An apparatus and process for treating a complex mixture of hydrocarbons
containing undesirable olefinic compounds to remove the mono olefins and
diolefins in two stages and separate a desirable key component from the
mixture, by first treating the key component in a reactive distillation
column under mild conditions to hydrogenate diolefins then separating the
diolefin-depleted key component and any lighter materials from the heavier
components and sending the diolefin-depleted key component and lighter
materials to a second reactive distillation column where the lights are
removed overhead and the diolefin-depleted key component is hydrogenated
under more severe conditions to remove the mono olefins.