Processes herein may be used to thermally crack various hydrocarbon feeds, and may eliminate the refinery altogether while making the crude to chemicals process very flexible in terms of crude. In embodiments herein, crude is progressively separated into at least light and heavy fractions. Depending on the quality of the light and heavy fractions, these are routed to one of three upgrading operations, including a fixed bed hydroconversion unit, a fluidized catalytic conversion unit, or a residue hydrocracking unit that may utilize an ebullated bed reactor. Products from the upgrading operations may be used as feed to a steam cracker.

An improved method of operating a conventional ebullated bed process for the hydroconversion of heavy hydrocarbon feedstocks so as to provide for low or reduced sediment content in the conversion product without the loss of hydrodesulfurization function.

An ebullated bed process for the hydroconversion of heavy hydrocarbon feedstocks that provides for high conversion of the heavy hydrocarbon with a low sediment yield. The process uses for its catalyst bed an impregnated shaped ebullated bed catalyst having a low macroporosity and a geometry such that its characteristic cross section perimeter-to-cross sectional area is within a specifically defined range.

A process is provided to partially upgrade heavy oil using two or more reaction zones connected in series, each reaction zone being a continuous stirred tank maintained at hydrocracking conditions. The heavy oil feedstock and a solid particulate catalyst are stirred to form pumpable slurry which is heated to a target hydrocracking temperature and then continuously fed to the first reaction zone. Hydrogen is continuously introduced to the reaction zone to achieve hydrocracking and to produce a volatile vapour stream carried upwardly by the hydrogen to produce an overhead vapour stream. The hydrocracked heavy oil slurry from one reaction zone is fed to a next reaction zone also maintained under hydrocracking conditions with a continuous hydrogen feed to produce a volatile vapour stream. The overhead vapour stream from each reactor zone is continuously removed, and the hydrocracked heavy oil slurry from the last of the reaction zones is removed.

Methods and systems for hydrocracking a heavy oil feedstock include using a colloidal or molecular catalyst (e.g., molybdenum sulfide) and provide for concentration of the colloidal or molecular catalyst within the lower quality materials requiring additional hydrocracking in one or more downstream reactors. In addition to increased catalyst concentration, the inventive systems and methods provide increased reactor throughput, increased reaction rate, and of course higher conversion of asphaltenes and lower quality materials. Increased conversion levels of asphaltenes and lower quality materials also reduces equipment fouling, enables the reactor to process a wider range of lower quality feedstocks, and can lead to more efficient use of a supported catalyst if used in combination with the colloidal or molecular catalyst.

Methods and systems for hydrocracking a heavy oil feedstock include using a colloidal or molecular catalyst (e.g., molybdenum sulfide) and provide for concentration of the colloidal or molecular catalyst within the lower quality materials requiring additional hydrocracking in one or more downstream reactors. In addition to increased catalyst concentration, the inventive systems and methods provide increased reactor throughput, increased reaction rate, and of course higher conversion of asphaltenes and lower quality materials. Increased conversion levels of asphaltenes and lower quality materials also reduces equipment fouling, enables the reactor to process a wider range of lower quality feedstocks, and can lead to more efficient use of a supported catalyst if used in combination with the colloidal or molecular catalyst.

The present invention provides a method for hydrocracking of petroleum heavy oil containing a heavy metal component, comprising a supplying step of supplying a raw material slurry containing the petroleum heavy oil and an iron-based catalyst as well as a hydrogen gas to a hydrocracking reactor; a hydrocracking step of hydrocracking the petroleum heavy oil in the hydrocracking reactor; a recovering step of recovering a residual oil component containing the iron-based catalyst from a product after the hydrocracking step; a disintegrating step of disintegrating the iron-based catalyst of the recovered residual oil component to acquire a disintegrated iron-based catalyst; and a resupplying step of resupplying a processed residual oil component containing the disintegrated iron-based catalyst to the hydrocracking reactor. At the disintegrating step, the iron-based catalyst may be pulverized by a pulverizing machine. The iron-based catalyst may be limonite.

The present invention provides a method for hydrocracking of petroleum heavy oil containing a heavy metal component, comprising a supplying step of supplying a raw material slurry containing the petroleum heavy oil and an iron-based catalyst as well as a hydrogen gas to a hydrocracking reactor; a hydrocracking step of hydrocracking the petroleum heavy oil in the hydrocracking reactor; a recovering step of recovering a residual oil component containing the iron-based catalyst from a product after the hydrocracking step; a disintegrating step of disintegrating the iron-based catalyst of the recovered residual oil component to acquire a disintegrated iron-based catalyst; and a resupplying step of resupplying a processed residual oil component containing the disintegrated iron-based catalyst to the hydrocracking reactor. At the disintegrating step, the iron-based catalyst may be pulverized by a pulverizing machine. The iron-based catalyst may be limonite.

Methods and systems for slurry hydrocracking with reduced feed bypass and methods for modulating an amount of toluene insoluble material present in a slurry hydrocracking reactor are provided. An exemplary slurry hydrocracking method comprises the steps of: combining a hydrocarbon feed and a slurry hydrocracking catalyst or catalyst precursor to generate a slurry hydrocracking feed; introducing the slurry hydrocracking feed to a slurry hydrocracking reactor under hydrocracking conditions suitable to generate a first product stream; drawing a drag stream from the slurry hydrocracking reactor, the drag stream comprising a hydrocarbon, mesophase material, and solid catalyst particles; separating the drag stream into a first separated stream and a recycle stream, with the first separated stream comprising mesophase material and solid catalyst particles, and the recycle stream comprising the hydrocarbon; and directing the recycle stream into the slurry hydrocracking reactor.

Methods and systems for slurry hydrocracking with reduced feed bypass and methods for modulating an amount of toluene insoluble material present in a slurry hydrocracking reactor are provided. An exemplary slurry hydrocracking method comprises the steps of: combining a hydrocarbon feed and a slurry hydrocracking catalyst or catalyst precursor to generate a slurry hydrocracking feed; introducing the slurry hydrocracking feed to a slurry hydrocracking reactor under hydrocracking conditions suitable to generate a first product stream; drawing a drag stream from the slurry hydrocracking reactor, the drag stream comprising a hydrocarbon, mesophase material, and solid catalyst particles; separating the drag stream into a first separated stream and a recycle stream, with the first separated stream comprising mesophase material and solid catalyst particles, and the recycle stream comprising the hydrocarbon; and directing the recycle stream into the slurry hydrocracking reactor.