Hydroprocessing reactor and process with gas and liquid quench

Abstract

A method and reactor system for catalytic hydrotreating and hydrocracking liquid hydrocarbon feedstock for producing a cracked liquid feedstock having a reduced contaminant level involves introducing the feedstock into the first reaction zone of a reactor system having a plurality of successive reaction zones, each reaction zone having a hydroprocessing catalyst bed therein, at least the first reaction zone comprising a hydrotreating reaction zone and at least one downstream reaction zone comprising a hydrocracking reaction zone, introducing hydrogen gas into the reactor system for flow through and over the catalyst beds in contact with the liquid in the reaction zones, the hydrogen exothermically reacting with the liquid in the reaction zones for producing an effluent for each reaction zone having a temperature greater than the temperature of the influent feedstock to that reaction zone, introducing liquid feedstock having the same composition as the liquid feedstock introduced into the first reaction zone into at least one quench zone downstream of the first reaction zone for admixing with the effluent from the immediately upstream reaction zone, the introduced liquid feedstock having a feed rate and a temperature sufficient to reduce the temperature of the effluent, and injecting quench gas into each quench zone in an amount sufficient, in combination with the effluent from the immediately upstream reaction zone and any introduced liquid feedstock, to reduce the temperature of effluent to within a predetermined range, and recovering the effluent product from the last reaction zone.