JP7826196B2 - Integrated hydrocracking process for producing light olefins, aromatics, and lubricant base oils from crude oil - Google Patents

Description

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/924,409, filed October 22, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for producing high-value chemicals from hydrocarbon streams. More specifically, the present invention relates to an integrated hydrocracking process for producing chemicals from hydrocarbon streams, including crude oil.

Light olefins ( _C2 - _C4 olefins) are building blocks in many chemical processes. They are used to produce polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene oxide, ethylene chloride, propylene oxide, and acrylic acid, which are then used in various industries, such as plastics processing, construction, textiles, and the automotive industry. BTX (benzene, toluene, and xylene) is a group of aromatic compounds used in various areas of the chemical industry, particularly in the plastics and polymer sector. For example, benzene is a precursor for producing polystyrene, phenolic resins, polycarbonate, and nylon. Toluene is used to produce polyurethanes and as a gasoline component. Xylene is a feedstock for producing polyester fibers and phthalic anhydride. Lubricant base oils are a group of oils used to manufacture products, including lubricants, motor oils, and metal processing fluids.

Traditionally, light olefins and BTX are produced from light fractions obtained from crude oil. Lubricant base oils, on the other hand, are produced from certain heavier fractions of crude oil. More specifically, traditional lubricant base oil production processes are generally integrated with fuel production processes, in which straight-run vacuum gas oil and/or vacuum gas oil, produced by hydrocracking vacuum residue, are hydrocracking to obtain unconverted oil as a feed for lubricant production. However, currently, the production of light olefins and BTX and the production of lubricant base oil are separated from each other, limiting the overall production efficiency from crude oil and limiting control over the light olefins and BTX to lubricant base oil product ratio. Furthermore, because hydrocracking units for processing vacuum oil are designed for high production of transportation fuels and operated at high severity, the resulting unconverted oil often contains too many aromatic compounds to be used for lubricant base oil production and must therefore be used as low-value fuel oil.

Overall, while processes exist for producing lubricant base oils, light olefins, and BTX, improvements in this area are still needed, at least in light of the above-mentioned shortcomings of such processes.

A solution to at least some of the problems associated with processes for producing light olefins and BTX, and/or lubricant base oil from crude oil has been found. The solution resides in a method for producing olefins and/or aromatics and lubricant base oil in an integrated production system. In particular, products, including naphtha and/or LPG, produced from hydrocracking vacuum oil are further used to produce light olefins and/or BTX, increasing overall production efficiency from crude oil. Furthermore, the method utilizes both a partial conversion hydrocracker with limited hydrocracking severity and a full conversion hydrocracker with high hydrocracking severity. Therefore, the composition of the unconverted oil produced by hydrocracking as a lubricant base oil feedstock can be optimized, resulting in high lubricant oil production and minimal production of low-value fuel oil. Therefore, the method of the present invention provides a technical solution to at least some of the problems associated with currently available methods for producing lubricant base oil and/or light olefins and BTX, as described above.

An embodiment of the present invention includes a method for producing olefins and/or aromatics and lubricant base oil. The method includes hydrocracking a vacuum resid stream to produce a first stream comprising a light oil and a second stream comprising an unconverted heavy oil. The method includes deasphalting the second stream to produce a third stream comprising a deasphalted oil. The method includes treating a first portion of the third stream to produce one or more lubricant base oils. Treating the first portion of the third stream includes subjecting the first portion of the third stream to partial conversion hydrocracking conditions. The method includes treating at least a portion of the first stream to produce one or more olefins and/or one or more aromatics. Treating at least a portion of the first stream includes subjecting at least a portion of the first stream to maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions.

An embodiment of the present invention includes a method for producing olefins and/or aromatics and a lubricant base oil. The method includes hydrocracking a vacuum resid stream to produce a first stream comprising a light oil and a second stream comprising an unconverted heavy oil. The method includes deasphalting the second stream in a deasphalting unit to produce a third stream comprising a deasphalted oil. The method includes processing a first portion of the third stream to produce one or more lubricant base oils. Treating the first portion of the third stream includes subjecting the first portion of the third stream to partial conversion hydrocracking conditions in a first hydrocracker. The method includes processing a second portion of the third stream to produce one or more olefins and/or one or more aromatics. Treating the second portion of the third stream includes subjecting the second portion of the third stream to maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions in a second hydrocracker. The method includes passing a fourth stream comprising a heavy fraction from the second hydrocracker to a deasphalting unit.

