of examples 1 and 2 and that of control a the data shown in table ii demonstrate the effect of reaction time on desulfurization and hydroconversion table ii__________________________________________________________________________the effect of reaction time batch tests at 700 u00b0 f treatmentwith safaniya atmospheric residuum with sodium hydrideand 500 psig hydrogen example no 4 5__________________________________________________________________________reactantsresiduum g 97 1 99 7sodium hydride wt feed 6 6hydrogen psig 500 500reaction period hr 0 5 1residuum product analysissulfur wt 1 1 1 0metals ni v fe ppm 7 10 1 5 9 1coke wt 0 0conradson carbon wt 7 2 7 4desulfurization 73 75demetallization 84 86conradson carbon removal 40 38 8api gravity 19 9 19 8__________________________________________________________________________ as seen in table ii examples 4 and 5 demonstrate that the sodium hydride process of the invention is not particularly sensitive to reaction period and a holding time or space velocity suited to the conversion level desired may be selected the data set out in table iii below demonstrate the effect of carrying out the process of the invention in a staged manner by successive treatments of the feed with fresh charges of sodium hydride and hydrogen table iii__________________________________________________________________________effect of carrying out process with safaniya atmosphericresiduum in a staged mannerreactants stage 1 stage 2__________________________________________________________________________residuum g 128 5 88 3reagent g wt nah 7 8 6 1 nah 7 8 6 1hydrogen psig initial 500 500reaction conditionstime hr 1 1temp u00b0 f 700 700product inspectionssulfur wt 1 05 0 67nitrogen wt 0 24conradson carbon wt 7 3ni v fe ppm 5 1 2api gravity 20 0 22 4desulfurization 73 0 36 1 overall desulfuri zation 83 0 conradson carbon loss 39 7demetallization 93 0products recoveredliquid wt on.