Patent ID: 6989091

Claim:
A process for the conversion of hydrocarbons comprising residues and/or heavy distillates which may be laden with impurities into lighter liquid products, the process comprising: (a) preheating a hydrocarbon load comprising residues and heavy distillates to a first temperature which is below a temperature, at ambient conditions of the load, that is sufficient for conversion of the residues and/or heavy distillates of the load; (b) treating the pre-heated load with a jet of gas so as to initiate conversion of the residues and/or heavy distillates of the load into lighter liquid products so as to form smaller hydrocarbon molecules from the residues and/or heavy distillates, wherein the gas-load mixture has a temperature insufficient to initiate such conversion for the conditions under which the gas-load mixture is maintained; (c) injecting the treated load into a non-catalytic reactor configured to enable the conversion reactions initiated by the jet of gas to achieve equilibrium, wherein the reactor is operated at a second temperature, wherein the second temperature is higher than the first temperature.