Stripping ammonia from liquid effluent of a hydrodenitrification process

In a process for the hydrodenitrification of a nitrogen containing feed by sequentially passing the feed through a series of hydrodenitrification zones containing at least two hydrodenitrification zones, wherein the nitrogen containing feed is contacted with hydrogen under hydrodenitrification temperature and pressure conditions to convert nitrogen present in the feed to ammonia, and wherein ammonia is purged from a hydrodenitrification zone effluent prior to the last hydrodenitrification zone in said series of hydrodentrification zones to maintain a low ammonia partial pressure in the last hydrodenitrification zone, the improvement comprising:

• a. separately separating a gaseous effluent and a liquid effluent from said hydrodenitrification zone prior to said last hydrodenitrification zone;
• b. stripping ammonia from said liquid effluent of step (a);
• and
• c. introducing at least a portion of said gaseous effluent from step (a) and stripped liquid effluent from step (b) into the next hydrodenitrification zone, said separating of step (a), stripping of step (b) and introducing of step (c) being effected without cooling of the liquid and gaseous effluents to a temperature below hydrodenitrification temperatures.