Patent ID: 8101066

Claim:
A process for converting a heavy hydrocarbonaceous feedstock to lower boiling products, which process is performed in a fluid coking process unit comprised of a fluid coking reactor and a fluidized bed heater but no gasifier, said fluid coking reactor containing a coking zone, a scrubbing zone located above said coking zone for collecting vapor phase products, and a stripping zone, located below the coking zone, for stripping hydrocarbons from solid coke particles passing downwardly through the stripping zone, a line for conducting the solid particles to the heater and a line for recycling hot coke directly from the heater to the coking zone, which process comprises: [a] introducing the heavy hydrocarbonaceous feedstock having a Conradson carbon content of at least about 5 wt. % and an effective amount of a basic material to substantially increase the rate of formation of methane and dry coke into said coking zone containing a fluidized bed of solid particles and maintained at effective coking temperatures and pressures, wherein there is produced a vapor phase product, including normally liquid hydrocarbons, and where coke is deposited on said solid particles, wherein the basic material contains an alkali metal, an alkaline-earth metal or a combination thereof, wherein the effective amount of basic material used is from about 100 to about 10,000 wppm; [b] passing said vapor phase product to said scrubbing zone; [c] passing said solid particles from said coking zone, with coke deposited thereon, downwardly through said coking zone, past said stripping zone, thereby stripping hydrocarbons from the solid particles with a stripping agent, wherein the stripped solid particles exit said fluid coking reactor and are passed into said fluidized bed heating zone which contains a fluidized bed of solid coke particles and which is operated at a temperature greater than that of the coking zone; and [d] recycling at least a portion of the solid coke particles from the heating zone to the coking zone through the line directly connecting the heater to the coking zone.