Apparatus and processes herein provide for converting hydrocarbon feeds to light olefins and other hydrocarbons. The processes and apparatus include, in some embodiments, feeding a hydrocarbon, a first catalyst and a second catalyst to a reactor, wherein the first catalyst has a smaller average particle size and is less dense than the second catalyst. A first portion of the second catalyst may be recovered as a bottoms product from the reactor, and a cracked hydrocarbon effluent, a second portion of the second catalyst, and the first catalyst may be recovered as an overhead product from the reactor. The second portion of the second catalyst may be separated from the overhead product, providing a first stream comprising the first catalyst and the hydrocarbon effluent and a second stream comprising the separated second catalyst, allowing return of the separated second catalyst in the second stream to the reactor.

An integrated process catalytically cracks whole light crude oil into light olefins, especially propylene and ethylene. The process is integrated with an adjacent conventional fluid catalytic cracking unit whereby the heavy liquid product mixture (light and heavy cycle oils) from whole crude oil cracking is mixed with vacuum gas oil (VGO) for further processing. The process comprises recycling total product fraction of light cracked naphtha (LCN) and mixing with fresh crude oil feed. High propylene and ethylene yields are obtained by cracking the whole light crude oil and LCN in an FCC configuration using a mixture of FCC catalyst and ZSM-5 additive at a temperature between, that of conventional FCC and steam cracking.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of processing a hydrocarbon feed may comprise fractionating the hydrocarbon feed into a light stream, a middle stream, and a residue stream, hydrotreating the residue stream to form a hydrotreated residue stream; and feeding the light stream, middle stream, and the hydrotreated residue stream to a single Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) reaction zone, thereby producing a product stream comprising light olefins. The light stream and the hydrotreated residue streams may be exposed to more severe FCC cracking conditions than the middle stream, within the same FCC reaction zone. The single FCC reaction zone may be operated in a down-flow configuration and the single FCC reaction zone may be operated under high severity conditions.

Methods of extracting 1-4 cycle heterocyclic compounds and 2-5 cycle polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon feedstock are described. The methods include providing a hydrocarbon feedstock containing crude oil fractions, and determining an A/R ratio and an asphaltene concentration of the hydrocarbon feedstock. Based upon the A/R ratio and the asphaltene concentration, the treatable hydrocarbon feedstock undergoes one or more of cracking and fractionating. Subsequently, at least one targeted portion of the heterocyclic compounds is extracted from the fractionated stream with an aqueous solvent. A stream containing the 2-5 cycle polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons is transferred to an extractor and the 2-5 cycle polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons are extracted with a solvent system comprising an aprotic solvent.

Methods of extracting 1-4 cycle heterocyclic compounds and 2-5 cycle polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon feedstock are described. The methods include providing a hydrocarbon feedstock containing crude oil fractions, and determining an A/R ratio and an asphaltene concentration of the hydrocarbon feedstock. Based upon the A/R ratio and the asphaltene concentration, the treatable hydrocarbon feedstock undergoes one or more of cracking and fractionating. Subsequently, at least one targeted portion of the heterocyclic compounds is extracted from the fractionated stream with an aqueous solvent. A stream containing the 2-5 cycle polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons is transferred to an extractor and the 2-5 cycle polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons are extracted with a solvent system comprising an aprotic solvent.

The present invention relates to delayed coking of heavy petroleum residue producing petroleum coke and lighter hydrocarbon products. The invented process utilize a pre-cracking reactor and a reactor furnace for mild thermal cracking of the feedstock and an intermediate separator, before being subjected to higher severity thermal cracking treatment in a coker furnace and a coking drums, resulting in reduction in overall coke yield.

A catalytic cracking process includes the following steps: i) subjecting a heavy feedstock oil to flail catalytic cracking; ii) separating the catalytic cracking reaction product obtained from step i) to obtain a catalytic cracking gasoline and a catalytic cracking light cycle oil; iii) splitting the catalytic cracking gasoline to obtain a light gasoline fraction, a medium gasoline fraction and a heavy gasoline fraction; iv) subjecting the catalytic cracking light cycle oil to hydrogenation to obtain a hydrogenated light cycle oil); v) mixing a portion of the light gasoline fraction with at least a portion of the hydrogenated light cycle oil to obtain a mixed fraction; vi) subjecting the mixed fraction to catalytic cracking; and vii) subjecting a portion of the medium gasoline fraction to flail catalytic cracking. The process is capable of producing more catalytic cracking gasoline, reducing the olefin content of the catalytic cracking gasoline, and increasing its octane number.

Disclosed are methods and modular devices for processing hydrocarbon feedstocks. In particular, the methods and modular devices disclosed herein provide for increasing the amounts of light fractions obtainable from a hydrocarbon feedstock.

Apparatus and processes herein provide for converting hydrocarbon feeds to light olefins and other hydrocarbons. The processes and apparatus include, in some embodiments, feeding a hydrocarbon, a first catalyst and a second catalyst to a reactor, wherein the first catalyst has a smaller average particle size and is less dense than the second catalyst. A first portion of the second catalyst may be recovered as a bottoms product from the reactor, and a cracked hydrocarbon effluent, a second portion of the second catalyst, and the first catalyst may be recovered as an overhead product from the reactor. The second portion of the second catalyst may be separated from the overhead product, providing a first stream comprising the first catalyst and the hydrocarbon effluent and a second stream comprising the separated second catalyst, allowing return of the separated second catalyst in the second stream to the reactor.

An integrated process catalytically cracks whole light crude oil into light olefins, especially propylene and ethylene. The process is integrated with an adjacent conventional fluid catalytic cracking unit whereby the heavy liquid product mixture (light and heavy cycle oils) from whole crude oil cracking is mixed with vacuum gas oil (VGO) for further processing. The process comprises recycling total product fraction of light cracked naphtha (LCN) and mixing with fresh crude oil feed. High propylene and ethylene yields are obtained by cracking; the whole light crude oil and LCN in an FCC configuration using a mixture of FCC catalyst and ZSM-5 additive at a temperature between, that of conventional FCC and steam cracking.