Catalytic Hydrodesulfurization Process - continued.

The figure provided here illustrates a schematic diagram for a distillate hydrodesulfurization process.

Hydrotreating for sulfur removal is called hydrodesulfurization.

Notice the incoming feed in the left lower corner. The feed is mixed with hydrogen and heated in a furnace, before being routed to the top of a reactor “A”. The reactor effluent from the bottom is cooled in a heat exchanger and routed to a high pressure separator “B”. In the separator, unreacted hydrogen rises to the top and is routed to the “hydrogen recycle” stream. Excess gas is routed to the fuel gas system, as shown.

Liquid from the bottom of the separator B, is routed to a stripper C. In the stripper, the desulfurized product settles at the bottom and the lighter hydrocarbons rise to the top. The overhead gases are passed through a condenser and routed to an accumulator. Some liquid from the accumulator is used as reflux and the rest is removed from the system as “unstabilized light distillate.”