The invention concerns a method for converting heavy hydrocarbon feedstocks of which at least 50% by weight boils at a temperature of at least 300° C., and in particular vacuum residues. The feedstocks are subjected to a first step a) of deep hydroconversion, optionally followed by a step b) of separating a light fraction, and a heavy residual fraction is obtained from step b) of which at least 80% by weight has a boiling temperature of at least 250° C. Said fraction from step b) or the effluent from step a) is then subjected to a second step c) of deep hydroconversion. The overall hourly space velocity for steps a) to c) is less than 0.1 h.sup.−1. The effluent from step c) is fractionated to separate a light fraction. The heavy fraction obtained, of which 80% by weight boils at a temperature of at least 300° C., is sent to a deasphalting step e). The deasphalted fraction DAO is then preferably converted in a step f) chosen from ebullated bed hydroconversion, fluidised bed catalytic cracking and fixed bed hydrocracking.

The invention relates to a process for producing C2 and C3 hydrocarbons, comprising a) subjecting a mixed hydrocarbon stream to first hydrocracking in the presence of a first hydrocracking catalyst to produce a first hydrocracking product stream; and b) subjecting the first hydrocarbon product stream to C4 hydrocracking optimized for converting C4 hydrocarbons into C3 hydrocarbons in the presence of a C4 hydrocracking catalyst to obtain a C4 hydrocracking product stream comprising C2 and C3 hydrocarbons.

The invention relates to a process for producing C2 and C3 hydrocarbons, comprising a) subjecting a mixed hydrocarbon stream to first hydrocracking in the presence of a first hydrocracking catalyst to produce a first hydrocracking product stream; and b) subjecting the first hydrocarbon product stream to C4 hydrocracking optimized for converting C4 hydrocarbons into C3 hydrocarbons in the presence of a C4 hydrocracking catalyst to obtain a C4 hydrocracking product stream comprising C2 and C3 hydrocarbons.

The invention relates to a process for producing C2 and C3 hydrocarbons, comprising a) subjecting a mixed hydrocarbon feedstream to first hydrocracking in the presence of a first hydrocracking catalyst to produce a first hydrocracking product stream; b) separating the first hydrocracking product stream to provide a light hydrocarbon stream comprising C4− hydrocarbons and c) subjecting the light hydrocarbon stream to C4 hydrocracking in the presence of a C4 hydrocracking catalyst to obtain a C4 hydrocracking product stream comprising C2 and C3 hydrocarbons.

The invention relates to a process for producing C2 and C3 hydrocarbons, comprising a) subjecting a mixed hydrocarbon feedstream to first hydrocracking in the presence of a first hydrocracking catalyst to produce a first hydrocracking product stream; b) separating the first hydrocracking product stream to provide a light hydrocarbon stream comprising C4− hydrocarbons and c) subjecting the light hydrocarbon stream to C4 hydrocracking in the presence of a C4 hydrocracking catalyst to obtain a C4 hydrocracking product stream comprising C2 and C3 hydrocarbons.

The invention relates to a process for producing LPG and BTX, comprising a) subjecting a mixed hydrocarbon stream to first hydrocracking in the presence of a first hydrocracking catalyst to produce a first hydrocracking product stream; b) separating the first hydrocracking product stream to provide at least a light hydrocarbon stream comprising at least C2 and C3 hydrocarbons, a middle hydrocarbon stream consisting of C4 and/or C5 hydrocarbons and a heavy hydrocarbon stream comprising at least C6+ hydrocarbons and c) subjecting the heavy hydrocarbon stream to second hydrocracking in the presence of a second hydrocracking catalyst to produce a second hydrocracking product stream comprising BTX, wherein the second hydrocracking is more severe than the first hydrocracking, d) wherein at least part of the middle hydrocarbon stream is subjected to C4 hydrocracking optimized for converting C4 hydrocarbons into C3 hydrocarbons in the presence of a C4 hydrocracking catalyst to produce a C4 hydrocracking product stream.

The invention relates to a process for producing LPG and BTX, comprising a) subjecting a mixed hydrocarbon stream to first hydrocracking in the presence of a first hydrocracking catalyst to produce a first hydrocracking product stream; b) separating the first hydrocracking product stream to provide at least a light hydrocarbon stream comprising at least C2 and C3 hydrocarbons, a middle hydrocarbon stream consisting of C4 and/or C5 hydrocarbons and a heavy hydrocarbon stream comprising at least C6+ hydrocarbons and c) subjecting the heavy hydrocarbon stream to second hydrocracking in the presence of a second hydrocracking catalyst to produce a second hydrocracking product stream comprising BTX, wherein the second hydrocracking is more severe than the first hydrocracking, d) wherein at least part of the middle hydrocarbon stream is subjected to C4 hydrocracking optimized for converting C4 hydrocarbons into C3 hydrocarbons in the presence of a C4 hydrocracking catalyst to produce a C4 hydrocracking product stream.

The invention relates to a process for producing LPG and BTX, comprising a) subjecting a mixed hydrocarbon feedstream to first hydrocracking in the presence of a first hydrocracking catalyst to produce a first hydrocracking product stream; b) separating the first hydrocracking product stream to provide at least a light hydrocarbon stream comprising at least C2 and C3 hydrocarbons, a middle hydrocarbon stream comprising C4 and/or C5 hydrocarbons and a heavy hydrocarbon stream comprising at least C6+ hydrocarbons and c) subjecting the heavy hydrocarbon stream to second hydrocracking to produce a second hydrocracking product stream comprising BTX, wherein the second hydrocracking is more severe than the first hydrocracking, wherein at least part of the middle hydrocarbon stream is recycled back to the first hydrocracking in step a).

A system for processing a stream including fuel oil includes an atmospheric flash column for receiving the stream as feedstock and separate the stream into an atmospheric flash distillate stream and an atmospheric flash residue stream. The system includes a vacuum flash column for receiving the atmospheric flash residue stream and separating the atmospheric flash residue stream into a vacuum flash distillate stream, a vacuum flash residue stream, and a vacuum gas oil stream. The system includes a first hydrocracking unit for receiving and processing at least a portion of the vacuum flash residue stream to produce an intermediate stream and a slurry. The system includes a second hydrocracking unit for receiving and processing the vacuum gas oil stream and the intermediate stream to produce a naphtha product and a light ends product. The system includes a pelletization unit for receiving and processing the slurry to produce a pelletized product.

Aromatics extraction and hydrocracking processes are integrated with a stream pyrolysis unit to optimize the performance of the hydrocracking units by processing the aromatic-rich and aromatic-lean fractions separately in order to better control the hydrocracking operating severity and/or catalyst reactor volume design requirements.