Patent ID: 7901569

Claim:
A process for the hydroconversion of heavy oils, said process comprising the following steps: (a) providing at least two upflow reactors, a first reactor and a second reactor, with a separator located internally in at least one reactor; (b) combining a heated heavy oil feed, an active slurry catalyst composition having particle sizes of 1-10 micron 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 a temperature from 700 to 900 F and a pressure from 1500 to 3500 psia; (d) separating internally in the first reactor a stream comprising reaction product, hydrogen gases, unconverted material and slurry catalyst into two streams, a vapor stream comprising reactor products and hydrogen, and a liquid stream comprising unconverted material and slurry catalyst; (e) passing the vapor stream overhead to further processing, and passing the liquid stream, comprising unconverted material and slurry catalyst, from the first reactor as a bottoms stream; (f) passing at least a portion of the liquid stream of step (e) to the bottom of the second reactor, which is maintained at hydroprocessing conditions, including elevated temperature and pressure; (g) separating internally in the second reactor a stream comprising reaction product, hydrogen gases, unconverted material and slurry catalyst into two streams, a vapor stream comprising reactor products and hydrogen, and a liquid stream comprising unconverted material and slurry catalyst; (h) passing the vapor stream overhead to further processing, and passing the liquid stream, comprising unconverted material and slurry catalyst, from the second reactor as a bottoms stream to further processing; wherein the heavy oil is selected from the group consisting of atmospheric residuum, vacuum residuum, tar from a solvent deasphlating unit, oils derived from tar sands or bitumen, oils derived from coal, heavy crude oils, and oils derived from recycled oil wastes and polymers.