Patent ID: 7727379

Claim:
A continuous process for simultaneously preparing multiple grades of base oil products and middle distillates from a mineral crude derived feed, wherein said process comprises the following steps: (a) hydrocracking a mineral crude derived feed, comprising a vacuum gas oil having more than 10 wt % compounds present therein boiling above 470° C., utilizing a hydrocracking catalyst comprising an acidic large pore size zeolite within a porous support material with an added metal having a hydrogenation/dehydrogenation function, wherein said added metal is a Group VIII/Group VIB combination, to thereby provide a conversion level of between 15 and 90 wt % and obtaining an effluent; (b) distilling the effluent as obtained in step (a) into at least one middle distillate product and a full range residue boiling substantially above 340° C. but without separating compounds boiling above 420° C. from said full range residue; (c) catalytically dewaxing the entire full range residue as obtained in step (b) by contacting the full range residue with a dewaxing catalyst comprising a dealuminated extrudate of a zeolite of the MTW type and a low acidity refractory binder material wherein the weight ratio of said zeolite to said low acidity refractory binder material is in the range of from 5:95 to 95:5 and a Group VIII metal of either platinum or palladium that is present in said dewaxing catalyst in the range of from 0.1 to 5.0% by weight, thereby obtaining a dewaxed oil; (d) hydrofinishing at least part of the dewaxed oil obtained in step (c) to provide a hydrofinished, dewaxed oil; (e) distilling the hydrofinished, dewaxed oil obtained in step (d) to simultaneously provide multiple grades of base oil products; and (f) isolating a dewaxed gas oil from the dewaxed oil as obtained in step (c), wherein the dewaxed heavy gas oil obtained in step (c) comprises between 10 and 40 wt % of a dewaxed heavy gas oil boiling for more than 70 wt % between 370 and 400° C.