PATENTS

2752. REED, H. C., AND BERG, C. H. O. (Union Oil Co. of California). Hydrogen. United States Patent 2,635,947, Apr. 21, 1953. Chem. Abs., vol. 47, 1953, p. 6637.

H is produced in a 4-stage process, which comprises: (1) Coking a hydrocarbon oil in the presence of fluidized particles of a higher oxide of Fe at 371°-649° to form a distillate and a deposit of coke on the particles; (2) separating the particles from the distillate and, while still in a fluidized state at about 538°-816°, treating them with a gas containing O2 to burn the C and to heat and reduce the particles of Fe oxide with the formation of a gas containing CO and coke-free, reduced Fe-containing particles; (3) fluidizing the particles thus obtained in steam at 427°-816° to form H2 and reform the higher oxide of Fe; and (4) separating the H2 and recirculating the oxide to treat more oil. When the process is applied to a hydrocarbon fraction with a low A. P. I. gravity and containing S compounds, Fe sulfides are formed with desulfurization of the fraction. To prevent undue concentration of Fe sulfides in the catalyst, a side stream of catalyst is removed from the H2 generator and is oxidized in an O2 regenerator with the formation of SO2 and higher Fe oxides, mostly Fe2O3 at temperature 538°-1,093°.