Patent ID: 8168061

Claim:
A thermal and catalytic conversion process for converting a hydrocarbon feed having a Conradson Carbon Residue (“CCR”) content of from 0 to 6 wt. %, based on the hydrocarbon feed, which comprises: a) processing the hydrocarbon feed in a thermal conversion zone under effective thermal conversion conditions to produce a thermally cracked product; b) conducting at least a portion of the thermally cracked product to a fractionator containing a divided wall; c) using the divided wall portion of the fractionator to separate a thermally cracked bottoms; d) conducting at least a portion of the thermally cracked bottoms to a fluid catalytic cracking reactor; e) catalytically converting the thermally cracked bottoms under effective fluid catalytic cracking conditions to produce a catalytically cracked product; f) conducting the catalytically cracked product to the fractionator at a point below the uppermost portion of the divided wall wherein a portion of the catalytically cracked product is co-mingled with a thermally cracked distillate and a thermally cracked naphtha; and g) separating a co-mingled naphtha, a co-mingled distillate, and a catalytically cracked bottoms from the fractionator; wherein the catalytically cracked bottoms is segregated from the thermally cracked bottoms utilizing the divided wall portion of the fractionator.