IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO CATALYTIC REFORMING

1,234,803. Reforming naphtha. BRITISH PETROLEUM CO. Ltd. 27 March, 1969 [23 April, 1968], No. 19094/68. Heading C5E. In a process for catalytically reforming naphtha over a Pt group metal-alumina-halogen catalyst at 800‹ to 1100‹ F. to give a product of increased octane number and/or aromatic content in which the halogen content of the catalyst is maintained by adding a halogen compound to the reaction zone, the halogen content is kept above 0À3 wt. per cent when the catalyst is active, and below 0À3 wt. per cent when it has become deactivated. A deactivated catalyst is one requiring at least a 20‹ F. increase in inlet temperature to produce a given octane number as compared with a fresh catalyst under similar conditions. Preferably the deactivated catalyst contains less than 0À15 wt. per cent halogen, and the addition of halogen to the reaction zone is stopped when the catalyst is deactivated.