Hydrocracking process for making middle distillate from a light hydrocarbon feedstock

1. A two-stage hydrocracking process for converting a light gas oil feedstock to produce a diesel product, wherein said hydrocracking process comprises:

introducing said light gas oil feedstock, having a T(10) greater than or about 135° C. and a T(90) of less than or about 424° C., into a first reaction zone defined by a first reactor and containing a first pretreating catalyst, comprising an inorganic oxide support material selected from alumina, silica, and silica-alumina, and a hydrogenation metal component;

yielding from said first reaction zone a first reactor effluent;

introducing said first reactor effluent into a second reaction zone defined by a second reactor and containing a first hydrocracking catalyst, comprising a zeolite component selected from zeolite X, zeolite Y, zeolite beta, and ZSM-5, in an amount up to about 80 wt. % of said first hydrocracking catalyst, an inorganic oxide component, and a hydrogenation metal component;

yielding from said second reaction zone a second reactor effluent;

mixing said second reactor effluent with wash water to provide for removing at least a portion of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide contained in said second reactor effluent and separating a water phase comprising removed ammonia and hydrogen sulfide and a scrubbed second reactor effluent;

introducing said scrubbed second reactor effluent into a first separation zone defined by a first separator vessel providing means for separating said scrubbed second reactor effluent into a first separator vapor and a first separator liquid;

introducing said first separator liquid into a third reaction zone defined by a third reactor, wherein within said third reaction zone is included a top bed having a top bed volume and comprising a second pretreating catalyst, comprising an inorganic oxide support material selected from alumina, silica, and silica-alumina, and a hydrogenation metal component, and a bottom bed having a bottom bed volume and comprising a second hydrocracking catalyst, wherein said second hydrocracking catalyst comprises less than 50 weight percent amorphous alumina, greater than 30 weight percent crystalline zeolite, and a catalytic metal component, wherein the ratio of top bed volume to bottom bed volume is in the range of from 0.1:1 to 1.5:1;

admixing with said first separator liquid an effective amount of a nitrogen-containing compound so as to modify cracking activity of said second hydrocracking catalyst of said bottom bed within said third reaction zone to enhance its diesel selectivity;

yielding from said third reaction zone a third reactor effluent;

introducing said third reactor effluent into a second separation zone defined by a second separator vessel providing means for separating said third reactor effluent into a second separator vapor and a second separator liquid;

introducing said second separator liquid into a main fractionator providing for distillation separation of said second separator liquid to yield at least a bottoms product and another product including a diesel product having an initial boiling temperature between 125° C. and 150° C. and a final boiling temperature between 370° C. and 400° C.; and

recycling at least a portion of said bottoms product as a feed to said second reaction zone.

2. The hydrocracking process as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

introducing said bottoms product into said third reaction zone or said first separation zone, or both.

3. The hydrocracking process as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

admixing with said first reactor effluent an effective amount of a nitrogen-containing compound so as to modify cracking activity of said first hydrocracking catalyst within said second reaction zone to enhance its diesel selectivity.

4. The hydrocracking process as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

introducing quench gas into said third reaction zone so as to control diesel selectivity of cracking reaction by controlling the cracking temperature within said bottom bed of said third reaction zone.

5. The hydrocracking process as recited in claim 1 , wherein said light gas oil feedstock is characterized as having a T90 of less than 800° F., a nitrogen content in the range of from 500 to 10,000 ppmw, and a sulfur content in the range of from 0.01% to 5% by weight.

6. A hydrocracking process as recited in claim 1 , wherein said nitrogen-containing compound is selected from the group consisting of ammonia and organic amine compounds capable of conversion to ammonia under conditions of said third reactor in an amount to provide a concentration of said nitrogen-containing compound in said first separator liquid in the range of from 1 to 1,000 ppmw.