Residuum conversion process to obtain lower boiling products by hydrocaracking

Claim 1

THE PROCESS FOR PREPARING NONCOKING, LOW-NITROGENCONTENT, CRACKABLE OIL FROM CRUDE RESIDUA CONTAINING ASPHALTENES AND NITROGEN COMPOUNDS, WHICH COMPRISES: SOLVENT TREATING CRUDE RESIDUA TO REMOVE ASPHALTENES AND THEREBY OBTAIN SUBSTANTIALLY NONASPHALTIC RESIDUA CONTAINING NITROGEN COMPOUNDS, THERMALLY HYDROCRACKING SAID NONASPHALTIC RESIDUA TO CONVERT A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION, LESS THAN ALL, THEREOF TO DISTILLATES IN A NONCATALYTIC CONTACTING ZONE, CATALYTICALLY HYDROCRACKING AT LEAST THE UNCONVERTED PORTION OF RESIDUA REMAINING AFTER THERMAL HYDROCRACKING TO CONVERT A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF SAID REMAINING RESIDUA TO DISTILLATE OILS IN A REACTION ZONE CONTAINING A HYDROCRACKING-DENITRIFICATION CATALYST, WHEREBY THE RESULTING DISTILLATE OILS AND UNCONVERTED RESIDUA ARE SUBSTANTIALLY DENITRIFIED, SEPARATING HYDROGEN-RICH GAS AND REMOVING NH3 FROM THE EFFLUENT OF SAID REACTION ZONE, AND RECOVERING AS NONCOKING, LOW NITROGEN-CONTENT, CRACKABLE OIL, UNCONVERTED RESIDUA REMAINING AFTER SAID CATALYTIC HYDROCRACKING AND AT LEAST THE RESULTING DISTILLATE OILS BOILING ABOVE ABOUT 700* F.