Systems and methods are provided for producing an improved product slate during hydrocracking of a feedstock for production of naphtha and distillate fuels. The methods can include use of stacked beds and/or sequential reactors so that a feedstock is exposed to a suitable catalyst under aromatic saturation conditions prior to exposing the feedstock to the hydrocracking catalyst. The catalyst for performing the aromatic saturation process can be a catalyst including a Group VIII noble metal, such as Pt, Pd, or a combination thereof, while the hydrocracking catalyst can include Group VIB and Group VIII non-noble metals.

Systems and methods are provided for producing an improved product slate during hydrocracking of a feedstock for production of naphtha and distillate fuels. The methods can include use of stacked beds and/or sequential reactors so that a feedstock is exposed to a suitable catalyst under aromatic saturation conditions prior to exposing the feedstock to the hydrocracking catalyst. The catalyst for performing the aromatic saturation process can be a catalyst including a Group VIII noble metal, such as Pt, Pd, or a combination thereof, while the hydrocracking catalyst can include Group VIB and Group VIII non-noble metals.

A hydrocracking system is upgraded by modifying an existing ebullated bed initially utilizing a supported ebullated bed catalyst to thereafter utilize a dual catalyst system that includes metal sulfide catalyst particles and supported ebullated bed catalyst. The upgraded hydrocracking system achieves at least one of: (1) hydroprocess lower quality heavy oil; (2) increase conversion of higher boiling hydrocarbons that boil at 524 C. (975 F.) or higher; (3) reduce the concentration of supported ebullated bed catalyst required to operate an ebullated bed reactor at a given conversion level; and/or (4) proportionally convert the asphaltene fraction in heavy oil at the same conversion level as the heavy oil as a whole. The metal sulfide catalyst may include colloidal or molecular catalyst particles less than 1 micron in size and formed in situ within the heavy oil using a catalyst precursor well-mixed within the heavy oil and decomposed to form catalyst particles.

A hydrocracking system is upgraded by modifying an existing ebullated bed initially utilizing a supported ebullated bed catalyst to thereafter utilize a dual catalyst system that includes metal sulfide catalyst particles and supported ebullated bed catalyst. The upgraded hydrocracking system achieves at least one of: (1) hydroprocess lower quality heavy oil; (2) increase conversion of higher boiling hydrocarbons that boil at 524 C. (975 F.) or higher; (3) reduce the concentration of supported ebullated bed catalyst required to operate an ebullated bed reactor at a given conversion level; and/or (4) proportionally convert the asphaltene fraction in heavy oil at the same conversion level as the heavy oil as a whole. The metal sulfide catalyst may include colloidal or molecular catalyst particles less than 1 micron in size and formed in situ within the heavy oil using a catalyst precursor well-mixed within the heavy oil and decomposed to form catalyst particles.

Methods and systems for selectively hydrogenating benzene with a supported organometallic hydrogenating catalyst are provided. An exemplary method includes contacting an arene-containing reaction stream comprising benzene and one or more additional arenes with hydrogen in the presence of a supported organometallic hydrogenating catalyst under reaction conditions effective to hydrogenate at least benzene in the arene-containing reaction stream to produce a reaction effluent having a ratio of benzene to additional arenes that is lower than a ratio of benzene to additional arenes in the reaction stream. In this method, the supported organometallic hydrogenating catalyst includes a catalytically active organometallic species and a Brnsted acidic sulfated metal oxide support.

Methods and systems for selectively hydrogenating benzene with a supported organometallic hydrogenating catalyst are provided. An exemplary method includes contacting an arene-containing reaction stream comprising benzene and one or more additional arenes with hydrogen in the presence of a supported organometallic hydrogenating catalyst under reaction conditions effective to hydrogenate at least benzene in the arene-containing reaction stream to produce a reaction effluent having a ratio of benzene to additional arenes that is lower than a ratio of benzene to additional arenes in the reaction stream. In this method, the supported organometallic hydrogenating catalyst includes a catalytically active organometallic species and a Brnsted acidic sulfated metal oxide support.

A catalyst system comprising a combination of: 1) one or more catalyst compounds having at least one nitrogen linkage and at least one oxygen linkage to a transition metal; 2) a support comprising an organosilica material, which is a mesoporous organosilica material; and 3) an optional activator. Useful catalysts include ONNO-type transition metal catalysts, ONYO-Type transition metal catalysts, and/or oxadiazole transition metal catalysts. The organosilica material is a polymer of at least one monomer of Formula [z0Z2 SiCH2]3(1), where Z.sup.1 represents a hydrogen atom, a C.sub.1-C.sub.4alkyl group, or a bond to a silicon atom of another monomer and Z.sup.2 represents a hydroxyl group, a C.sub.1-C.sub.4alkoxy group, a C.sub.1-C.sub.6alkyl group, or an oxygen atom bonded to a silicon atom of another monomer. This invention further relates to processes to polymerize olefins comprising contacting one or more olefins with the above catalyst system.

A process for the hydrocracking of heavy oils and/or oil residues, the process comprising the step of contacting the heavy oils and/or oil residues with a non-metallised carbonaceous additive in the presence of a hydrogen-containing gas at a temperature of from 250 C. to 600 C. wherein the non-metallised carbonaceous additive has an average pore size of at least 2 nm.

A hydroprocessing catalyst has been developed. The catalyst is a unique transition metal tungsten oxy-hydroxide material. The hydroprocessing using the transition metal tungsten oxy-hydroxide material may include hydrodenitrification, hydrodesulfurization, hydrodemetallation, hydrodesilication, hydrodearomatization, hydroisomerization, hydrotreating, hydrofining, and hydrocracking.

A unique mixed metal molybdotungstate material has been developed. The material may be used as a hydroprocessing catalyst. The hydroprocessing may include hydrodenitrification, hydrodesulfurization, hydrodemetallation, hydrodearomatization, hydrodesilication, hydroisomerization, hydrotreating, hydrofining, and hydrocracking.