Process for producing diesel with low levels of sulfur

1. A process for producing diesel with reduced levels of sulfur, comprising:

(a) providing a diesel feed comprising a diesel having a sulfur content in the range of about 20 to about 10,000 wppm;

(b) feeding the diesel feed and a hydrogen rich gas to a reaction zone comprising a hydrotreating catalyst to produce a hydrotreated diesel effluent comprising diesel and hydrogen sulfide; and

(c) removing hydrogen sulfide from the hydrotreated diesel effluent to produce a diesel product having a sulfur content no more than about 20 wppm;

wherein hydrogen consumption in the reaction zone is in the range of about −50 to about 50 scf/bbl, and wherein the reaction zone is a three-phase reaction zone.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the reaction zone has a temperature from about 260° C. to about 382° C. and a pressure from about 100 to about 1300 psig.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the diesel product has a sulfur content no more than about 10 wppm.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen consumption in the reaction zone is in the range of about 5 to about 50 scf/bbl.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein naphtha yield is no more than about 2 wt %, and yield of the diesel product is at least about 95 wt %.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the diesel feed has a sulfur content in the range of about 50 to about 2,000 wppm.

7. A liquid-full process for producing diesel with reduced levels of sulfur, comprising:

(a) providing a diesel feed comprising a diesel having a sulfur content in the range of about 20 to about 10,000 wppm;

(b) contacting the diesel feed with (i) a diluent and (ii) a hydrogen rich gas to form a feed/diluent/hydrogen mixture, wherein the hydrogen is dissolved in the mixture to provide a liquid feed;

(c) contacting the feed/diluent/hydrogen mixture with a hydrotreating catalyst in a liquid-full reaction zone to produce a hydrotreated diesel effluent comprising diesel and hydrogen sulfide;

(d) optionally recycling a portion of the hydrotreated diesel effluent as a hydrocarbon recycle stream for use as all or part of the diluent in step (b)(i) at a recycle ratio of no more than about 10; and

(e) removing hydrogen sulfide from at least a portion of the hydrotreated diesel effluent not recycled to produce a diesel product having a sulfur content no more than about 20 wppm;

wherein hydrogen consumption in the reaction zone is in the range of about −50 to about 50 scf/bbl.

8. The liquid-full process of claim 7 , wherein the at least a portion of the hydrotreated diesel effluent not recycled is further hydrotreated prior to the hydrogen sulfide removal step (e).

9. The liquid-full process of claim 7 , wherein a portion of the hydrotreated diesel effluent is recycled as a hydrocarbon recycle stream for use as all or part of the diluent in step (b)(i) at a recycle ratio of no more than about 10.

10. The liquid-full process of claim 9 , wherein the recycle ratio is from about 0.1 to about 5.

11. The liquid-full process of claim 9 , wherein the diluent consists essentially of the hydrocarbon recycle stream.

12. The liquid-full process of claim 7 , wherein the hydrotreating catalyst comprises a non-precious metal and an oxide support.

13. The liquid-full process of claim 7 , wherein the diesel product has a sulfur content no more than about 10 wppm.

14. The liquid-full process of claim 7 , wherein the hydrogen consumption in the reaction zone is in the range of about 5 to about 50 scf/bbl.

15. The process of claim 7 , wherein the diesel feed has a sulfur content in the range of about 50 to about 2,000 wppm.

16. A liquid-full process for producing diesel with reduced levels of sulfur, comprising:

(a) providing a diesel feed comprising a diesel having a sulfur content in the range of about 20 to about 10,000 wppm;

(b) contacting the diesel feed with a hydrogen rich gas to form a feed/hydrogen mixture, wherein the hydrogen is dissolved in the mixture to provide a liquid feed, and the mixture is not diluted with a diluent;

(c) contacting the feed/hydrogen mixture with a hydrotreating catalyst in a liquid-full reaction zone to produce a hydrotreated diesel effluent comprising diesel and hydrogen sulfide; and

(d) removing hydrogen sulfide from the hydrotreated diesel effluent to produce a diesel product having a sulfur content no more than about 20 wppm;

wherein hydrogen consumption in the reaction zone is in the range of about −50 to about 50 scf/bbl, and no hydrotreated diesel effluent is recycled as a recycle stream.

17. The liquid-full process of claim 16 , wherein the hydrotreating catalyst comprises a non-precious metal and an oxide support.

18. The liquid-full process of claim 16 , wherein the diesel product has a sulfur content no more than about 10 wppm.

19. The liquid-full process of claim 16 , wherein the hydrogen consumption in the reaction zone is in the range of about 5 to about 50 scf/bbl.

20. The liquid-full process of claim 16 , wherein the liquid-full reaction zone has a temperature from about 260° C. to about 382° C. and a pressure from about 100 to about 1300 psig.

21. The liquid-full process of claim 16 , wherein naphtha yield is no more than about 5 wt %.

22. The process of claim 16 , wherein the diesel feed has a sulfur content in the range of about 50 to about 2,000 wppm.