Patent ID: 8911617

Claim:
A method of treating a petroleum feedstock by initiating a high-rate, self-sustaining chain cracking reaction in the petroleum feedstock to generate a treated petroleum feedstock, said method comprising subjecting the petroleum feedstock to ionizing irradiation, wherein the petroleum feedstock is subjected to a time-averaged irradiation dose rate of at least about 10 kGy/s and a total absorbed irradiation dose of at least about 0.1 kGy, and wherein the petroleum feedstock is in a non-static state during irradiation and the temperature of the petroleum feedstock during irradiation treatment is greater than about 200° C. and less than about 350° C., said irradiation treatment resulting in an increase in the radiation-chemical yield of light fractions boiling out below 450° C. and a decrease in heavy residue boiling out above 450° C.