Hydrocarbon conversion process

Claim 1

IN A CATALYTIC CRACKING PROCESS WHEREIN 30 TO 80 VOLUME PERCENT OF A FIRST HYDROCARBON FEEDSTOCK OTHER THAN SUBSTANTIALLY HYDROGENATED NONSYNTHETIC MATERIALS FROM A HYDROCRACKING ZONE IS CONVERTED PER PASS IN A CATALYTIC CRACKING ZONE AT PARTICULAR CATALYTIC CRACKING CONDITIONS INCLUDING A PRESSURE OF ABOUT 10 TO 50 P.S.I.G., A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 850* TO 1000*F. AND A MAXIMUM FEED RATE IN VOLUMES OF SAID FIRST FEEDSTOCK PER VOLUME OF CATALYST PER HOUR, TO PRODUCTS INCLUDING GASOLINE, WITH CONSEQUENT COKE LAYDOWN ON THE CATALYTIC CRACKING CATALYST AND WHEREIN SAID FEED RATE IS AT A MAXIMUM BECAUSE SAID CATALYTIC CRACKING ZONE IS AT THE LIMITS OF ITS COKE BURNING CAPACITY, THE METHOD OF INCREASING THE GASOLINE PRODUCTION RATE WITHOUT SUBSTANTIALLY CHANGING SAID CONDITIONS WHICH COMPRISES: (A) CONTINUING TO CONVERT SAID FIRST HYDROCARBON FEEDSTOCK IN SAID CATALYTIC CRACKING ZONE AT SAID MAXIMUM FEED RATE, (B) ADDING TO EACH VOLUME OF SAID FIRST FEEDSTOCK 0.1 TO 1 VOLUME OF A SECOND HYDROCARBON FEEDSTOCK OBTAINED AS HEREINAFTER SPECIFIED, (C) HYDROCRACKING IN A HYDROCRACKING ZONE A THIRD HYDROCARBON FEEDSTOCK BOILING ABOVE 300*F. AND CONTAINING AT LEAST 20 VOLUME PERCENT AROMATICS AT A PER MASS CONVERSION TO SYNTHETIC PRODUCTS OF AT LEAST 30 VOLUME PERCENT WITH A HYDROCRACKING CATALYST COMPRISING A CRACKING COMPONENT CONSISTING OF SILICA, ALUMINA, BAUXITE, SILICA-ALUMINA, SILICA-MAGNESIA, SILICA-ALUMINA-ZIRCONIA, OR ACID-TREATED CLAYS AND A HYDROGENATING COMPONENT CONSISTING OF THE METALS, OXIDES OR SULFIDES OF MOLYBDENUM, TUNGSTEN, VANADIUM, CHROMIUM, IRON, NICKEL, COBALT OR PLATINUM OR MIXTURES THEREOF, UNDER HYDROCRACKING CONDITIONS INCLUDING A PRESSURE OF AT LEAST 1000 P.S.I.G., A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 400* TO 950*F., A RATIO OF HYDROGEN TO TOTAL FEED TO SAID HYDROCRACKING ZONE OF ABOUT 2,000 TO 30,000 S.C.F. PER BARREL, AN LHSV OF ABOUT 0.2 TO 15, SAID HYDROCRACKING CONDITIONS SELECTED TO PRODUCE A NET HYDROGEN CONSUMPTION IN SAID HYDROCRACKING ZONE OF AT LEAST 750 S.C.F. PER BARREL OF SAID FEEDSTOCK AND TO SUBSTANTIALLY HYDROGENATE THE PORTION OF SAID THIRD FEEDSTOCK NOT CONVERTED TO SAID SYNTHETIC PRODUCTS, AND (D) USING THE NECESSARY AMOUNT OF SAID SUBSTANTIALLY HYDROGENATED PORTION AS SAID SECOND FEEDSTOCK, WHEREBY DURING SAID CATALYTIC CRACKING TOGETHER OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND HYDROCARBON FEEDSTOCKS THE RATE OF COKE LAYDOWN IS MAINTAINED AT NO MORE THAN OBTAINED DURING SAID CATALYTIC CRACKING OF SAID FIRST FEEDSTOCK ALONE, AND THE GASOLINE PRODUCTION RATE FROM SAID CATALYTIC CRACKING ZONE IS GREATER THAN THE COMBINED GASOLINE PRODUCTION RATE THAT WOULD BE OBTAINED BY SEPARATELY CATALYTICALLY CRACKING SAID FIRST AND SECOND HYDROCARBON FEEDSTOCKS UNDER SAID CATALYTIC CRACKING CONDITIONS.