Patent ID: 8916041

Claim:
A method of reducing the fouling propensity of a hydrocarbon feed stream, having a Total Base Number based on ASTM method D2896-11 of less than 150 ppm and/or a P-value according to ASTM method D7060-09 of less than 1.15, wherein said method comprises: determining the Total Base Number and the P-value of the hydrocarbon feed stream; and processing the hydrocarbon feed stream such that a product is obtained having a calculated Total Base Number of at least 150 ppm, a calculated P-value of at least 1.15 and a calculated Po-value higher than the FRmax of the feed stream, wherein said processing to obtain said product comprises (1) removing a light fraction from said hydrocarbon feed stream or (2) blending said hydrocarbon feed stream with another hydrocarbon feed stream.