Treatment of hydrocarbons with hydrocracking in the first stage and hydrogenation ofthe gaseous products

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE HYDROCONVERSION OF A HEAVY HYDROCARBON OIL HAVING A CONRADSON CARBON RESIDUE OF AT LEAST 1% WHICH COMPRISES PASSING AN INTIMATE MIXTURE OF SAID OIL AND HYDROGEN THRUGH A TUBULAR REACTION ZONE UNDER CONDITIONS OF TURBULENT FLOW AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 700 AND 1000*F. AND A PRESSURE BETWEEN ABOUT 500 AND 5000 P.S.I.G., SEPARATING THE EFFLUENT FROM SAID TUBULAR REACTION ZONE AT PREVAILING CONDITIONS INTO A LIQUID PORTION AND A GASEOUS PORTION, COLLECTING THE SEPARATED LIQUID AND MAINTAINING SAME AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME CONDITIONS OF TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE AS THE SEPARATION ZONE RECYCLING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID COLLECTED LIQUID PORTION TO THE TUBULAR REACTION ZONE, SAID RECYCLED PORTION BEING MAINTAINED IN THE SUBSTANTIAL ABSENCE OF HYDROGEN FROM ITS SEPARATION UNTIL ITS REINTRODUCTION INTO SAID TUBULAR REACTION ZONE, COOLING SAID GASEOUS PORTION, THEREAFTER PASSING SAID GASEOUS PORTION INTO CONTACT WITH A HYDROGENATION CATALYST UNDER HYDROGENTATION CONDITIONS AND RECOVERING NORMALLY LIQUID HYDROCARBONS FROM THE CATALYTIC HYDOGENATION ZONE EFFLUENT.