Patent ID: 7713407

Claim:
A hydrocracking process for converting a feed of petroleum origin to lower boiling products of higher gravity and low sulfur content, which process comprises: (i) hydrotreating a hydrocarbon feed having a sulfur content greater than about 3,000 wppm in the presence of a hydrogen-containing treat gas in a hydrotreating step containing one or more reaction zones, to produce a hydrotreated effluent stream containing liquid products having a sulfur and nitrogen content less than that of the feed; (ii) passing the liquid product stream of the hydrotreatment step directly to a hydrocracking step containing one or more reaction zones in which die liquid product stream is hydrocracked in the presence of a hydrogen-containing treat gas to reduce its boiling range and produce an effluent comprising hydrocracked liquid products having a nitrogen content of not more than about 100 wppm and gas comprising hydrogen, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide; (iii) passing the effluent of the hydrocracking step directly without separation of the liquid products from the gas, to a post-treat hydrodesulfurization zone located in the same reactor as at least one reaction zone of the hydrocracking step, in which the hydrocracked liquid product is hydrodesulfurized in the presence of a hydrogen-containing treat gas and a hydrodesulfurization catalyst comprising a bulk multimetallic catalyst to produce a hydrocracked, hydrodesulfurized liquid product stream having a sulfur content of less than about 100 wppm sulfur, wherein the post-treat hydrodesulfurization step is carried out at a total system pressure of at least about 25 barg, and wherein the bulk multimetallic catalyst is comprised of one Group VIII non-noble metal and two Group VIB metals and in which the ratio of Group VIB metal to Group VIII non-noble metal is from about 10:1 to about 1:10, and is represented by the formula: (X) b (Mo) c (W) d O z in which X is one or more of a Group VIII non-noble metal, and the molar ratio of b:(c+d) is 0.5/1 to 3/1.