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A process for presulfiding a plurality of sorbent particles prior to using at least a portion of the particles to at least partially desulfurize a hydrocarbon feed stream. Typically, presulfiding can be carried out in a presulfiding zone under presulfiding conditions. In one embodiment, the process

A process for presulfiding a plurality of sorbent particles prior to using at least a portion of the particles to at least partially desulfurize a hydrocarbon feed stream. Typically, presulfiding can be carried out in a presulfiding zone under presulfiding conditions. In one embodiment, the process can be carried out in a desulfurization system comprising a fluidized bed reactor and fluidized bed regenerator and can be completed in less than about 36 hours.

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What is claimed is: 1. A process for removing sulfur from a hydrocarbon feed stream in a desulfurization system, wherein said desulfurization system comprises a reactor and a regenerator, said process comprising: (a) contacting a plurality of sorbent particles with a presulfiding agent under presul

What is claimed is: 1. A process for removing sulfur from a hydrocarbon feed stream in a desulfurization system, wherein said desulfurization system comprises a reactor and a regenerator, said process comprising: (a) contacting a plurality of sorbent particles with a presulfiding agent under presulfiding conditions in said reactor to thereby provide a plurality of at least partly sulfided sorbent particles; (b) introducing at least a portion of said at least partly sulfided sorbent particles into said regenerator; (c) withdrawing at least a portion of said at least partly sulfided sorbent particles from said regenerator; (d) returning at least a portion of said at least partly sulfided sorbent particles withdrawn from said regenerator to said reactor; (e) repeating steps (a) through (d) until said at least partly sulfided sorbent particles introduced into said regenerator have an average sulfur loading that is at least 15 percent greater than the initial average sulfur loading of said sorbent particles prior to said contacting of step (a); and (f) subsequent to step (e), contacting said at least partly sulfided sorbent particles with said hydrocarbon feed stream under desulfurization conditions in said reactor to thereby provide a sulfur-depleted effluent stream and a sulfur-laden sorbent, wherein the average sulfur loading of said at least partly sulfided sorbent particles introduced into said regenerator in step (b) is within 5 percent of the average sulfur loading of the at least partly sulfided sorbent particles withdrawn from said regenerator in step (c). 2. The process of claim 1, wherein said regenerator has an average temperature of less than 250° C. during steps (b) and (c). 3. The process of claim 2, wherein said presulfiding conditions include a hydrogen-to-presulfiding agent molar ratio in the range of from about 0.01 to about 1.0. 4. The process of claim 1, wherein steps (b) and (c) are carried out in a substantially oxygen-free environment. 5. The process of claim 1, wherein said repeating of step (e) is carried out for a period of time less than about 36 hours. 6. The process of claim 1, wherein the mass flow rate of hydrogen sulfide in said sulfur-depleted effluent stream exiting said reaction zone is less than 150 percent of the mass flow rate of hydrogen sulfide in said hydrocarbon feed stream. 7. The process of claim 1, further comprising, prior to step (a), combining said presulfiding agent with a carrier fluid to thereby provide a combined fluid, wherein at least a portion of said combined fluid is contacted with said sorbent particles during the contacting of step (a). 8. The process of claim 7, wherein said carrier fluid is an organic carrier fluid comprising less than 2 volume percent olefins. 9. The process of claim 1, wherein said presulfiding agent comprises an organosulfur compound. 10. The process of claim 9, wherein said presulfiding agent comprises dimethyldisulfide. 11. The process of claim 1, wherein said initial average sulfur loading of said sorbent particles is less than 1.75 weight percent prior to said contacting of step (a). 12. The process of claim 1, wherein steps (a) through (d) are carried out in a substantially continuous manner. 13. The process of claim 1, wherein said hydrocarbon feed stream introduced in step (e) comprises in the range of from about 100 to about 10,000 parts per million by weight (ppmw) of sulfur, wherein said sulfur-depleted effluent stream comprises less than about 50 ppmw of sulfur. 14. The process of claim 1, wherein said sulfur-laden sorbent has an average sulfur loading of at least 2.0 weight percent. 15. The process of claim 1, wherein said hydrocarbon feed stream comprises gasoline. 16. The process of claim 1, wherein said hydrocarbon feed stream comprises diesel. 17. The process of claim 1, further comprising, subsequent to step (f), regenerating at least a portion of said sulfur-laden sorbent under regeneration conditions in said regenerator to thereby provide a regenerated sorbent, wherein said regenerating reduces the average sulfur loading of said sulfur-laden sorbent introduced into said regenerator by at least 10 percent. 18. The process of claim 17, wherein said regenerated sorbent has an average sulfur loading in the range of from about 0.1 to about 4 weight percent. 19. The process of claim 17, wherein said regenerating includes contacting said sulfur-laden sorbent with an oxygen-containing regeneration stream. 