Staged slurry hydroconversion process

Claim 1

In a slurry hydroconversion process which comprises: (a) treating a slurry of the hydrocarbonaceous oil and particulate catalytic solids in the presence of hydrogen, in a first hydroconversion zone; (b) separating from the resulting first hydroconversion zone effluent, in a separation zone, at separation conditions, at least a heavy oil comprising at least a portion of said catalytic solids; (c) passing solely at least a portion of said heavy oil comprising said portion of said catalytic solids to a second hydroconversion zone; (d) treating said heavy oil in the presence of hydrogen in said second hydroconversion zone; and (e) removing the resulting hydroconverted oil from said second hydroconversion zone, the improvement which comprises: maintaining said first hydroconversion zone at relatively mild hydroconversion conditions; maintaining said second hydroconversion zone at relatively more severe conditions than the conditions of said first hydroconversion zone, said relatively more severe conditions including a temperature ranging from about 800° to about 860° F.; a pressure ranging from about 1000 to about 4000 psia and a liquid hourly space velocity ranging from about 0.1 to about 0.4; separating said hydroconversion zone normally liquid effluent at a distillation cut point ranging from about 975° to about 1050° F., said heavy oil separated in step (b) being the fraction boiling above said cut point, said separation conditions including a temperature ranging from about 650° to about 800° F. and a pressure ranging from about 0.2 to about 2 psia.