Ebullated bed process for high conversion of heavy hydrocarbons with a low sediment yield

1. A process that uses an ebullated bed reactor system for the hydroconversion of a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock, having a high proportion of pitch hydrocarbons boiling at temperatures exceeding 524° C., to yield a heavy hydrocarbon conversion product having a low sediment content, wherein said process comprises:

introducing said heavy hydrocarbon feedstock, having a content of said pitch exceeding 50 wt.%, into an ebullated bed reaction zone contained within a reactor volume defined by an ebullated bed reactor vessel,

wherein said reactor volume includes an upper zone above said ebullated bed reaction zone and a lower zone below said ebullated bed reaction zone,

wherein said ebullated bed reaction zone comprises a catalyst bed of small particle size, shaped hydroprocessing catalyst particles,

wherein said shaped hydroprocessing catalyst particles comprise a calcined shaped alumina support, which consists essentially of alumina,

wherein the alumina is calcined at a first temperature to form the calcined shaped alumina support,

wherein the calcined shaped alumina support is impregnated with at least one active catalytic metal component followed by calcination at a second temperature providing said shaped hydroprocessing catalyst particles, and

wherein said shaped hydroprocessing catalyst particles are further characterized as having a low macroporosity in the range of from greater than 0.01% to less than 9% and a geometry defined by a length and a polylobal cross section providing for a first ratio of the cross section perimeter-to-cross sectional area that is in the range of from 5 mm −1 to 8 mm −1 ;

contacting under hydroconversion reaction conditions said heavy hydrocarbon feedstock with said shaped hydroprocessing catalyst particles within said ebullated bed reaction zone; and

yielding from said upper zone said heavy hydrocarbon conversion product having less than 0.5 wt.% sediment, as determined by testing method ASTM-4870.

2. A process as recited in claim 1 , wherein said shaped hydroprocessing catalyst particles further include an amount of inorganic oxide component in the range of from about 70 wt.% to 99 wt.%, a molybdenum compound in an amount in the range of from 3 wt.% to 15 wt.%, and a nickel compound in an amount in the range of from 0.5 wt.% to 6 wt.%, wherein each wt.% is based on the total weight of said shaped hydroprocessing catalyst particle and the metal as an oxide regardless of its actual form.

3. A process as recited in claim 2 , wherein said hydroconversion reaction conditions include a contacting temperature in the range of from 316° C. (600° F.) to 538° C. (1000° F.), a contacting pressure in the range of from 500 psia to 6,000 psia, a hydrogen-to-oil ratio in the range of from 500 scf/bbl to 10,000 scf/bbl, and liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) in the range of from 0.1 hr-1 to 5 hr-1.

4. A process as recited in claim 3 , wherein said polylobal cross section is a trilobal cross section.

5. A process as recited in claim 4 , wherein said cross section perimeter-to-cross sectional area that is in the range of from 5.5 mm −1 to 7 mm −1 .

6. A process as recited in claim 5 , wherein said low macroporosity is greater than 0.1% and less than 6% of the total pore volume of pores having a diameter greater than 350 Å contained in said shaped hydroprocessing catalyst particles.

7. A process as recite in claim 5 , wherein said low macroporosity is greater than 0.35% and less than 2% of the total pore volume of pores having a diameter greater than 350 Å contained in said shaped hydroprocessing catalyst particles.

8. The process as recited in claim 1 , wherein the second temperature is different from the first temperature.

9. The process as recited in claim 1 , wherein the second temperature is lower than the first temperature.