An embodiment of the present invention includes a method for producing olefins and/or aromatics and a lubricant base oil. The method includes hydrocracking a vacuum resid stream to produce a first stream comprising a light oil and a second stream comprising an unconverted heavy oil. The method includes deasphalting the second stream in a deasphalting unit to produce a third stream comprising a deasphalted oil. Deasphalting includes contacting the second stream with one or more of propane, butane, and pentane. The method includes processing a first portion of the third stream in a first hydrocracker to produce one or more lubricant base oils. Treating the first portion of the third stream includes subjecting the first portion of the third stream to partial conversion hydrocracking conditions. The method includes treating at least a portion of the first stream to produce one or more olefins and/or one or more aromatics. Treating at least a portion of the first stream includes subjecting at least a portion of the first stream to maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions. The method includes processing a second portion of the third stream to produce one or more olefins and/or one or more aromatics. Treating the second portion of the third stream includes subjecting the second portion of the third stream to maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions. The method includes passing a fourth stream comprising the heavy fraction from the second hydrocracker to a deasphalting unit.

The following contains definitions of various terms used throughout this specification.

The terms "about" or "approximately" are defined as close, as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. In one non-limiting embodiment, the term is defined as within 10%, preferably within 5%, more preferably within 1%, and most preferably within 0.5%.

The terms "wt. %, "vol. %, " or "mol. %" refer to the weight percentage, volume percentage, or mole percentage, respectively, of a component based on the total weight, volume, or molar amount of the material containing that component. In a non-limiting example, 10 moles of a component in 100 moles of that material is 10 mol. % of the component.

The term "substantially" and variations thereof are defined to include ranges of within 10%, within 5%, within 1%, or within 0.5%.

"Inhibit" or "reduce" or "prevent" or "avoid" or any variation of these terms, when used in the claims and/or specification, includes any measurable decrease or complete inhibition of achieving a desired result.

The word "effective," as used in the specification and/or claims, means adequate to achieve a desired, expected, or intended result.

When used in a claim or specification in conjunction with the words "comprising," "including," "containing," or "having," the use of the words "a" or "an" can mean "one," but is also consistent with the meanings of "one or more," "at least one," and "one or more than one."

The words "comprising" (and any form of "comprising", such as "comprise" and "comprises"), "having" (and any form of "having", such as "have" and "has"), "including" (and any form of "including", such as "includes" and "include"), or "containing" (and any form of "containing", such as "contains" and "contain") are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.

The processes of the present invention may "comprise," "consist essentially of," or "consist of" specific ingredients, components, compositions, etc., as disclosed throughout the specification.

The term "middle distillates" refers to any of kerosene, jet fuel, and diesel. Kerosene is a hydrocarbon liquid with a boiling range of 180-260°C. Jet fuel is a hydrocarbon liquid with a boiling range of 180-260°C. Jet fuel is the name of the final product made using kerosene cuts. Diesel is a hydrocarbon liquid with a boiling range of 260-340°C. Light diesel oil is a hydrocarbon liquid with a boiling range of 260-340°C. Heavy diesel oil is a hydrocarbon liquid with a boiling range of 340-365°C.

The term "crude oil" refers to unrefined petroleum products having naturally occurring hydrocarbons and other organic matter. In this context, "unrefined petroleum products" means petroleum products that have not been subjected to a distillation process to produce products such as gasoline, naphtha, kerosene, diesel, and residue. Refining in this context does not include pre-treatment of crude oil that does not create such products. Thus, as used herein, crude oil includes petroleum products that have been subjected to water-oil separation, gas-oil separation, desalting, stabilization, and combinations thereof.

The term "predominantly," as used in the specification and/or claims, means more than any of 50 wt. %, 50 mol. %, and 50 vol. %. For example, "predominantly" can include 50.1 wt. % to 100 wt. % and all values and ranges therebetween, 50.1 mol. % to 100 mol. % and all values and ranges therebetween, or 50.1 vol. % to 100 vol. % and all values and ranges therebetween.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following figures, detailed description, and examples. It should be understood, however, that the figures, detailed description, and examples, while indicating specific embodiments of the present invention, are presented by way of illustration only and are not meant to be limiting. Furthermore, it is contemplated that changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. In further embodiments, features from specific embodiments can be combined with features from other embodiments. For example, features from one embodiment can be combined with features from any of the other embodiments. In further embodiments, additional features may be added to the specific embodiments described herein.

