Process of hydrocracking heavy oil

Abstract

To provide a process of hydrocracking heavy oil capable of obtaining cracked light oil with higher yields and/or milder reaction conditions than the conventionally proposed hydrocracking process in a suspended bed method using an iron-based catalyst when hydrocracking heavy oil containing heavy metal components produced in a refining process of crude oil into lighter oil. There are provided (1) a process of hydrocracking heavy oil containing heavy metal components produced in a refining process of crude oil, comprising a vacuum distillation step to obtain the heavy oil as distillation residue by vacuum distillation; and a reaction step to hydrocrack the heavy oil in the presence of an iron-based catalyst in a suspended bed reactor, wherein the distillation is conducted at 350° C. or less in the vacuum distillation step, (2) in the preceding process, reaction conditions in the reaction step are a reaction pressure of 60-160 kg/cm 2 ; a reaction temperature of 430-455° C.; and a reaction time of 30-180 minutes.

1 . A process of hydrocracking heavy oil containing heavy metal components produced in a refining process of crude oil, comprising:
 a vacuum distillation step to obtain the heavy oil as distillation residue by vacuum distillation; and   a reaction step to hydrocrack the heavy oil in the presence of an iron-based catalyst in a suspended bed reactor,   wherein the distillation is conducted at 350° C. or less in the vacuum distillation step.   
     
     
         2 . The process of hydrocracking heavy oil according to  claim 1 , comprising:
 a recycling step in which a liquid-phase fluid obtained by gas-liquid separation of the reaction products from the reaction step is recycled to the suspended bed reactor; and   a recycling step in which after separation of a solid component from the liquid-phase fluid, the resultant fluid is recycled to the suspended bed reactor.   
     
     
         3 . The process of hydrocracking heavy oil according to  claim 2 , wherein the content of heavy oil components with a boiling point of 525° C. or more in the liquid-phase fluid recycling in the recycling step is 10-100 mass % of the amount of heavy oil supplied into the suspended bed reactor in the reaction step. 
     
     
         4 . The process of hydrocracking heavy oil according to  claim 1 , wherein the reaction conditions in the reaction step are a reaction pressure of 60-160 kg/cm 2 ; a reaction temperature of 430-455° C.; and a reaction time of 30-180 minutes. 
     
     
         5 . The process of hydrocracking heavy oil according to  claim 1 , wherein the iron based catalyst is a natural limonite iron ore catalyst. 
     
     
         6 . The process of hydrocracking heavy oil according to  claim 1 , wherein the iron based catalyst is a natural limonite iron ore catalyst of 2 μm or less in an average particle size being mechanically pulverized in a petroleum solvent. 
     
     
         7 . The process of hydrocracking heavy oil according to  claim 5  or  claim 6 , wherein the natural limonite iron ore catalyst is a natural limonite iron ore catalyst containing essentially no iron oxide. 
     
     
         8 . The process of hydrocracking heavy oil according to  claim 5 , wherein on supplying the natural limonite iron ore catalyst into the suspended bed reactor, the amount supplied is 0.3-2 mass % as an ion component of the amount of heavy oil supplied.