Hydrocracking of petroleum feedstocks using a tri-elemental catalyst with a titania-alumina support

A hydrocracking and hydrogenation process suitable for a petroleum hydrocarbon feedstock which process comprises:

• contacting said cracked hydrocarbon feedstock, having an aromatic content above about 40 percent by volume, in a reactor, under hydrocracking conditions wherein a mixture of hydrogen gas and hydrocarbon vapor occupies at least 60 percent of the reactor void volume, with a particulate catalyst constituted by a porous support comprising alumina and titania;
• wherein the alumina is present in an amount in the range of about 95 weight percent to about 70 weight percent, and wherein the titania is present in an amount of about 5 to about 30 weight percent, both based on the weight of the support, and by a catalytically active tri-elemental phase on the support consisting essentially of a transition element of Group VI-B of the Periodic Table of Elements, a transition element of the first transition series of Group VIII of the Periodic Table of Elements, and a transition element of the second transition series of Group VIII of the Periodic Table of Elements;
• said porous support having a surface area in the range of about 130 m.sup.2 /gram to about 300 m.sup.2 /gram and at least about 95 percent of the pores thereof having a pore diameter in the range of about 20 Angstroms to about 500 Angstroms;
• and said Group VI-B transition element being present in an amount in the range of about 6 weight percent to about 30 weight percent, expressed as weight of the corresponding oxide and based on the weight of the catalyst, said Group VIII first transition series element being present in an amount in the range of about 2 weight percent to about 10 weight percent, expressed as weight of the corresponding oxide and based on the weight of the catalyst, and said Group VIII second transition series element being present in an amount in the range of about 0.01 weight percent to about 1 weight percent, based on the weight of the catalyst, for a time period sufficient to convert at least a portion of said cracked petroleum hydrocarbon feedstock into a petroleum product having an aromatic content less than about 20 percent by volume.