Gasoline production process

Abstract

A process for producing high octane low lead content or unleaded gasoline from a hydrocarbon feedstock by hydrocracking the hydrocarbon feedstock; fractionating the hydrocracking effluent in a fractionation zone, thereby obtaining a stream rich in singly branched hexanes; isomerizing the singly branched hexanes to doubly branched hexanes in an isomerization zone operated at a reaction temperature below 300.degree.F.; and combining the doubly branched hexanes with C.sub.7 + hydrocarbons derived from the hydrocracking effluent, thereby obtaining a high octane gasoline or gasoline blending stock. In a preferred embodiment, the isomerization zone effluent is fractionated to give a cyclohexane-rich stream which stream is catalytically reformed and then the reformate is combined with the doubly branched hexanes from the isomerization zone.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.