An ebullated bed hydroprocessing system is upgraded using a dual catalyst system that includes a heterogeneous catalyst and dispersed metal sulfide particles, which permits recycling of vacuum bottoms without recycle buildup of asphaltenes. The dual catalyst system more effectively converts asphaltenes in the ebullated bed reactor and increases asphaltene conversion by an amount that at least offsets higher asphaltene concentration resulting from recycling of vacuum bottoms. In this way, there is no recycle buildup of asphaltenes in upgraded ebullated bed reactor notwithstanding recycling of vacuum bottoms. In addition, residual dispersed metal sulfide catalyst particles in the vacuum bottoms can maintain or increase the concentration of the dispersed metal sulfide catalyst in the ebullated bed reactor.

An integrated process is provided herein having a first reaction zone to lower sulfur and nitrogen content of the initial feedstock to a target level to facilitate processing in a second reaction zone for deep hydrogenation. With the very low heteroatom content, noble metal catalyst materials used in the second reaction zone are protected and maximum saturation of aromatics is achieved. The processes and systems herein are suitable for converting certain heavy fractions, typically considered “low value” feedstocks, into higher value products including gasoline and diesel, and a hydrogen-rich, aromatic-lean heavy fraction suitable as feed for olefin production processes, or as a lubricant base oil.

A process for conversion of a liquid hydrocarbon feedstock in a moving bed hydroprocessing reactor is provided in which (a) hydrogen gas is dissolved in the liquid feedstock and (b) the mixture is flashed to remove and recover any light components, leaving a hydrogen-enriched feedstock. A homogeneous and/or heterogeneous catalyst is added to the feedstock upstream of the moving bed hydroprocessing rector.

Systems and methods for upgrading a heavy oil feed to a light product comprising distillate fractions and olefins, the method including combining a heavy oil feed with a naphtha-based cracking additive to produce a mixed heavy oil feed; heating the mixed heavy oil feed with a nano-zeolite catalyst in the presence of steam to effect catalytic upgrading of the mixed heavy oil feed to produce lighter distillate fractions and olefins in an upgraded product, the upgraded product including at least about 30 wt. % olefins; and separating the lighter distillate fractions from the olefins.

A feedstock is processed in an FCC unit to produce at least light olefins, FCC naphtha, light cycle oil and heavy cycle oil. Light cycle oil, and in certain embodiments hydrotreated light cycle oil, is subjected to hydrogenation to produce a deeply hydrogenated middle distillate fraction. All or a portion of the deeply hydrogenated middle distillate fraction is used as feed to a petrochemicals production complex to produce light olefins.

Systems and methods are provided for refining crude oils and/or other broad boiling range feedstocks to form fuels. A flash separation can be used to separate the feed into a lower boiling fraction and a higher boiling fraction. After the flash separation, the higher boiling portion is passed into a pyrolysis reactor for conversion of higher boiling compounds and formation of light olefins. The lower boiling fraction can be combined with the resulting pyrolysis effluent as a quench stream. The combined, partially pyrolyzed stream can then be passed into an olefin oligomerization process to convert the olefins formed during pyrolysis into naphtha and/or diesel boiling range compounds. After the olefin oligomerization process, one or more separations can be performed to generate various fractions, including but not limited to a naphtha fraction, a distillate fuel fraction, a fuel oil fraction, a light hydrocarbon recycle stream, and a CO.sub.2-containing stream. Optionally, the naphtha fraction, the distillate fraction, and/or the fuel oil fraction can be hydrotreated.

A catalyst system has been designed that disrupts the sedimentation process. The catalyst system achieves this by saturating key feed components before the feed components are stripped into their incompatible aromatic cores. The efficacy of this disruptive catalyst system is particularly evident in a hydrocracker configuration that runs in two-stage-recycle operation. The catalyst is a self-supported multi-metallic catalyst prepared from a precursor in the hydroxide form, and the catalyst must be toward the top level of the second stage of the two-stage system.

A method and a system for hydrocracking an oil feedstock to produce a light oil stream without build-up of heavy polynuclear aromatic (HPNA) hydrocarbons in the recycle stream. The method may include hydrocracking an oil feedstock, separating the produced effluent into a first, second, and third product stream, and hydrogenating the third product stream in a third reactor over a noble metal hydrogenation catalyst at an operational pressure equal to or less than the second reactor.

A method of upgrading refining streams with high polynucleararomatic hydrocarbon (PNA) concentrations can include: hydrocracking a PNA feed in the presence of a catalyst and hydrogen at 380° C. to 430° C., 2500 psig or greater, and 0.1 hr.sup.−1 to 5 hr.sup.−1 liquid hourly space velocity (LSHV), wherein the weight ratio of PNA feed to hydrogen is 30:1 to 10:1, wherein the PNA feed comprises 25 wt % or less of hydrocarbons having a boiling point of 700° F. (371° C.) or less and having an aromatic content of 50 wt % or greater to form a product comprising 50 wt % or greater of the hydrocarbons having a boiling point of 700° F. (371° C.) or less and having an aromatic content of 20 wt % or less.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a system and method for producing light olefins from a crude oil. A crude oil feed is introduced to a crude distillation unit to produce a distillate fraction and a residue fraction. The distillate fraction is introduced to a non-catalytic steam cracker to produce a light olefin fraction and a pyrolysis oil fraction. The residue fraction is introduced to a supercritical water reactor to produce an effluent stream. The effluent stream is introduced to a flash separator to produce a gas phase fraction and a liquid phase fraction. The gas phase fraction is introduced to a catalytic steam cracker to produce a light olefin fraction and a pyrolysis oil fraction. Optionally, the residue fraction is introduced to a vacuum distillation unit to produce a light vacuum gasoil fraction, a heavy vacuum gasoil fraction, and a vacuum residue fraction. The vacuum residue fraction is introduced to a solvent deasphalting unit to produce a deasphalted oil and a pitch fraction. The deasphalted oil fraction, optionally combined with the heavy vacuum gasoil fraction, can be introduced to the supercritical water reactor in lieu of the residue fraction.