Conversion of crude oil fractions to olefins

Claim 1

A process for the production of an ethylene-propylene product which comprises: A. hydrocracking a crude oil fraction boiling in the range from 200° to 1000°F. by contacting a mixture of said fraction and hydrogen with a highly active sulfided hydrocracking catalyst under a pressure greater than about 400 psig wherein 1. the molar ratio of hydrogen to said fraction is in the range from about 4:1 to about 50:1; 2. the temperature range is from about 300° to about 565°C.; and 3. the residence time is from about one to about 180 seconds; 4. the catalyst comprises of Group VIII metal, a Group VI B metal, or mixtures thereof and a halogen supported on a catalyst support of silica-alumina mixtures, or a natural or synthetic faujasite; 5. conditions (1) - (3) are selected so as to produce a C 2 - C 5 product in a yield of 91- 95% and to achieve a normal paraffin to isoparaffin molar ratio greater than about 3:1 in the C 2 - C 5 portion of the hydrocracked product; B. separating the hydrocracked product of step (A) to recover a C 2 - C 5 alkane product; C. thermally cracking the C 2 - C 5 product and D. recovering ethylene and propylene as co-products.