This disclosure relates to new processes to produce high paraffinic diesel from crude oil, such as tight oil from the Permian basin. This disclosure also relates to high paraffinic diesel compositions and high paraffinic diesel blends.

Distillate boiling range and/or diesel boiling range compositions are provided that are formed from crude oils with unexpected combinations of high naphthenes to aromatics weight and/or volume ratio and a low sulfur content. This unexpected combination of properties is characteristic of crude oils that can be fractionated to form distillate/diesel boiling range compositions that can be used as fuels/fuel blending products with reduced or minimized processing. The resulting distillate boiling range fractions and/or diesel boiling range fractions can have an unexpected combination of a high naphthenes to aromatics weight and/or volume ratio, a low but substantial aromatics content, and a low sulfur content. By reducing, minimizing, or avoiding the amount of hydroprocessing needed to meet fuel and/or fuel blending product specifications, the fractions derived from the high naphthenes to aromatics ratio and low sulfur crudes can provide fuels and/or fuel blending products having a reduced or minimized carbon intensity.

The invention is a process for dearomatization and isomerization of a feedstock having less than or equal to 10 ppm by weight of sulphur, the process comprising: Hydrodearomatizing the feedstock at a temperature ranging from 150 to 220° C. and at a pressure ranging from 20 to 150 bars, in order to provide a dearomatized product; Hydroisomerizing the dearomatized product at a temperature ranging from 250 to 320° C. and at a pressure ranging from 40 to 60 bars in the presence of a catalyst based on platinum or palladium, in order to provide an isomerized product; Hydrodearomatizing the isomerized product at a temperature ranging from 150 to 220° C. and at a pressure ranging from 20 to 150 bars, in order to provide an isomerized and dearomatized product.

The invention is a process for dearomatization and isomerization of a feedstock having less than or equal to 10 ppm by weight of sulphur, the process comprising: Hydrodearomatizing the feedstock at a temperature ranging from 150 to 220° C. and at a pressure ranging from 20 to 150 bars, in order to provide a dearomatized product; Hydroisomerizing the dearomatized product at a temperature ranging from 250 to 320° C. and at a pressure ranging from 40 to 60 bars in the presence of a catalyst based on platinum or palladium, in order to provide an isomerized product; Hydrodearomatizing the isomerized product at a temperature ranging from 150 to 220° C. and at a pressure ranging from 20 to 150 bars, in order to provide an isomerized and dearomatized product.

Systems and methods are provided for production of base stocks with a viscosity index of at least 120 and/or a sulfur content of 300 wppm or less and/or a kinematic viscosity at 100° C. of 3.0 cSt to 8.0 cSt by hydroconversion of a raffinate from aromatic extraction of a feed. The base stocks can further have a reduced content of 3+ ring naphthenes, such as 4.0 wt % or less, or 1.0 wt % or less. The base stocks can be produced by performing an elevated amount of feed conversion relative to 370° C. during hydroconversion of the raffinate, and optionally additional conversion during catalytic dewaxing of the hydroconverted raffinate. The base stocks can optionally be blended with additional base stocks and/or lubricant additives for production of lubricant compositions.

Systems and methods are provided for production of base stocks with a viscosity index of at least 120 and/or a sulfur content of 300 wppm or less and/or a kinematic viscosity at 100° C. of 3.0 cSt to 8.0 cSt by hydroconversion of a raffinate from aromatic extraction of a feed. The base stocks can further have a reduced content of 3+ ring naphthenes, such as 4.0 wt % or less, or 1.0 wt % or less. The base stocks can be produced by performing an elevated amount of feed conversion relative to 370° C. during hydroconversion of the raffinate, and optionally additional conversion during catalytic dewaxing of the hydroconverted raffinate. The base stocks can optionally be blended with additional base stocks and/or lubricant additives for production of lubricant compositions.

Distillate boiling range and/or diesel boiling range compositions are provided that are formed from crude oils with unexpected combinations of high naphthenes to aromatics weight and/or volume ratio and a low sulfur content. This unexpected combination of properties is characteristic of crude oils that can be fractionated to form distillate/diesel boiling range compositions that can be used as fuels/fuel blending products with reduced or minimized processing. The resulting distillate boiling range fractions and/or diesel boiling range fractions can have an unexpected combination of a high naphthenes to aromatics weight and/or volume ratio, a low but substantial aromatics content, and a low sulfur content. By reducing, minimizing, or avoiding the amount of hydroprocessing needed to meet fuel and/or fuel blending product specifications, the fractions derived from the high naphthenes to aromatics ratio and low sulfur crudes can provide fuels and/or fuel blending products having a reduced or minimized carbon intensity.

A hydrofinishing catalyst according to the present invention includes an amorphous silica-alumina support; and a hydrogenated active metal supported on the support, and has an Al composition having a total mass (wt %) of Al and Si as a denominator and a mass (wt %) of Al as a numerator with respect to a reference line, which is a straight line passing through the center of a cross-section of the support, locations evenly spaced apart along the reference line are sequentially numbered, where composition uniformity, which is defined as UN by the Al composition at the i-th location and an average Al composition at the cross-section of the support passing through the center of the support, is 3.0 or less.

A process for reducing the benzene content of a light reformate refinery stream comprises the following steps: a) reducing the benzene content by exposing the light reformate to hydrogenation conditions in a benzene-saturation reactor bed, b) increasing the octane number of the hydrogenated light reformate produced in step a) by exposing it to isomerization conditions, c) further reducing the benzene content by exposing the light reformate refinery stream to further hydrogenation conditions, wherein the isomerization of step b) occurs after step a), the hydrogenation of step c) does not precede the isomerization step b), and steps a), b) and c) are all carried out within the same reactor.

A process for reducing the benzene content of a light reformate refinery stream comprises the following steps: a) reducing the benzene content by exposing the light reformate to hydrogenation conditions in a benzene-saturation reactor bed, b) increasing the octane number of the hydrogenated light reformate produced in step a) by exposing it to isomerization conditions, c) further reducing the benzene content by exposing the light reformate refinery stream to further hydrogenation conditions, wherein the isomerization of step b) occurs after step a), the hydrogenation of step c) does not precede the isomerization step b), and steps a), b) and c) are all carried out within the same reactor.