Petro-canada

N Kelly Benham

Barry B Pruden

Michel Roy

A slurry feed of a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock and coke-inhibiting additive particles together with a hydrogen-containing gas, are fed upward through a confined hydrocracking zone in a vertical, elongated, cylindrical vessel with a generally dome-shaped bottom head. A mixed effluent is removed from the top containing hydrogen and vaporous hydrocarbons and liquid heavy hydrocarbons. The slurry feed mixture and a portion of the hydrogen-containing gas are fed into the hydrocracking zone through an injector at the bottom of the dome-shaped bottom head and the balance of the hydrogen-containing gas is fed into the hydrocracking zone through injection nozzles arranged within of the hydrocracking zone at a location above the slurry-feed injector. The combined slurry feed and hydrogen-containing gas are injected at a velocity whereby the additive particles are maintained in suspension throughout the vessel and coking reactions are prevented.

Hydrocracking of heavy hydrocarbon oils with improved gas and liquid distribution

A process for hydrocracking a heavy hydrocarbon oil feedstock, a substantial portion of which boils above 524.degree. C. is described which includes the steps of: (a) passing a slurry feed of a mixture of heavy hydrocarbon oil feedstock and from about 0.01-4.0% by weight (based on fresh feedstock) of coke-inhibiting additive particles upwardly through a confined vertical hydrocracking zone, the hydrocracking zone being maintained at a temperature between about 350.degree. and 600.degree. C. a pressure of at least 3.5 MPa and a space velocity of up to 4 volumes of hydrocarbon oil per hour per volume of hydrocracking zone capacity, (b) removing from the top of the hydrocracking zone a mixed effluent containing a gaseous phase comprising hydrogen and vaporous hydrocarbons and a liquid phase comprising heavy hydrocarbons, (c) passing the mixed effluent into a hot separator vessel, (d) withdrawing from the top of the separator a gaseous stream comprising hydrogen and vaporous hydrocarbons, (e) withdrawing from the bottom of the separator a liquid stream comprising heavy hydrocarbons and particles of the coke-inhibiting additive, and (f) fractionating the separated liquid stream to obtain a heavy hydrocarbon stream which boils above 450.degree. C. said heavy hydrocarbon stream containing said additive particles, and a light oil product. According to the novel feature, at least part of the fractionated heavy hydrocarbon stream boiling above 450.degree. C. is recycled to form part of the heavy hydrocarbon oil feedstock at a lower polarity aromatic oil is added to the heavy hydrocarbon oil feedstock such that a high ratio of lower polarity aromatics to asphaltenes is maintained during hydroprocessing. This provides excellent yields without coke formation.

Hydrocracking of heavy hydrocarbon oils with conversion facilitated by

A process is described for controlling the size of additive or catalyst particles mixed with heavy hydrocarbon oil feedstock containing asphaltenes and metals and being subjected to hydrotreating. A slurry feed of a mixture of the heavy hydrocarbon oil feedstock and coke-inhibiting additive particles or catalyst particles is passed upwardly through a confined vertical hydrotreating zone in the presence of hydrogen gas, while removing from the top of the hydrotreating zone a mixed effluent containing a gaseous phase comprising hydrogen and vaporous hydrocarbon and a liquid phase comprising heavy hydrocarbon. The mixed effluent is passed through a separation vessel, while withdrawing from the top of the separator a gaseous stream comprising hydrogen and vaporous hydrocarbons and withdrawing from the bottom of the separator a liquid stream comprising heavy hydrocarbons and particles of coke-inhibiting additive or catalyst. At least part of the liquid stream containing heavy hydrocarbons and particles is recycled and an aromatic oil is added to the hydrotreating zone in an amount sufficient to substantially inhibit adsorption of asphaltenes on the surfaces of the particles and subsequent agglomeration of the additive or catalyst particles.

Growing community of inventors

Calgary, Canada

N Kelly Benham