Processing of heavy hydrocarbon oils

Claim 1

An integrated process for upgrading diverse refractory hydrocarbon oils which comprises (1) contacting a heavy hydrocarbon oil feedstock in a first extraction zone with a dense-gas fluid solvent under supercritical conditions of temperature and pressure for said solvent to dissolve a portion of said oil feedstock and form a first solvent extract phase containing the dissolved oil portion and an undissolved residual solids-enriched phase; (2) passing the said first solvent extract phase into a second extraction zone, and adjusting supercritical conditions of temperature and pressure to change the solubility of said oil portion in said dense-gas fluid solvent and cause formation of a second solvent extract phase containing dissolved hydrocarbon solute having a metals factor of less than about 30 and a Conradson Carbon Residue content of less than about 10, and condense or precipitate from said first solvent extract phase a separate asphaltic phase comprising heavy hydrocarbon constituents; (3) fractionating the second solvent extract phase in a separation zone to recover the dense-gas solvent, light hydrocarbon constituents having a boiling point below about 500° F., and a hydrocarbon oil fraction having a boiling point range above about 500° F., and recycling the dense-gas solvent; (4) subjecting said above 500° F. range hydrocarbon oil fraction to cracking conditions to form a crackate product mixture, and fractionally distilling the crackate product mixture to yield 100°-650° F. range distillates, and a refractory hydrocarbon bottoms fraction; (5) charging said bottoms fraction, together with the asphaltic phase produced and separated in step (2), into a heating zone, wherein said charge under hydrogen pressure is converted by hydrocracking to a lighter hydrocarbon effluent having a boiling range of about 100°-700° F.; and (6) fractionating the lighter hydrocarbon effluent to remove gaseous light ends and provide a liquid hydrocarbon fraction boiling above about 200° F., and recycling said liquid hydrocarbon fraction as part of the feedstock to the first extraction zone in step (1).