Patent ID: 7427349

Claim:
A method for hydroprocessing a hydrocarbonaceous feedstock, said method employing at least two reaction zones within a single reaction loop and comprising the following steps: (a) passing a hydrocarbonaceous feedstock to a first reaction zone in which a first feedstock is contacted with a catalyst bed and hydrogen, wherein conversion is at least 40 vol %; (b) combining the effluent of step (a) with the effluent from the second reaction zone; (c) passing the mixture of step (b) to a fractionator, in which material boiling below a reference temperature is separated from material boiling above a reference temperature and removed as product; (d) removing as a product at least a portion of the material of step (c) that boils above a reference temperature; (e) passing the remaining portion of the material of step (c) that boils above a reference temperature to a second reaction zone, in which the material is contacted with a catalyst bed and hydrogen at a conversion rate of at least 30 vol %; and (f) combining the effluent of step (e) with the effluent of step (a) and passing the mixture to the fractionator of step (c) wherein a second feedstock is combined with the material of step (c) that boils above a reference temperature prior to step (e), in order to offset the amount of product removed in step (d) and maintain a constant volume of material in the process.