For a more complete understanding, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1A shows a schematic diagram of a system for producing lubricant base oil, light olefins and BTX from vacuum gas oil and vacuum resid according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of a system for producing lubricant base oil and light olefins, and BTX from vacuum gas oil and vacuum residua, where the vacuum gas oil and vacuum residua are produced from a crude distillation unit. FIG. 2 shows a schematic flow chart of a method for producing lubricant base oil, light olefins and BTX according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Currently, light olefins, BTX, and lubricant base oils can be produced from crude oil fractions. However, the processes for producing light olefins, BTX, and lubricant base oils are not efficiently integrated, resulting in limited overall production efficiency from crude oil and limited control over the product ratio of light olefins and BTX to lubricant base oil. Furthermore, conventional hydrocracking units are designed for high production of transportation fuels and operate at high severity. Therefore, the unconverted oil produced from these conventional hydrocracking units often has a high aromatics content, making it unusable for lubricant oil production. The present invention provides a solution to these problems. The solution is premised on a method for producing light olefins, BTX, and lubricant base oils in an integrated system for processing crude oil fractions. This can be useful for improving the overall production efficiency of lubricant base oils, light olefins, and BTX from crude oil. Additionally, this method utilizes a partial conversion hydrocracking unit to process vacuum gas oil and/or deasphalted oil, thus preventing the production of unconverted oil that cannot be used to produce lubricant base oil due to its high aromatic content. Furthermore, the discovered method allows for the adjustment of the product ratio of light olefins and BTX in the lubricant base oil by varying the amount of deasphalted oil produced that is fed to the partial conversion hydrocracking unit and/or the maximum conversion hydrocracking unit, thereby increasing product flexibility. These and other non-limiting aspects of the present invention are discussed in further detail in the following sections.

A. System for producing lubricant base oil, light olefins, and/or BTX

In an embodiment of the present invention, a system for producing lubricant base oil, light olefins, and/or BTX may include a residue hydrocracking unit, a deasphalting unit, a partial conversion hydrocracking unit, a maximum conversion hydrocracking unit, a lubricant base oil processing unit, and a steam cracking unit. Referring to FIG. 1A, a schematic diagram of system 100 is shown, which can produce lubricant base oil, light olefins, and BTX with improved production efficiency compared to conventional processes and adjustable product ratios of lubricant base oil to light olefins and BTX.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, system 100 includes a residue hydrocracking unit 101 configured to hydrocrack hydrocarbons in vacuum residue stream 10 to produce a first stream 11 comprising light oil and a second stream 12 comprising unconverted heavy oil. In an embodiment of the present invention, residue hydrocracking unit 101 includes a fixed-bed reactor, an ebullated-bed reactor, a slurry reactor, or a combination thereof. Residue hydrocracking unit 101 may include one or more catalysts comprising a metal sulfide or a transition metal with a solid support including alumina, silica, alumina-silica, magnesia, zeolite, or a combination thereof. In an embodiment of the present invention, the light oil in first stream 11 has a boiling point range of 240 to 550°C. The unconverted heavy oil may have a boiling point range of 550 to 800°C.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the outlet of the residue hydrocracking unit 101 is fluidly connected to the inlet of the deasphalting unit 102 such that a second stream 12 comprising unconverted heavy oil flows from the residue hydrocracking unit 101 to the deasphalting unit 102. The deasphalting unit 102 may be configured to separate the unconverted oil in the second stream 12 to produce a third stream 13 comprising deasphalted oil and a tenth stream 20 comprising pitch. In an embodiment of the present invention, the deasphalting unit 102 comprises a solvent deasphalting unit. Exemplary solvents used in the solvent deasphalting unit may include propane, butane, pentane, and combinations thereof. The deasphalted oil in the third stream 13 may primarily comprise hydrocarbons having a boiling point above 400°C.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the second outlet of the residue hydrocracking unit 101 is fluidly connected to the inlet of the maximum conversion hydrocracking unit 103, such that the light oil in the first stream 11 flows from the residue hydrocracking unit 101 to the maximum conversion hydrocracking unit 103. The outlet of the deasphalting unit 102 may be fluidly connected to the maximum conversion hydrocracking unit 103, such that at least a portion of the third stream 13 flows from the deasphalting unit 102 to the maximum conversion hydrocracking unit 103. In an embodiment of the present invention, the maximum conversion hydrocracking unit 103 is configured to hydrocrack the light oil in the first stream 11 and/or a portion of the unconverted oil in the third stream 13 in the presence of hydrogen and a second catalyst to produce a fifth stream 15 comprising naphtha and a sixth stream 16 comprising diesel. The second catalyst may comprise one or more of various metal sulfides or transition metals having a solid support including alumina, silica, alumina-silica, magnesia, zeolite, or combinations thereof. In an embodiment of the present invention, the maximum conversion hydrocracking unit 103 is configured to hydrocrack hydrocarbons such that the remaining heavy hydrocarbons exiting the maximum conversion hydrocracking unit 103 contain less than 10 wt. % heavy hydrocarbons having a boiling range above 400°C. The maximum conversion hydrocracking unit 103 may include multiple reaction stages to maximize the conversion of heavy hydrocarbons having a boiling range above 550°C to lighter hydrocarbons. In an embodiment of the present invention, the outlet of the maximum conversion hydrocracking unit 103 may be in fluid communication with the deasphalting unit 102 such that a fourth stream 14 comprising the heavy hydrocracker bleed flows from the maximum conversion hydrocracking unit 103 to the deasphalting unit 102. The heavy hydrocracker bleed of the fourth stream 14 may contain primarily polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in combination with other hydrocarbons having a boiling range above 350°C.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the outlet of the deasphalting unit 102 may be fluidly connected to the inlet of the partial conversion hydrocracking unit 104, such that the deasphalted oil of the first portion of the third stream 13 flows from the deasphalting unit 102 to the partial conversion hydrocracking unit 104. In an embodiment of the present invention, a vacuum gas oil feed stream 22 comprising light and heavy vacuum gas oil is fed to the partial conversion hydrocracking unit 104. The partial conversion hydrocracking unit 104 may be configured to process the hydrocarbons of the third stream 13 and/or the vacuum gas oil feed stream 22 in the presence of hydrogen and a third catalyst to produce a seventh stream 17 comprising naphtha, an eighth stream 18 comprising diesel, and a ninth stream 19 comprising white unconverted oil. Exemplary third catalysts may include one or more of various metal sulfides or transition metals with solid supports including alumina, silica, alumina-silica, magnesia, and zeolites, as well as combinations thereof. In an embodiment of the present invention, the partial conversion hydrocracking unit 104 is adapted to process heavy hydrocarbons such that the hydrocarbons exiting the partial conversion hydrocracking unit 104 contain 10-40 wt. % heavy hydrocarbons having a boiling point range above 400°C. In an embodiment of the present invention, the partial conversion hydrocracking unit 104 includes a single reaction stage followed by a separation unit. In an embodiment of the present invention, at least a portion of the vacuum gas oil feed stream 22 can be fed to the maximum conversion hydrocracking unit 103 to produce naphtha and diesel.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the outlet of the partial conversion hydrocracking unit 104 is in fluid communication with the inlet of the lubricant processing unit 105 such that the white unconverted oil in ninth stream 19 flows from the partial conversion hydrocracking unit 104 to the lubricant processing unit 105. In an embodiment of the present invention, the lubricant processing unit 105 is configured to process the white unconverted oil in ninth stream 19 under hydrotreating conditions sufficient to produce a lubricant base oil. The lubricant processing unit 105 may comprise a hydrotreater or hydrofinisher. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the system 100 includes a steam cracking complex 106 configured to steam crack the naphtha in seventh stream 17 and/or fifth stream 15 to produce light olefins, BTX, _C4 hydrocarbons, and/or pyrolysis gasoline. In an embodiment of the present invention, the system 100 is configured to control the ratio of lubricant base oil to light olefins and BTX. In an embodiment of the present invention, the lubricant base oil comprises some paraffinic hydrocarbons. By increasing the amount of deasphalted oil in the third stream 13 entering the partial conversion hydrocracking unit 104, the production of heavy lubricant base oil can be increased. By increasing the amount of deasphalted oil in the third stream 13 entering the maximum conversion hydrocracking unit 103, the production of light olefins and BTX can be increased.

