Patent ID: 7431823

Claim:
A process for the hydroconversion of heavy oils, said process comprising the following steps: (a) providing at least two upflow reactors in series, a first reactor and a second reactor, with a separator in between each reactor; (b) combining a heated heavy oil feed, an active slurry catalyst composition and a hydrogen-containing gas to form a mixture; (c) passing the mixture of step (b) to the bottom of the first reactor, which is maintained at hydroprocessing conditions, including elevated temperature and pressure; (d) removing a vapor stream comprising products, hydrogen, unconverted material and slurry catalyst from the top of the first reactor and passing it to a first separator; (e) in the first separator, removing the products and hydrogen to further processing and passing a liquid bottoms stream, comprising unconverted material and slurry catalyst, to the bottom of the second reactor, which is maintained at slurry hydroprocessing conditions, including elevated temperature and pressure; (f) removing a vapor stream comprising products and hydrogen unconverted material and slurry catalyst from the top of the second reactor and passing it to a second separator; (g) in the second separator, removing the products and hydrogen overhead as a vapor stream to further processing and passing a bottoms stream, comprising unconverted material and slurry catalyst to further processing (h) Wherein the bottoms material of step (g) is recycled to step (b), the mixture of step (b) further comprising recycled unconverted material and slurry catalyst.