Process for hydrotreating metal-contaminated hydrocarbonaceous feedstock

A process for converting a hydrocarbonaceous feedstock into lower boiling materials, which comprises contacting a metal-contaminated hydrocarbonaceous feedstock of which at least about 60% wt. boils at a temperature.gtoreq.370.degree. C., at elevated temperature and elevated pressure in the presence of hydrogen with one or more catalyst beds each of a first catalyst, a second catalyst and a third-catalyst, where first, second and third designate the order of the catalyst contact with said feed, wherein

• (i) the first catalyst comprises a Group VI and/or a Group VIII hydrogenation metal component on an inorganic oxide support having at least about 40% of its pore volume in pores with diameters in the range from about 17 nm to about 25 nm and a surface area in the range from about 100 m.sup.2 /g to about 160 m.sup.2 /g;
• (ii) the second catalyst comprises a Group VI and/or a Group VIII hydrogenation metal component on an inorganic oxide support having at least about 40% of its pore volume in pores with diameters in the range from about 3 nm to about 17 nm and a surface area in the range from 160 m.sup.2 /g to 350 m.sup.2 /g;
• and
• (iii) the third catalyst comprises a Group VI and a Group VIII hydrogenation metal component on an inorganic oxide support having at least about 40% of its pore volume in pores with diameters in the range from about 17 nm to about 25 nm and a surface area in the range from about 100 m.sup.2 /g to about 160 m.sup.2 /g;
• wherein the third catalyst is at least 1.5 times more active for demetallization than the first catalyst at contaminant metal deposition levels of less than 5% wt.