Combination reforming and cracking process

Claim 1

IN A REFINING OPERATION WHEREIN FRACTIONS OF MIXED HYDROCARBONS OF DIFFERING BOILING POINTS ARE SUBJECTED TO A PLURALITY OF REFINING PROCESS STEPS TO PREPARE A PLURALITY OF REFINEY POOL GASOLINE FRACTIONS, EACH OF WHICH IS ULTIMATELY UTILIZED AS A COMPONENT IN AT LEAST ONE FINAL GASOLINE PRODUCT, AND WHEREIN ONE OF SAID PROCESS STEPS INVOLVES REFORMING OF A GASOLINE FEED FRACTION OF RELATIVELY LOW ANTI-KNOCK RATING AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE TO FORM A REFORMED GASOLINE PRODUCT OF IMPROVED ANTI-KNOCK RATING, A METHOD FOR INCREASING THE OVERALL ANTI-KNOCK RATING AND DECREASING THE OVERALL LOW OCTANE VOLATILITY OF THE TOTAL OF SAID REFINERY POOL GASOLINE FRACTIONS, WHILE ALSO MANUFACTURING ETHYLENE AS A PRODUCT, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES; SUBJECTING THE HYDROCARBON FRACTION CONTAINING SAID GASOLINE REFORMER FEED TO AT LEAST ONE SEPARATION OPERATION TO PROVIDE A REFORMER GASOLINE FEED; SUBJECTING SAID REFORMER FEED, AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE, TO REFORMING UNDER CONDITIONS CONTROLLED TO EFFECT CONVERSION TO A REFORMED PRODUCT CONTAINING GASOLINE OF SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVED ANTI-KNOCK RATING; SUBJECTING SAID REFORMED PRODUCT TO AT LEAST ONE SEPARATION OPERATION TO REMOVE THEREFROM AT LEAST THE C3 AND LIGHTER HYDROCARBONS AND TO PROVIDE A STABILIZED REFORMATE GASOLINE; SEPARATING FROM THE MATERIAL BEING PROCESSED IN AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SEPARATION OPERATIONS AT LEAST MOST OF AT LEAST ONE OF THE CONTAINED ALIPHATIC HYDROCARBON MATERIALS WITHIN THE RANGE OF C5 TO C7 HYDROCARBONS; SUBJECTING THE HYDROCARBON MATERIAL SO SEPARATED TO PYROLYTIC CRACKING AT TEMPERATURES WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 1,300 TO 1,750*F. AND UNDER CONDITIONS CONTROLLED TO CONVERT SAID MATERIALS TO A CRACKED PRODUCT MADE UP PRINCIPALLY OF HYDROCARBONS HAVING LESS THAN FIVE CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE AND CONTAINING SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF GASEOUS OLEFINS, INCLUDING ETHYLENE; SUBJECTING SAID CRACKED PRODUCT TO A SEPARATION OPERATION TO RECOVER ESSENTIALLY PURE ETHYLENE THEREFROM AS A PRODUCT AND TO RECOVER AN ALKYLATION FEED STOCK RICH IN AT LEAST ONE OLEFIN WITHIN RANGE OF C3 TO C4 OLEFINS; SUBJECTING SAID LAST-NAMED FEED STOCK TO ALKYLATION WITH A SUITABLE ALKYLATABLE MATERIAL TO FORM AN ALKYLATE GASOLINE OF HIGH ANTI-KNOCK RATING; RECOVERING SAID ALKYLATE GASOLINE OF HIGH UTILIZING THE SAME AS ONE OF SAID REFINERY POOL GASOLINE FRACTIONS, AND UTILIZING THE REMAINING STABILIZED REFORMATE AS ANOTHER OF SAID REFINERY POOL GASOLINE FRACTIONS.