Partial conversion hydrocracking process and apparatus
Partial conversion hydrocracking process comprising the steps of (a) hydrotreating a hydrocarbon feedstock with a hydrogen-rich gas to produce a hydrotreated effluent stream comprising a liquid/vapour mixture and separating the liquid/vapour mixture into a liquid phase and a vapour phase, and (b) separating the liquid phase into a controlled liquid portion and an excess liquid portion, and (c) combining the vapour phase with the excess liquid portion to form a vapour plus liquid portion, and (d) separating an FCC feed-containing fraction from the controlled liquid portion and simultaneously hydrocracking the vapour plus liquid portion to produce a diesel-containing fraction, or hydrocracking the controlled liquid portion to produce a diesel-containing fraction and simultaneously separating a FCC feed-containing fraction from the vapour plus liquid portion. The invention also includes an apparatus for carrying out the partial conversion hydrocracking process.
1. Apparatus for the partial conversion hydrocracking process comprising
an FCC unit,
a hydrocracker unit,
a hydrotreating reactor having one or more catalytic beds and in series with a hydrocracking reactor, and having an liquid/vapour separation system downstream the one or more catalytic beds of the hydrotreating reactor, the liquid/vapour separation system comprising an outlet device and an outlet pipe in a separator vessel, the outlet pipe being provided with a flow control element for regulating the flow of liquid through the outlet pipe to obtain a controlled portion and an excess liquid portion, the outlet device comprising a pipe extension above the bottom of the separation vessel, the pipe extension being provided with a first anti-swirl baffle at the top open end of the pipe extension to remove both vapour and liquid from the separator vessel to the hydrocracker unit, the outlet pipe being provided at the bottom of the separator vessel, the outlet pipe being provided with a second anti-swirl baffle to remove only the controlled portion of the liquid from the separator vessel to the FCC unit, the first anti-swirl baffle being located at liquid interface level.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the separator vessel is integrated in the hydrotreating reactor downstream the last catalytic bed of the one or more catalytic beds.
3. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the separator vessel is located downstream the hydrotreating reactor.
4. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the flow control element comprises a flow control valve.