Feed hydrocracking

Figure 16.7 Influence of support type on product distribution in hydrocracking hydrotreated light Arabian gasoil feed hydrocracked over amorphous and high zeolite catalysts differential yields measured in 50°F (10°C) increments.

Hydrotreating and hydrocracking differ in other ways. For a given amount of feed, hydrocrackers use more catalyst and operate at higher pressures. They also use different catalysts. Because they make large amounts of light products, hydrocracker fractionation sections must be more complex. In some hydrocrackers, unconverted oil from the fiactionation section is recycled, either back to the front of the unit or to a separate cracking reactor. 

Pseudo- component VGO in the Feed Hydrocracked Product (with VGO) Hydrocracked Product (without VGO) ... 

Of the main reactions, aromatization takes place most readily and proceeds ca 7 times as fast as the dehydroisomerization reaction and ca 20 times as fast as the dehydrocyclization. Hence, feeds richest in cycloparaftins are most easily reformed. Hydrocracking to yield paraffins having a lower boiling point than feedstock proceeds at about the same rate as dehydrocyclization. 

Catalytic Reforming. Worldwide, approximately 30% of commercial benzene is produced by catalytic reforming, a process ia which aromatic molecules are produced from the dehydrogenation of cycloparaffins, dehydroisomerization of alkyl cyclopentanes, and the cycHzation and subsequent dehydrogenation of paraffins (36). The feed to the catalytic reformer may be a straight-mn, hydrocracked, or thermally cracked naphtha fraction ia the... 

In addition to straight run naphthas, 70—190°C cuts obtained by distillation from streams produced by cracking high boiling petroleum fractions can also be used as feed to reformers. Naphthas produced by hydrocracking are particularly suitable. 

More severe hydrotreating, such as mild hydrocracking at an H2 partial pressure of >6.9 MPa (1000 psig) and temperature of >400° C, can stiU further reduce sulfur content in the FCC feed. Mild hydrocracking of a 25° API VGO reduced the sulfur content of the FCC feed 98%, from 1.7 wt % to 0.03 wt % (40). This reduction can be expected to lower the SO content in the FCCU regenerator flue gas by about 90%. 

Product separation for main fractionators is also often called black oil separation. Main fractionators are typically used for such operations as preflash separation, atmospheric crude, gas oil crude, vacuum preflash crude, vacuum crude, visbreaking, coking, and fluid catalytic cracking. In all these services the object is to recover clean, boiling range components from a black multicomponent mixture. But main fractionators are also used in hydrocracker downstream processing. This operation has a clean feed. Nevertheless, whenever you hear the term black oil, understand that what is really meant is main fractionator processing. 

Because some hydrocracking occurs, Powerforming also produces saturated C to Q light hydrocarbons. The methane and ethane formed normally are consumed as refinery fuel. Propane and butane products are frequently marketed as LPG. The relative quantities of each of these products vary considerably with feed quality, operating conditions and octane severity. 

Vacuum gas oils 650-1050T 343-5GG°C Feeds to FCCU and hydrocracker... 

For more aromatics yield, the end point of the feed may be raised to include higher molecular weight hydrocarbons in favor of hydrocracking and dehydrocyclization. However, excessive hydrocracking is not desirable because it lowers liquid yields. 

As in hydrocracking, this reaction increases the gas yield and changes the relative equilihrium distrihution of the aromatics in favor of benzene. Table 3-7 shows the properties of feed and products from Chevron Rheiniforming process. 

Yields Typical yields for severe Naphtha Feed reforming Hydrotreated Hydrocracked... 

Analysis of feed and products from hydrocracking process ... 

Other reactions that occur during hydrocracking are the fragmentation followed by hydrogenation (hydrogenolysis) of the complex asphaltenes and heterocyclic compounds normally present in the feeds. 

In the two-stage operation, the feed is hydrodesulfurized in the first reactor with partial hydrocracking. Reactor effluent goes to a high-pressure separator to separate the hydrogen-rich gas, which is recycled and mixed with the fresh feed. The liquid portion from the separator is fractionated, and the bottoms of the fractionator are sent to the second stage reactor. 

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