Patent ID: 7938952

Claim:
A process for the treatment of heavy hydrocarbon feedstream(s) containing vacuum residue comprising: a) passing said hydrocarbon feedstream into a first residue hydroconversion reaction stage ebullated-bed reactor to hydrocrack the vacuum residue and provide an effluent, said hydrocarbon feedstream boiling above 650° F. and having 50%-100% wt material boiling above 975° F.; and b) separating said effluent from the first reaction stage ebullated-bed reactor in an interstage separator, where said effluent is separated into a vapor phase and a liquid phase, said vapor phase containing primarily vacuum gas oil and diesel and said liquid phase containing primarily vacuum residue; and c) feeding the liquid phase from said interstage separator to a second residue hydroconversion reaction stage ebullated-bed reactor to further convert the vacuum residue and provide an effluent; and d) feeding the vapor phase from said interstage separator to a first downstream distillate ebullated-bed reactor to convert and treat the vacuum gas oil and diesel; and e) processing the effluent from said second residue hydroconversion reaction stage ebullated-bed reactor of step c) in a hot, high-pressure separator to provide a second liquid phase stream and a second vapor phase stream, said second vapor phase stream containing primarily vacuum gas oil and diesel and said second liquid phase stream containing the unconverted vacuum residue; and f) feeding said second vapor phase stream from said high-pressure separator to a second downstream distillate ebullated-bed reactor to convert and treat the vacuum gas oil and diesel; and g) fractionating the second liquid phase stream from said hot, high-pressure separator to produce naphtha, diesel, VGO, and unconverted residue; and h) recovering effluents from first and second downstream distillate ebullated-bed reactors.