In one aspect, a hydrodesulfurization process is provided that selectively
desulfurizes a hydrocarbon stream with minimal olefin saturation and
minimal recombination of sulfur into mercaptans. In another aspect, the
process includes a multi-stage reaction zone including at least first and
second serial hydrodesulfurization reaction zones that sequentially
remove sulfur from a hydrocarbon stream. In yet another aspect, the
process is particularly suited to selectively desulfurize an olefinic
naphtha hydrocarbon stream, such as FCC naphtha, steam cracked naphtha,
coker naphtha, or other gasoline boiling hydrocarbon streams.