As shown in FIG. 1B, system 100′ may include all of the units and streams of system 100. System 100′ may further include a distillation unit 107 configured to process crude oil to produce a vacuum gas oil feed stream 22, a vacuum resid stream 10, and a straight-run naphtha stream 24. In an embodiment of the present invention, distillation unit 107 includes an atmospheric distillation column and/or a vacuum distillation column. An outlet of distillation unit 107 may be in fluid communication with steam cracking unit 106 such that straight-run naphtha stream 24 flows from distillation unit 107 to steam cracking unit 106. According to an embodiment of the present invention, residue hydrocracking unit 103 of system 100′ is further configured to produce naphtha. Steam cracking unit 106 of system 100′ may further be configured to produce a thermal cracking oil stream 23 comprising thermal cracking oil. In an embodiment of the present invention, the outlet of the steam cracking unit 106 is in fluid communication with the inlet of the residue hydrocracking unit 101 such that the pyrolysis oil stream 23 flows from the steam cracking unit 106 to the residue hydrocracking unit 101.

B. Methods for producing lubricating oils, light olefins, and BTX

A method for producing lubricant base oil, light olefins, and BTX from crude oil fractions has been discovered. The method may include processing vacuum resid and vacuum gas oil in an integrated system including a residue hydrocracking unit, a partial conversion hydrocracking unit, and a maximum hydrocracking unit to maximize the efficiency of producing lubricant base oil, light olefins, and BTX from the vacuum resid and vacuum gas oil. As shown in FIG. 2, an embodiment of the present invention includes method 200 for producing lubricant base oil, light olefins, and BTX. Method 200 may be implemented by system 100 as shown in FIG. 1A and/or by system 100' as shown in FIG. 1B, and as previously described.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in block 201, method 200 includes hydrocracking a vacuum resid stream 10 in a residue hydrocracking unit 101 to produce a first stream 11 comprising light oil and a second stream 12 comprising unconverted heavy oil. The hydrocracking in the residue hydrocracking unit 101 in block 201 may further produce naphtha. In an embodiment of the present invention, the vacuum resid stream 10 is obtained by vacuum distillation of an atmospheric resid fraction of crude oil. The atmospheric resid may have a boiling point range of 350 to 800°C. The hydrocracking in block 201 may be carried out under first hydrocracking conditions including a hydrocracking temperature of 200 to 450°C and a hydrocracking pressure of 20 to 220 bar. The first hydrocracking conditions in block 201 are in the range of 0.1 to 20 hr ⁻¹ , 0.1 to 0.2 hr ⁻¹ , 0.2 to 0.4 hr ⁻¹ , 0.4 to 0.6 hr ⁻¹ , 0.6 to 0.8 hr ⁻¹ , 0.8 to 1.0 hr ⁻¹ , 1.0 to 2.0 hr ⁻¹ , 2.0 to 4.0 hr ⁻¹ , 4.0 to 6.0 hr ⁻¹ , 6.0 to 8.0 hr ⁻¹ , 8.0 to 10.0 hr ⁻¹ , 10.0 to 12.0 hr ⁻¹ , 12.0 to 14.0 hr ⁻¹ , 14.0 to 16.0 hr ⁻¹ , 16.0 to 18.0 hr ⁻¹ , and 18.0 to 20.0 hr The first hydrocracking conditions in block 201 may further include a weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 0.1% to 15%, and all ranges and values therebetween, such as the range of ^0.1-0.2 %, 0.2-0.4%, 0.4-0.6%, 0.6-0.8%, 0.8-1.0%, 1.0-3.0%, 3.0-6.0%, 6.0-9.0%, 9.0-12.0%, and 12.0-15.0%.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in block 202, method 200 includes deasphalting second stream 12 in a deasphalting unit 102 to produce a third stream 13 comprising a deasphalted oil. In an embodiment of the present invention, deasphalting in block 202 includes contacting second stream 12 with a solvent in the deasphalting unit 102. Exemplary solvents may include propane, butane, pentane, and combinations thereof. In an embodiment of the present invention, deasphalting in block 202 may be carried out at a hydrocarbon (second stream 12) to solvent ratio ranging from 0.5 to 20, as well as all ranges and values therebetween, such as 0.5 to 1.0, 1.0 to 2.0, 2.0 to 4.0, 4.0 to 6.0, 6.0 to 8.0, 8.0 to 10, 10 to 12, 12 to 14, 14 to 16, 16 to 18, and 18 to 20. Deasphalting at block 202 may further include producing a tenth stream 20 comprising pitch.