A method of processing a cracked feed to make a low-sulfur naphtha product that may suitably be used as a blending component of low-sulfur gasoline and a ultra-low sulfur diesel product that may suitably be used as a blending component for making either ultra-low sulfur diesel or ultra-low sulfur jet fuel, wherein said method comprises:
- passing said cracked feed to a first catalytic distillation column that defines a volume having an upper portion within which is a thioetherification zone providing for simultaneously reacting mercaptans with diolefins contained in said cracked feed to form sulfides and separating by distillation the reaction products and hydrocarbons and a lower portion having a relative location below said thioetherification zone and within which is defined a hydrogenation zone providing for simultaneously reacting thiophenes of the cracked feed with hydrogen to form mercaptans and separating by distillation the reaction products and hydrocarbons, wherein said cracked feed is a full range naphtha comprising hydrocarbons boiling in the range of from C5 (boiling temperature of hydrocarbon molecules having five carbon atoms per molecule) to 280° C. (536° F.), at least one organic sulfur compound, at least one olefin compound, and at least one diolefin compound, and wherein said cracked feed has a total organic sulfur concentration in the range of from about 500 ppm to about 2 wt. % (20,000 ppm), an olefin concentration in the range of from about 30 wt. % to 75 wt. %, and a diolefin concentration in the range upwardly to 2 wt. %;
- yielding from said first catalytic distillation column a light overhead product and a heavy bottoms product;
- passing said heavy bottoms product to a second catalytic distillation column providing for the selective hydrodesulfurization of sulfur compounds contained in said heavy bottoms product;
- yielding from said second catalytic distillation column an overhead product containing hydrogen sulfide and a bottoms product containing at least one sulfur compound;
- passing said overhead product to a hydrogen sulfide stripper column providing for the removal of hydrogen sulfide from said overhead product and yielding a stripped bottoms product;
- passing said stripped bottoms product to a polishing reactor providing for hydrotreatment of said stripped bottoms product to yield a treated heavy cat naphtha stream;
- passing said treated heavy cat naphtha stream to a naphtha stabilizer column providing for removal of light hydrocarbons from said treated heavy cat naphtha stream to yield a stabilized heavy cat naphtha stream, having a sulfur concentration of less than 25 ppmw and comprising hydrocarbons boiling in the temperature range of from 80° C. (176° F.) to 150° C. (302° F.), and which is suitable for use as a low-sulfur gasoline blending component;
- passing said bottoms product containing said at least one sulfur compound to a bottoms reactor providing for the hydrogenation of said at least one sulfur compound to yield a bottoms reactor effluent;
- and
- passing said bottoms reactor effluent to a second stabilizer column providing for stabilization of said bottoms reactor effluent to yield a second stabilizer product stream, having a sulfur concentration of less than 50 ppmw and comprising hydrocarbons boiling in the temperature range of from 120° C. (248° C.) to 280° C. (536° F.), and which is suitable for use as a blending component for making either ultra-low sulfur diesel or ultra-low sulfur jet fuel.