Fluidized catalytic cracking process for increased hydrogen production

Claim 1

In a fluidized catalytic cracking process wherein hydrocarbon charge and regenerated catalyst are contacted at fluidized cracking conditions using a crystalline zeolitic alumina-silicate cracking catalyst or an amorphous silica-containing cracking catalyst or a mixture thereof in a reaction zone for production of cracked vapors and coke contaminated spent catalyst, wherein said cracked vapors, recovered from said reaction zone, are fractionated in a fractionation zone into at least a gas fraction comprising hydrogen and light hydrocarbons and one or more liquid hydrocarbon fractions, wherein said spent catalyst from said reaction zone is regenerated by burning coke therefrom with air in a regeneration zone for production of regenerated catalyst, and wherein hot regenerated catalyst from said regeneration zone is returned to said reaction zone for contact with additional hydrocarbon charge; the improvement comprising; (a) adding in said fluidized catalytic cracking process compounds of metals selected from the group consisting of nickel, vanadium, iron and mixtures thereof sufficient to maintain from about 1000 to 10,000 ppmw of said metals upon said regenerated catalyst exiting said reaction zone; and (b) adding in said process compounds of sodium for deposition of sodium upon said regenerated catalyst in an amount within the range of 1000 to 5000 ppmw sufficient for increasing the hydrogen yield from cracking said hydrocarbon charge.