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in block 203, method 200 includes processing at least a first portion of third stream 13 in a partial conversion hydrocracking unit 104 to produce a ninth stream 19 comprising white unconverted oil. The processing in block 203 may further produce an eighth stream 18 comprising diesel and a seventh stream 17 comprising primarily naphtha. The processing in block 203 may further produce liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), naphtha, or a combination thereof. In an embodiment of the present invention, the processing in block 203 includes subjecting a first portion of third stream 13 to partial conversion hydrocracking conditions. The partial conversion hydrocracking conditions in block 203 can include hydrocracking temperatures from 300 to 450°C and all ranges and values therebetween, such as the ranges 300 to 310°C, 310 to 320°C, 320 to 330°C, 330 to 340°C, 340 to 350°C, 350 to 360°C, 360 to 370°C, 370 to 380°C, 380 to 390°C, 390 to 400°C, 400 to 410°C, 410 to 420°C, 420 to 430°C, 430 to 440°C, and 440 to 450°C. The partial conversion hydrocracking conditions at block 203 may include hydrocracking pressures from 80 to 200 bar and all ranges and values therebetween, such as ranges from 80 to 100 bar, 100 to 120 bar, 120 to 140 bar, 140 to 160 bar, 160 to 180 bar, and 180 to 200 bar. The partial conversion hydrocracking conditions in block 203 are 0.05 to 10 hr ⁻¹ , as well as 0.05 to 0.06 hr ⁻¹ , 0.06 to 0.07 hr ⁻¹ , 0.07 to 0.08 hr ⁻¹ , 0.08 to 0.09 hr ⁻¹ , 0.09 to 0.10 hr ⁻¹ , 0.10 to 0.20 hr ⁻¹ , 0.20 to 0.30 hr ⁻¹ , 0.30 to 0.40 hr ⁻¹ , 0.40 to 0.50 hr ⁻¹ , 0.50 to 0.60 hr ⁻¹ , 0.60 to 0.70 hr ⁻¹ , 0.70 to 0.80 hr ⁻¹ , 0.80 to 0.90 hr ⁻¹ , 0.90 to 1.0 hr ⁻¹ , 1.0 to 2.0 hr ⁻¹ , 2.0 to 3.0 hr ⁻¹ , 3.0 to 4.0 hr ⁻¹ , 4.0 to 5.0 hr ⁻¹ , 5.0 to 6.0 hr ⁻¹ , 6.0 to 7.0 hr ⁻¹ , 7.0 to 8.0 hr ⁻¹ , 8.0 to 9.0 ^hr −1 , and 9.0 to 10.0 hr ⁻¹ ranges, and all ranges and values therebetween. The partial conversion hydrocracking conditions at block 203 may further include a hydrogen to hydrogen mass ratio in the range of 0.1% to 15%, and all values therebetween, such as the ranges of 0.1-0.2%, 0.2-0.4%, 0.4-0.6%, 0.6-0.8%, 0.8-1.0%, 1.0-3.0%, 3.0-6.0%, 6.0-9.0%, 9.0-12.0%, and 12.0-15.0%. In an embodiment of the present invention, at least a portion of the vacuum gas oil feed stream 22 may be fed to the partial conversion hydrocracker 104 to produce additional naphtha, diesel, white unconverted oil, or combinations thereof.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in block 204, method 200 includes treating ninth stream 19 under hydrotreating conditions sufficient to produce one or more lubricant base oils. The one or more lubricant base oils may comprise paraffinic hydrocarbons. In an embodiment of the present invention, the hydrotreating conditions include a hydrotreating temperature of 200 to 450°C, a hydrotreating pressure of 20 to 220 bar, a weight hourly space velocity of 0.1 to 20 hr ^-1 , and a hydrogen to hydrocarbon mass ratio in the range of 0.1% to 15%. Processing at block 204 may further produce LPG, naphtha, or a combination thereof.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in block 205, method 200 includes processing at least a portion of first stream 11 in maximum conversion hydrocracking unit 103 to produce a fifth stream 15 comprising primarily naphtha and a sixth stream 16 comprising diesel. In an embodiment of the present invention, at least a second portion of third stream 13 is processed in maximum conversion hydrocracking unit 103 to produce additional naphtha in fifth stream 15 and additional diesel in sixth stream 16. Treating at least a portion of first stream 11 in block 205 may include subjecting a second portion of third stream 13 to maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions. Maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions in maximum conversion hydrocracking unit 103 at block 205 can include hydrocracking temperatures of 300 to 450°C and all ranges and values therebetween, such as the ranges of 300 to 310°C, 310 to 320°C, 320 to 330°C, 330 to 340°C, 340 to 350°C, 350 to 360°C, 360 to 370°C, 370 to 380°C, 380 to 390°C, 390 to 400°C, 400 to 410°C, 410 to 420°C, 420 to 430°C, 430 to 440°C, and 440 to 450°C. Maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions at block 205 can include hydrocracking pressures from 80 to 200 bar and all ranges and values therebetween, such as ranges of 80 to 100 bar, 100 to 120 bar, 120 to 140 bar, 140 to 160 bar, 160 to 180 bar, and 180 to 200 bar. The maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions in block 205 are 0.05 to 10 hr ⁻¹ , as well as 0.05 to 0.06 hr ⁻¹ , 0.06 to 0.07 hr ⁻¹ , 0.07 to 0.08 hr ⁻¹ , 0.08 to 0.09 hr ⁻¹ , 0.09 to 0.10 hr ^{−1 , 0.10 to 0.20 hr −1 ,} 0.20 to 0.30 hr ⁻¹ , 0.30 to 0.40 hr ⁻¹ , 0.40 to 0.50 hr ⁻¹ , 0.50 to 0.60 hr ⁻¹ , 0.60 to 0.70 hr ⁻¹ , 0.70 to 0.80 hr ⁻¹ , 0.80 to 0.90 hr ⁻¹ , 0.90 to 1.0 hr ⁻¹ , 1.0 to 2.0 hr ⁻¹ , 2.0 to 3.0 hr ⁻¹ , 3.0 to 4.0 hr ⁻¹ , 4.0 to 5.0 hr ⁻¹ , 5.0 to 6.0 hr ⁻¹ , 6.0 to 7.0 hr ⁻¹ , 7.0 to 8.0 hr ⁻¹ , 8.0 to 9.0 ^hr −1 , 9.0 to 10.0 hr ⁻¹ ranges, and all ranges and values therebetween. The maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions at block 205 may further include a hydrogen to hydrocarbon mass ratio in the range of 0.1% to 15%, and all values therebetween, such as the ranges of 0.1-0.2%, 0.2-0.4%, 0.4-0.6%, 0.6-0.8%, 0.8-1.0%, 1.0-3.0%, 3.0-6.0%, 6.0-9.0%, 9.0-12.0%, and 12.0-15.0%. According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in block 206, the method 200 includes passing a fourth stream 14 (heavy hydrocracker bleed) comprising a heavy fraction from the maximum conversion hydrocracking unit 103 to the deasphalting unit 102.

