The present invention provides an integrated process for the preparation of olefins, which process comprises the steps of: (a) reacting an oxygenate and/or olefinic feed in a reactor to form an effluent which comprises olefins; (b) fractionating at least part of the effluent into two olefinic product fractions; (c) subjecting a hydrocarbon feedstock in a reactor to a steam cracking process to form an effluent which comprises olefins including butadiene; (d) combining at least part of the first olefinic product fraction as obtained in step (b) and at least part of the second effluent which comprises olefins as obtained in step (c) to form a combined olefinic product stream comprising at least ethylene, propylene and butadiene; and (e) separating at least part of the combined olefinic product stream as obtained in step (d) to form a fraction comprising ethylene and/or propylene and a fraction that comprises butadiene.

An apparatus and method for producing hydrocarbons including aromatic hydrocarbons and lower olefins including propylene from CH.sub.4 and CO.sub.2 through CO and H.sub.2 with high activity and high selectivity. The apparatus is provided with: a synthetic gas production unit to which a gas containing CH.sub.4 and CO.sub.2 is supplied from a first supply unit, and which generates a synthetic gas containing CO and H.sub.2 while heating a first catalyst structure; a production unit to which the synthetic gas is supplied and which generates hydrocarbons including aromatic hydrocarbons having 6-10 carbon atoms and lower olefins including propylene while heating a second catalyst structure; and a detection unit which detects propylene and the aromatic hydrocarbons discharged from the production unit, in which the first catalyst structure includes first supports having a porous structure and a first metal fine particle in the first supports, the first supports have a first channels, the first metal fine particle is present in the first channels, the second catalyst structure includes second supports having a porous structure and a second metal fine particle in the second supports, the second supports have a second channels, and a portion of the second channels have an average inner diameter of 0.95 nm or less.

An integrated process and apparatus for conversion of gas oil and heavy oil is described. The process includes passing a gas oil feed to a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) zone to obtain a FCC effluent; separating the FCC effluent in a separation zone into at least two fractions comprising a clarified slurry oil fraction and an overhead fraction; passing the clarified slurry oil fraction to a slurry hydrocracking zone forming at least a naphtha stream; and recycling at least a portion of the slurry hydrocracking naphtha stream to the FCC zone.

Light olefins may be produced from hydrocarbons by a method including passing a hydrocarbon feed stream into a feed inlet of a reactor. The reactor may include an upper reactor portion defining an upper reaction zone and a lower reactor portion defining a lower reaction zone. The catalyst may move in a generally downward direction through the upper reactor portion and the lower reactor portion, and the hydrocarbon feed stream may move in a generally upward direction through the upper reactor portion and lower reactor portion such that the hydrocarbon feed stream and the catalyst move with a counter-current orientation. Contacting the catalyst with the hydrocarbon feed stream may crack one or more components of the hydrocarbon feed stream and form a hydrocarbon product stream. The method may further include passing the hydrocarbon product stream out of the upper reaction zone through the hydrocarbon product outlet.

In producing C.sub.2-C.sub.4 olefins, in particular propylene, from an educt mixture containing steam and oxygenates, such as methanol and/or dimethyl ether, the educt mixture is reacted in a reactor on a catalyst to a reaction mixture comprising low-molecular olefins and gasoline hydrocarbons, which in a first separating device is separated into a mixture rich in C.sub.5− olefins, a mixture rich in C.sub.5+ gasoline hydrocarbons, and an aqueous phase. To increase the yield of propylene the mixture rich in C.sub.5+ gasoline hydrocarbons is supplied to a second separating device, in which the aromatics contained in the mixture are separated. The residual stream largely free from aromatics is at least partly recirculated to the reactor.

Provided is a process for cracking a hydrocarbon feedstock. The process having the steps of (a) continuously passing the feedstock through a vapor-liquid separator in which the feedstock is separated into a volatile stream and a non-volatile stream; (b) continuously passing the non-volatile stream to a cracker; and (c) continuously recycling a portion of the volatile stream to the feedstock. There is also an apparatus for cracking a hydrocarbon feedstock.

Systems and methods for processing full range naphtha feeds to produce a light olefins stream and an aromatics stream are described. In particular, the invention concerns integration of catalytic cracking with steam cracking to maximize production of aromatics.

Systems and methods for producing olefins and/or aromatics via catalytically cracking a hydrocarbon feed are disclosed. The hydrocarbon feed is cracked in a reaction unit having one or more fluidized bed reactors. The catalyst particles are then separated from at least some of the gas product in a solid-gas separation unit to form separated catalyst particles. Methane is injected into the catalyst regeneration unit. The methane is burnt in the regeneration unit to provide additional heat to the regenerated catalyst such that the regenerated catalyst particles are at a temperature sufficient for the cracking when the regenerated catalyst particles are flowed to the reaction unit.

The process can include transferring heat from a light product in a first heat exchange stage to produce a cooled product and a first medium pressure steam and separating a steam cracker quench oil therefrom. Heat can be transferred from the steam cracker quench oil in a second heat exchange stage to produce a first cooled quench oil and a second medium pressure steam. Heat can be transferred from at least a portion of the first cooled quench oil in a third heat exchange stage to produce a second cooled quench oil and low pressure steam. A total heat duty generated in the first heat exchange stage, the second heat exchange stage, and the third heat exchange stage can be equal to Q.sub.T1 and a heat duty generated in the first heat exchange stage and the second heat exchange stage can be ≥0.5Q.sub.T1 joules/sec.

Provided is a process for fluid catalytic cracking of a heavy oil by contacting the oil with a catalyst at an elevated temperature for a short period of time to produce light olefins such as propylene and butene. The process comprises contacting the heavy oil with a catalyst containing 12 to 24 percent by mass of a shape selective zeolite under conditions of a reaction zone outlet temperature of 580 to 630° C., a catalyst/oil ratio of 15 to 40 weight/weight and a hydrocarbon residence time in the reaction zone of 0.1 to 1.0 second to produce a cracked product having a secondary cracking activity (C2 olefin concentration/C4 olefin concentration) value in the range of 0.30 to 0.55.