Patent ID: 7312371

Claim:
A process for cracking a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock, said heavy hydrocarbon feedstock comprising non-volatile components and/or coke precursors, and said process comprising: (a) adding a stripping agent to the heavy hydrocarbon feedstock to form an enhanced hydrocarbon feedstock blend; (b) heating said enhanced hydrocarbon feedstock blend; (c) feeding the enhanced hydrocarbon feedstock blend to a flash/separation vessel; (d) separating the enhanced hydrocarbon feedstock blend into a vapor phase and a liquid phase, said liquid phase being rich in non-volatile components and/or coke precursors and said vapor phase being substantially depleted of non-volatile components and/or coke precursors; (e) removing the vapor phase from the flash/separation vessel; (f) cracking the vapor phase in a radiant section of a pyrolysis furnace to produce an effluent comprising olefins, said pyrolysis furnace comprising a radiant section and a convection section.