According to embodiments of the present invention, method 200 may further include steam cracking naphtha in steam cracking unit 106 to produce light olefins and/or BTX, as shown in block 207. In embodiments of the present invention, the naphtha in block 207 may include naphtha from seventh stream 17, naphtha from fifth stream 15, and naphtha from residue hydrocracking unit 101. The naphtha processed in block 207 may further include straight-run naphtha produced from distilling crude oil by distillation unit 107, as shown in FIG. 1B. Distillation of crude oil may produce vacuum gas oil stream 22 and/or vacuum resid stream 10, as shown in FIG. 1B.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the steam cracking in block 207 is carried out at a temperature of 750 to 950°C and a residence time of 50 to 1000 ms. In an embodiment of the present invention, the steam cracking in block 207 is carried out at a steam-to-hydrocarbon ratio ranging from 0.1 to 1, and all ranges and values therebetween. In an embodiment of the present invention, the steam cracking in block 207 further produces _C4 hydrocarbons including n-butane, isobutane, isobutene, 1-butene, 2-butene, butadiene, or combinations thereof. The steam cracking in block 206 may further produce pyrolysis gasoline including BTX. In an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1B , the steam cracking in block 207 may further produce a pyrolysis oil stream 23 comprising primarily pyrolysis oil. The pyrolysis oil may include hydrocarbons having a boiling point range of 200 to 700°C. In an embodiment of the present invention, the pyrolysis oil stream 23 is fed to the residue hydrocracking unit 101.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the blocks of FIG. 2, it should be understood that the operation of the present invention is not limited to the specific blocks and/or the specific order of blocks shown in FIG. 2. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may provide functionality as described herein using various blocks in a sequence different from that of FIG. 2.

