certain temperature, pressure, space velocity and hydrogen flow conditions (first stage), contacting the resulting product under the same temperature, pressure, space velocity and hydrogen flow conditions as in the first stage with a catalyst consisting of sulfides and/or oxides of the VI and VIII group metals on an acid support, conveying the resulting products to a high-pressure separator where hydrogen is removed, purified and recycled, conveying the resulting product to a low-pressure separator where undesirable gases are removed, introducing the resulting product into a stripping column, where certain useful byproducts are removed, transferring the bottom products to a deparaffination unit wherein paraffins removed therein are recycled to the first reaction stage and then conveying the deparaffinated product to a vacuum-fractionating column where the desired lubricating oils are obtained.