GB476026A - Process for the conversion of hydrocarbon oils - Google Patents

Abstract

<PICT:0476026/III/1> In a process for the distillation and conversion of hydrocarbon oils the crude oil supplied by a pump 3, and preheated by passage through a heat exchanger 6 or otherwise, is fractionated in a tower 9 into a high-boiling liquid fraction and a low-boiling vapour fraction. The latter without condensation is cracked in the vapour phase in a coil 12 and the cracked vapours are passed, with or without passage through the heat exchanger 6, into a conversion chamber 20 where they are mixed with the high-boiling fraction of the crude oil collected in the tower 9 and supplied through lines 24, 25 and/or with heavy intermediate products of the cracking reaction supplied through the lines 31, 34. Any of the fractions flowing to the chamber 20 may be subjected to further conversion in a coil 33 as required. The total products from the chamber 20 are vaporized in an evaporator 4 from which heavy residues are removed through a line 42 to storage while the vapours are fractionated in a tower 46 from which (1) bottoms are recirculated through the line 31 to the chamber 20 as described, (2) light intermediate fractions are returned through a line 50 to the coil 12, and (3) the desired light end-point fraction is removed through a line 52, condensed in a cooler 54, and collected and freed from gases in a receiver 57. In a modification vapours are removed separately from the chamber 20 and passed direct to the column 56.