Process and apparatus for distilling and visbreaking reduced crude

Claim 1

THE PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES HEATING ATMSPHERIC REDUCED CRUDE TO A TEMPERATURE SUITABLE FOR VACUUM DISTILLATION THEREOF, SUBJECTING THE HEATED ATMOSPHERIC REDUCED CRUDE TO VACUUM DISTILLATION IN A FIRST VACUUM DISTILLATION ZONE IN A VERTICAL VCACUUM DISTILLATION TOWER, RECOVERING A VACUUM REDUCED CRUDE RESIDUAL FRACTION FROM SAID FIRST ZONE, SUBJECTING SAID LATTER FRACTION TO VISBREAKING, RECOVERING A VISBREAKING PRODUCT CONSISTING OF GAS OIL AND HEAVIER HYDROCARBONS, HEATING SAID VISBREAKING PRODUCT TO A TEMPERATURE APPROPRIATE FOR VACUUM DISTILLATION THEREOF, SUBJECTING THE HEATED VISBREAKING PRODUCT TO VACUUM DISTILLATION IN A SECOND VACUUM DISTILLATION ZONE HAVING VAPOR COMMUNICATION TO BUT SEALED FROM LIQUID COMMUNICATION WITH SAID FIRST ZONE SAID FIRST VACUUM DISTILLATION ZONE POSITIONED ABOVE SAID SECOND VACUUM DISTILLATION ZONE, THE TEMPERATURE TO WHICH SAID VISBREAKING PRODUCT IS HEATED PRIOR TO INTRODUCTION INTO SAID SECOND ZONE BEING AT LEAST 10*F. LOWER THAN THE TEMPERATURE TO WHICH SAID ATMOSPHERIC REDUCED CRUDE IS HEATED AND BEING CONTROLLED TO LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF VAPOR PASSED FROM SAID SECND ZONE INTO SAID FIRST ZONE SO AS TO PROVIDE A GAS OIL PRODUCT FROM SAID FIRST ZONE OF SUITABLE COMPOSITION INCLUDING A LOW CONTENT OF METALS FOR A CATALYTIC CRACKING CHARGE STOCK, MAINTIANING THE LIQUIDS IN SAID DISTILLATION ZONES ENTIRELY SEPARATE, PASSING THE VAPOR DERIVED FRM THE VISBREAKING PRODUCT IN SAID SECOND ZONE INTO SAID FIRST ZONE, WITHDRAWING THE UNVAPORIZED PORTION OF THE CHARGE TO THE SECOND ZONE AS THE RESIDUAL PRODUCT THEREOF FREE OF PRODUCTS FROM SID FIRST ZONE, AND RECOVERING A GAS OIL FRACTION FROM SAID FIRST ZONE COMPRISING THE GAS OIL VAPORIZED BY VACUUM DISTILLATION OF THE ATMOSPHERIC REDUCED CRUDE AND THE GAS OIL VAPORIZED BY VACUUM DISTILLATION OF THE VISBREAKING PRODUCT.