Heavy feed upgrading and use thereof in cat cracking

Abstract

A heavy feed, such as a resid which contains coke precursors and metals, is upgraded by dissolving a feed soluble metal alkoxide in the feed which is heated to a temperature sufficient to decompose the alkoxide, but below 450.degree. F. The alkoxide decomposition precipitates at least a portion of the coke precursors and metals out of the feed as a separate phase, thereby effectively removing them to form an upgraded feed. The upgraded feed, with or without the precipitate present, is then sent to a cat cracker or to other upgrading. When fed into a cat cracker, such as a FCC, the upgraded feed is converted to lower boiling liquids with less deactivation of the cracking catalyst than would occur if the metals and coke precursors remained in the feed, even with the precipitate present in the feed. In the cat cracker, the precipate which contains the alkoxide metal and coke precursors and metals from the feed, is converted into coke particles having a particle size smaller than the catalyst particles. This enables the coke particles to be separated from the spent catalyst particles via cyclone separation, so that the coke particles are not sent to the catalyst regenerator.