Systems and methods for producing light olefins and BTX (benzene, toluene, and xylene). Crude oil is first separated to produce light naphtha and heavy naphtha. Light naphtha is fed to a steam cracking unit and heavy naphtha is fed to a catalytic cracking unit. The effluent from the steam cracking unit and the effluent from the catalytic cracking unit are flowed into an oil quench tower and are further separated in a separation unit to produce an ethylene stream, a propylene stream, and a BTX stream. The C.sub.4 hydrocarbons, ethane, and propane from the effluent of the steam cracking unit and the effluent from the catalytic cracking unit are recycled to the steam cracking unit. The non-BTX C.sub.6+ hydrocarbons from the effluent of the steam cracking unit and the effluent from the catalytic cracking unit are recycled to the catalytic cracking unit.

A method is disclosed for reducing fouling in catalytic cracking. The method includes subjecting a recycled fossil-based feedstock to a heat treatment, evaporating the heat-treated feedstock, hydrotreating resulting evaporation distillate and performing catalytic cracking of the hydrotreated distillate in a presence of a solid acid catalyst.

A multi-stage process for the production of an ISO 8217 compliant Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil from ISO 8217 compliant Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil involving a Reaction System composed of one or more reactor vessels selected from a group reactor wherein said one or more reactor vessels contains one or more reaction sections configured to promote the transformation of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil to the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil has a Environmental Contaminate level has a maximum sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 0.05 mass % to 1.0 mass. A process plant for conducting the process for conducting the process is disclosed that can utilize a modular reactor vessel.

An hydroconverted effluent composition is provided, along with systems and methods for making such a composition. The hydroconverted effluent composition can have an unexpectedly high percentage of vacuum gas oil boiling range components while having a reduce or minimized amount of components boiling above 593° C. (1100° F.). In some aspects, based in part on the hydroprocessing used to form the hydroconverted effluent composition, the composition can include unexpectedly high contents of nitrogen. Still other unexpected features of the composition can include, but are not limited to, an unexpectedly high nitrogen content in the naphtha fraction; and an unexpected vacuum gas oil fraction including an unexpectedly high content of polynuclear aromatics, an unexpectedly high content of waxy, paraffinic compounds, and/or an unexpectedly high content of n-pentane asphaltenes

Processes herein may be used to thermally crack various hydrocarbon feeds, and may eliminate the refinery altogether while making the crude to chemicals process very flexible in terms of crude. In embodiments herein, crude is progressively separated into at least light and heavy fractions. Depending on the quality of the light and heavy fractions, these are routed to one of three upgrading operations, including a fixed bed hydroconversion unit, a fluidized catalytic conversion unit, or a residue hydrocracking unit that may utilize an ebullated bed reactor. Products from the upgrading operations may be used as feed to a steam cracker.

A method is disclosed for preparing a renewable fuel blend. The method includes subjecting at least two feedstocks of different biological origins to catalytic cracking in a catalytic cracking unit and to hydrotreatment in a hydrotreatment unit to form a fuel blend having an aromatic hydrocarbon content from 26 to 42 wt-% and a paraffinic hydrocarbon content of less than 53 wt-%, as measured according to ASTM D2425-04 (2011). The fuel blend is formed by mixing the at least two feedstocks together before subjecting them to the catalytic cracking and hydrotreatment, or by obtaining a first fuel component and at least one further fuel component from the catalytic cracking and hydrotreatment of the at least two feedstocks, and mixing the first fuel component and the at least one further fuel component together.

A system for upgrading heavy hydrocarbon feeds, such as crude oil, include a hydrotreating unit, a hydrotreated effluent separation system, a solvent-assisted adsorption system, and a hydrocracking unit. Processes for upgrading heavy hydrocarbon feeds include hydrotreating the hydrocarbon feed to produce a hydrotreated effluent that includes asphaltenes, separating the hydrotreated effluent into a lesser boiling hydrotreated effluent and a greater boiling hydrotreated effluent comprising the asphaltenes, combining the greater boiling hydrotreated effluent with a light paraffin solvent to produce a combined stream, adsorbing the asphaltenes from the combined stream to produce an adsorption effluent, and hydrocracking the lesser boiling hydrotreated effluent and at least a portion of the adsorption effluent to produce a hydrocracked effluent with hydrocarbons boiling less than 180° C. The systems and processes increase the hydrocarbon conversion and yield of hydrocarbons boiling less than 180° C.

A system for upgrading heavy hydrocarbon feeds, such as crude oil, include a hydrotreating unit, a hydrotreated effluent separation system, a solvent-assisted adsorption system, and a hydrocracking unit. Processes for upgrading heavy hydrocarbon feeds include hydrotreating the hydrocarbon feed to produce a hydrotreated effluent that includes asphaltenes, separating the hydrotreated effluent into a lesser boiling hydrotreated effluent and a greater boiling hydrotreated effluent comprising the asphaltenes, combining the greater boiling hydrotreated effluent with a light paraffin solvent to produce a combined stream, adsorbing the asphaltenes from the combined stream to produce an adsorption effluent, and hydrocracking the lesser boiling hydrotreated effluent and at least a portion of the adsorption effluent to produce a hydrocracked effluent with hydrocarbons boiling less than 180° C. The systems and processes increase the hydrocarbon conversion and yield of hydrocarbons boiling less than 180° C.

Processes herein may be used to thermally crack various hydrocarbon feeds, and may eliminate the refinery altogether while making the crude to chemicals process very flexible in terms of crude. In embodiments herein, crude is progressively separated into light and heavy fractions utilizing convection heat from heaters used in steam cracking. Depending on the quality of the light and heavy fractions, these are routed to one of three upgrading operations, including a fixed bed hydroconversion unit, a fluidized catalytic conversion unit, or a residue hydrocracking unit that may utilize either an ebullated bed reactor with extrudate catalysts or a slurry hydrocracking reactor using a homogeneous catalyst system, such as a molybdenum based catalysts which may optionally be promoted with nickel. Products from the upgrading operations can be finished olefins and/or aromatics, or, for heavier products from the upgrading operations, may be used as feed to the steam cracker.

A process for reducing the environmental contaminants in a ISO 8217 compliant Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil, the process involving: mixing a quantity of the Feedstock Heavy Marine Fuel Oil with a quantity of Activating Gas mixture to give a feedstock mixture; contacting the feedstock mixture with one or more catalysts to form a Process Mixture from the feedstock mixture; separating the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil liquid components of the Process Mixture from the gaseous components and by-product hydrocarbon components of the Process Mixture and, discharging the Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil is compliant with ISO 8217 for residual marine fuel oils and has a sulfur level has a maximum sulfur content (ISO 14596 or ISO 8754) between the range of 0.05 % wt. to 0.5 % wt.. The Product Heavy Marine Fuel Oil can be used as or as a blending stock for an ISO 8217 compliant, IMO MARPOL Annex VI (revised) compliant low sulfur or ultralow sulfur heavy marine fuel oil. A device for conducting the process is also disclosed.