The systems and processes described herein may also include various devices not shown but known to those skilled in the art of chemical processing. For example, some controllers, pipes, computers, valves, pumps, heaters, thermocouples, pressure indicators, mixers, heat exchangers, etc. may not be shown.

At least seventeen embodiments are described in connection with the present invention. Embodiment 1 is a method for producing olefins and/or aromatics and a lubricant base oil. The method includes hydrocracking a vacuum resid stream to produce a first stream comprising a light oil and a second stream comprising an unconverted heavy oil. The method further includes deasphalting the second stream to produce a third stream comprising a deasphalted oil. The method further includes treating at least a first portion of the third stream to produce one or more lubricant base oils, wherein treating the first portion of the third stream comprises subjecting the first portion of the third stream to partial conversion hydrocracking conditions in a partial conversion hydrocracking unit. The method also includes treating at least a portion of the first stream to produce one or more olefins and/or one or more aromatics, wherein treating the portion of the first stream comprises subjecting the portion of the first stream to maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions in a maximum conversion hydrocracking unit. Embodiment 2 is the method of embodiment 1, further comprising passing a fourth stream comprising a heavy fraction from the maximum conversion hydrocracking unit to a deasphalting unit. Embodiment 3 is the process of embodiment 2, wherein the heavy fraction of the fourth stream comprises primarily polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons together with other hydrocarbons having a boiling point range above 350°C. Embodiment 4 is the process of any of embodiments 1-3, wherein the dealummizing comprises contacting the second stream with one or more of propane, butane, and pentane. Embodiment 5 is the process of any of embodiments 1-4, wherein the dealummized oil comprises primarily hydrocarbons having a boiling point above 400°C. Embodiment 6 is the process of any of embodiments 1-5, wherein the partial conversion hydrocracking conditions comprise a reaction temperature of 300 to 450°C and a reaction pressure of 80 to 200 bar. Embodiment 7 is the process of any of embodiments 1-6, wherein the partial conversion hydrocracking conditions comprise a weight hourly space velocity of 0.05 to 10 hr ^-1 . Embodiment 8 is the process of any of Embodiments 1-7, wherein the maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions comprise a reaction temperature of 300 to 450°C and a reaction pressure of 80 to 200 bar. Embodiment 9 is the process of any of Embodiments 1-8, wherein the maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions comprise a weight hourly space velocity of 0.05 to 10 hr ^-1 . Embodiment 10 is the process of any of Embodiments 1-9, wherein the first portion of the third stream is subjected to partial conversion hydrocracking conditions to produce a seventh stream comprising naphtha, an eighth stream comprising diesel, and a ninth stream comprising white unconverted oil. Embodiment 11 is the process of Embodiment 10, wherein the treating the first portion of the third stream further comprises treating the ninth stream under hydrotreating conditions sufficient to produce one or more lubricating oils. Embodiment 12 is the process of Embodiment 11, wherein the hydrotreating conditions comprise a hydrogen to feed mass ratio in the range of 0.1% to 15%. Embodiment 13 is the method of any of embodiments 11 or 12, wherein the hydrotreating conditions comprise a hydrotreating temperature of 200 to 450°C and a hydrotreating pressure of 20 to 200 bar. Embodiment 14 is the method of any of embodiments 1-13, wherein the step of subjecting at least a portion of the first stream to maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions is adapted to produce a fifth stream comprising naphtha and a sixth stream comprising diesel. Embodiment 15 is the method of embodiment 14, further comprising subjecting a second portion of the third stream to maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions in a maximum conversion hydrocracking unit to produce additional naphtha in the fifth stream and additional diesel in the sixth stream. Embodiment 16 is the method of embodiment 15, further comprising steam cracking the naphtha of the fifth stream to produce light olefins and/or BTX. Embodiment 17 is the method of any of embodiments 1-16, wherein the deasphalting step further produces a tenth stream comprising pitch.

