Catalytic cracking process

Abstract

The octane number of a cracked naphtha can be significantly improved in a catalytic cracking unit, without significant decrease in naphtha yield, by maintaining certain critical concentrations of metals on the catalyst, suitably by blending or adding a heavy metals-containing component to the gas oil feed. Suitably, in a catalytic cracking process unit wherein a gas oil feed is cracked in a cracking reactor (zone) at an elevated temperature in the presence of a cracking catalyst, the cracking catalyst is regenerated in a regenerator (regeneration zone) by burning coke off the catalyst, and catalyst is circulated between the reactor and regenerator, sufficient of a metals-containing heavy feedstock is admixed, intermittantly or continuously, with the gas oil feed to deposit metals on said catalyst and raise the metals-content of said catalyst to a level of from about 1500 to about 6000 parts per million, preferably from about 2500 to about 4000 parts per million expressed as equivalent nickel, based on the weight of the catalyst, and said metals level is maintained on the catalyst throughout the operation by withdrawing high metals-containing catalyst and adding low metals-containing catalyst to the regenerator.