20. The process of claim 17, wherein said regeneration conditions include a regenerator temperature in the range of from about 260° C. to about 650° C. 21. The process of claim 20, further comprising, reducing at least a portion of said regenerated sorbent in a reduction zone under reducing conditions to thereby provide a reduced sorbent particles and introducing at least a portion of said reduced sorbent particles into said reactor. 22. The process of claim 21, wherein said desulfurization system further comprises a reduction vessel, wherein at least a portion of said reducing is carried out in said reduction vessel. 23. The process of claim 1, wherein said sorbent particles comprise a support component and a promoter metal component. 24. The process of claim 23, wherein said support component comprises zinc oxide. 25. The process of claim 23, wherein said promoter metal component comprises a single promoter metal. 26. The process of claim 25, wherein said promoter metal is nickel. 27. The process of claim 1, wherein said sorbent particles have a Group A Geldart characterization. 28. The process of claim 1, wherein said sorbent particles have an average particle size of less than 500 microns. 29. A process for desulfurizing a sulfur-containing hydrocarbon feed stream, said process comprising: (a) introducing a plurality of sorbent particles into a reaction zone, wherein said sorbent particles have an average sulfur loading of less than 1.75 weight percent; (b) contacting at least a portion of said sorbent particles with a presulfiding agent in said reaction zone under presulfiding conditions to thereby provide a plurality of at least partly sulfided sorbent particles; (c) intermediate to step (b), passing at least a portion of said at least partly sulfided sorbent through said regeneration zone and routing at least a portion of the sorbent exiting said regeneration zone back into said reaction zone, wherein the average sulfur loading of said sorbent is reduced by less than 10 percent during said passing, (d) repeating step (b) out until said at least partly sulfided sorbent particles have an average sulfur loading greater than 2.0 weight percent; (e) subsequent to step (d), introducing said hydrocarbon feed stream into said reaction zone; (f) contacting at least a portion of said at least partly sulfided sorbent particles with at least a portion of said hydrocarbon feed stream in said reaction zone under desulfurization conditions to thereby provide a sulfur-laden sorbent and a sulfur-depleted effluent stream; (g) regenerating at least a portion of said sulfur-laden sorbent in a regeneration zone under regeneration conditions to thereby provide a regenerated sorbent composition; and (h) introducing at least a portion of said regenerated sorbent composition back into said reaction zone. 30. The process of claim 29, wherein said regeneration zone is substantially oxygen-free during said passing. 31. The process of claim 29, wherein said regeneration zone has a temperature less than 255° C. during said passing. 32. The process of claim 29, further comprising, subsequent to step (e) and prior to step (f), reducing at least a portion of said regenerated sorbent in a reduction zone to thereby provide a reduced sorbent, wherein said at least a portion of said regenerated sorbent introduced back into said reaction zone comprises at least a portion of said reduced sorbent. 33. The process of claim 32, wherein said reduction zone is at least partially defined in a reduction vessel, wherein said reaction zone is not defined within said reduction vessel. 34. The process of claim 29, wherein the mass flow rate of hydrogen sulfide in the sulfur-depleted effluent stream exiting said reaction zone is less than 100 percent of the mass flow rate of hydrogen sulfide in said hydrocarbon feed stream. 35. The process of claim 29, wherein said contacting of step (b) is carried out for a period of time less than about 36 hours. 36. The process of claim 29, wherein said presulfiding agent comprises an organosulfur compound. 37. The process of claim 29, further comprising, prior to step (a), combining said presulfiding agent with an organic carrier fluid to thereby provide a combined fluid, wherein at least a portion of said combined fluid is utilized in said contacting of step (b). 38. The process of claim 37, wherein said organic carrier fluid comprises less than 2 volume percent olefins. 39. The process of claim 29, wherein said reaction zone is at least partially defined within a fluidized bed reactor, wherein said regeneration zone is at least partially defined within a fluidized bed regenerator. 40. The process of claim 39, wherein said desulfurization conditions of step (d) include a reactor temperature in the range of from about 260 to about 480° C., wherein said regeneration conditions of step (e) include a regenerator temperature in the range of from about 260 to about 650° C. 41. The process of claim 29, wherein said hydrocarbon feed stream introduced into said reaction zone in step (e) comprises in the range of from about 100 to about 10,000 parts per million by weight (ppmw) of sulfur, wherein said sulfur-depleted effluent stream withdrawn from said reaction zone comprises less than about 50 ppmw of sulfur. 42. The process of claim 29, wherein the total sulfur mass flow rate of the sulfur-depleted effluent stream is less than about 10 percent of the total sulfur mass flow rate of the hydrocarbon feed stream. 43. The process of claim 29, wherein said hydrocarbon feed stream comprises gasoline. 44. The process of claim 29, wherein said hydrocarbon feed stream comprises diesel. 45. The process of claim 29, wherein said sorbent particles comprise a zinc oxide-containing support component and a nickel-containing promoter metal component. 46. The process of claim 29, wherein said sorbent particles have an average particle size in the range of from about 1 micron to about 500 microns.