While the embodiments and advantages of the present application have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments, as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, and steps described in the specification. As will be readily apparent from the disclosure to those skilled in the art, existing or later-developed processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps can be utilized that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same results as the corresponding embodiments described herein. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.

Claims (18)

1. A method for producing olefins and/or aromatics and lubricant base oils, comprising:
hydrocracking the vacuum resid stream to produce a first stream comprising light oil and a second stream comprising unconverted heavy oil;
deasphalting the second stream to produce a third stream comprising deasphalted oil;
processing at least a first portion of the third stream to produce one or more lubricant base oils, wherein processing the first portion of the third stream comprises subjecting the first portion of the third stream to partial conversion hydrocracking conditions in a partial conversion hydrocracking unit;
treating at least a portion of said first stream in a maximum conversion hydrocracking unit under maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions to produce a fifth stream comprising naphtha , and steam cracking said naphtha in said fifth stream to produce one or more olefins and/or one or more aromatic compounds , wherein maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions include hydrocracking said portion of said first stream to a maximum extent of hydrocracking or substantially to a maximum extent of hydrocracking;
passing a fourth stream comprising a heavy fraction from said maximum conversion hydrocracking unit to a deasphalting unit;
subjecting the first portion of the third stream to partial conversion hydrocracking conditions to produce a seventh stream comprising naphtha, an eighth stream comprising diesel, and a ninth stream comprising white unconverted oil;
treating the first portion of the third stream further comprises treating the ninth stream under hydrotreating conditions sufficient to produce the one or more lubricant base oils;
The process wherein partial conversion hydrocracking conditions include conditions whereby hydrocracking of said portion of said third stream does not hydrocrack said first portion of said third stream until completion of hydrocracking. The method of claim 1, wherein the heavy fraction of the fourth stream comprises primarily polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in combination with other hydrocarbons having a boiling point range above 350°C. The method of claim 1, wherein the deasphalting comprises contacting the second stream with one or more of propane, butane, and pentane. The method of claim 1, wherein the deasphalted oil primarily contains hydrocarbons having a boiling point above 400°C. The method of claim 1, wherein the partial conversion hydrocracking conditions include a reaction temperature of 300 to 450°C and a reaction pressure of 80 to 200 bar. 2. The process of claim 1, wherein the partial conversion hydrocracking conditions comprise a weight hourly space velocity of 0.05 to 10 hr ⁻¹ . The method of claim 1, wherein the maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions include a reaction temperature of 300 to 450°C and a reaction pressure of 80 to 200 bar. 2. The process of claim 1, wherein the maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions comprise a weight hourly space velocity of 0.05 to 10 hr ⁻¹ . The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrotreating conditions include a hydrogen-to-feed mass ratio in the range of 0.1% to 15%. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrotreating conditions include a hydrotreating temperature of 200 to 450°C and a hydrotreating pressure of 20 to 200 bar. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein subjecting the at least a portion of the first stream to maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions is adapted to produce a sixth stream comprising diesel. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising subjecting a second portion of the third stream to the maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions in a maximum conversion hydrocracking unit to produce additional naphtha in the fifth stream and additional diesel in the sixth stream. The method of claim 12, further comprising steam cracking the naphtha of the fifth stream to produce light olefins and/or BTX. The method of claim 1, wherein the deasphalting further produces a tenth stream comprising pitch. The method of claim 2, wherein the deasphalting further produces a tenth stream comprising pitch. The method of claim 3, wherein the deasphalting further produces a tenth stream comprising pitch. The method of claim 4, wherein the deasphalting further produces a tenth stream comprising pitch. The partial conversion hydrocracking conditions include a reaction temperature of 300 to 450°C and a reaction pressure of 80 to 200 bar;
The maximum conversion hydrocracking conditions include a reaction temperature of 300 to 450°C and a reaction pressure of 80 to 200 bar ; and
10. The method of claim 1, comprising treating the ninth stream under hydrotreating conditions sufficient to produce one or more lubricant base oils .