Patent ID: 7033486

Claim:
A process for converting residual feedstocks to lower boiling fractions, one of which is a liquid fraction having a boiling point equal to or less than about 510° C., which process comprises converting the feedstocks in a process unit comprised of: (i) a heating zone wherein solids containing carbonaceous deposits are received from a stripping zone and heated in the presence of an oxidizing gas; (ii) a short vapor contact time reaction zone containing a horizontal moving bed of fluidized hot solids recycled from the heating zone, which reaction zone is operated at a temperature from about 450° C. to about 700° C. and operated under conditions such that substantially all of the solids that are passed from the heating zone pass through the reaction zone and wherein the solids residence time is from about 5 to about 60 seconds, and the vapor residence time is about 0.5 to about 3 seconds; and (iii) a stripping zone through which solids having carbonaceous deposits thereon are passed from the reaction zone and wherein lower boiling additional hydrocarbon and volatiles are recovered with a stripping gas, which process comprises: (a) feeding the residual feedstock to the short vapor contact time reaction zone wherein it contacts the fluidized hot solids thereby resulting in high Conradson Carbon components and metal-containing components being deposited onto said hot solids, and a vaporized fraction; (b) separating at least a portion of the vaporized fraction from the solids which vaporized fraction contains asphaltenes; (c) passing the solids to said stripping zone where they are contacted with a stripping gas, thereby removing volatile components therefrom; (d) passing at least a portion of the stripped solids to a heating zone where they are heated to an effective temperature that will maintain the operating temperature of the short vapor contact time reaction zone; (e) recycling at least a portion of the heated solids from the heating zone to the short vapor contact reaction zone where they are contacted with fresh feedstock; (f) passing at least a portion of the vaporized fraction separated in step (b) to a fractionation zone wherein a 510° C. + fraction and a 510° C. − fraction are separated from the vaporized fraction; (g) passing said 510° C. + fraction to a solvent extraction zone wherein it is contacted with a solvent effective to produce an extract fraction and asphaltene-rich fraction; and (h) passing said asphaltene-rich fraction to the short vapor contact reaction zone.