The present invention relates to a process for cracking a hydrocarbon feedstock in a steam cracker unit, comprising the following steps of: feeding a liquid hydrocarbon feedstock to a hydrocracking unit, separating the stream thus hydrocracked in said hydrocracking unit into a high content aromatics stream and a gaseous stream comprising C2-C4 paraffins, hydrogen and methane, separating C2-C4 paraffins from said gaseous stream, feeding said C2-C4 paraffins thus separated to the furnace section of a steam cracker unit.

Aromatics extraction and hydrocracking processes are integrated with a stream pyrolysis unit to optimize the performance of the hydrocracking units by processing the aromatic-rich and aromatic-lean fractions separately in order to better control the hydrocracking operating severity and/or catalyst reactor volume design requirements.

The present invention relates to a process for increasing the production of a light olefin hydrocarbon compound from a hydrocarbon feedstock, comprising the following steps of: (a) feeding a hydrocarbon feedstock into a reaction area for ringopening (b) separating reaction products, which are generated from said reaction area, into an overhead stream and a side stream; (c) feeding the side stream from (b) to a gasoline hydrocracker (GHC) unit, (d) separating reaction products of said GHC of step (c) into an overhead stream, which contains hydrogen, methane, ethane, and liquefied petroleum gas, and a stream, which contains aromatic hydrocarbon compounds, and a small amount of hydrogen and non-aromatic hydrocarbon compounds, (e) feeding the overhead stream from the gasoline hydrocracker (GHC) unit into a steam cracker unit.

The present invention relates to an integrated process to convert crude oil into petrochemical products comprising crude oil distillation, dearomatization, ring opening, and olefins synthesis, which process comprises subjecting a hydrocarbon feed to dearomatization to produce a first stream enriched in aromatic hydrocarbons and naphthenic hydrocarbons and a second stream enriched in alkanes; subjecting a stream enriched in aromatic hydrocarbons and naphthenic hydrocarbons to ring opening to produce alkanes; and subjecting refinery unit-derived alkanes produced in the process to olefins synthesis. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a process installation to convert crude oil into petrochemical products comprising a crude distillation unit comprising an inlet for crude oil and at least one outlet for one or more of naphtha, kerosene and gasoil; a dearomatization unit comprising an inlet for a hydrocarbon feed to dearomatization, an outlet for a stream enriched in aromatic hydrocarbons and naphthenic hydrocarbons and a second stream enriched in alkanes; a ring opening unit comprising an inlet for aromatics and naphthenes produced by dearomatization and an outlet for alkanes; a unit for olefins synthesis comprising an inlet for alkanes and an outlet for olefins. The hydrocarbon feed subjected to dearomatization comprises one or more of naphtha, kerosene and gasoil produced by crude oil distillation in the process; and refinery unit-derived light-distillate and/or refinery unit-derived middle-distillate produced in the process. The process and the process installation of the present invention have an increased production of petrochemicals at the expense of the production of fuels and an improved ethylene yield.

Methods are provided for upgrading disadvantaged feeds for use in lubricant base stock production. A disadvantaged feed can be upgraded by hydroprocessing the feed to form a hydroprocessed bottoms fraction. The hydroprocessed bottoms fraction can then be used as a feed for forming Group I and/or Group II lubricant base stocks, optionally in combination with a conventional feed for lubricant production. The remaining portions of the hydroprocessing effluent can optionally be used for FCC processing and/or for other conventional applications of naphtha and distillate fractions.

The present invention relates to a process for upgrading refinery heavy residues to petrochemicals, comprising the following steps of: (a) separating a hydrocarbon feedstock in a distillation unit into a to overhead stream and a bottom stream (b) feeding said bottom stream to a hydrocracking reaction area (c) separating reaction products, which are generated from said reaction area of step (b) into a stream rich in mono-aromatics and in a stream rich in poly-aromatics (d) feeding said stream rich in mono-aromatics to a gasoline hydrocracker (GHC) unit, (e) feeding said stream rich in poly-aromatics to a ring opening reaction area.

Apparatuses and processes are provided for regulating C7 and C8 feed to an aromatics complex to increase the ratio of a selected xylene isomer to benzene ratio. Reformate may be split into three cuts in a splitter column. A side cut stream comprises predominantly C7 hydrocarbons and a bottoms steam from the splitter column comprises predominantly C8+ hydrocarbons. The relative proportion of the C7 and C8+ hydrocarbon streams sent to the aromatics complex are metered to determine the resulting ratio of a selected xylene isomer to benzene produced by the aromatics complex.

A process for the treatment of a hydrocracking unit bottoms recycle stream, and preferably the fresh hydrocracker feed to remove heavy poly-nuclear aromatic (HPNA) compounds and HPNA precursors employs, in the alternative, an adsorption step which removes most of the HPNA compounds followed by an ionic liquid extraction step to remove the remaining HPNA compounds, or a first ionic liquid extraction step which removes most of the HPNA compounds followed by an adsorption step to remove the remaining HPNA compounds. Ionic liquids of the general formula Q.sup.+A.sup. are identified for use in the process; organic polar solvents are identified for removal of the HPNA compounds in solution. Suitable adsorbents are identified for use in packed bed or slurry bed columns that operate within specified temperature and pressure ranges.

A system includes a hydroprocessing zone configured to remove impurities from crude oil; a first separation unit configured to separate a liquid output from the hydroprocessing zone into a light fraction and a light fraction; an aromatic extraction subsystem configured to extract aromatic petrochemicals from the light fraction; and a fluid catalytic cracking unit configured to crack the heavy fraction into multiple products.

Apparatuses and processes are provided for regulating C7 and C8 feed to an aromatics complex to increase the ratio of a selected xylene isomer to benzene ratio. Reformate may be split into three cuts in a splitter column. A side cut stream comprises predominantly C7 hydrocarbons and a bottoms steam from the splitter column comprises predominantly C8+ hydrocarbons. The relative proportion of the C7 and C8+ hydrocarbon streams sent to the aromatics complex are metered to determine the resulting ratio of a selected xylene isomer to benzene produced by the aromatics complex.