A RPOCESS FOR CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS OF HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT INTO HYDROCARBONS OF LOWER AVERAGE MOLECULAR WEIGHT AND LOWER AVERAGE BOILING POINT

摘要

A process for converting hydrocarbon oils into products of lower average molecular weight and lower average boiling point comprising contacting a hydrocarbon oil at elevated temperature and pressure in the presence of hydrogen with a catalyst comprising a modified Y zeolite having a unit cell size below 24.45 ANGSTROM , a degree of crystallinity which is at least retained at increasing SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratios, a water adsorption capacity (at 25 DEG C and a p/po value of 0.2) of at least 8% by weight of modified zeolite and a pore volume of at least 0.25 ml/g wherein between 10% and 60% of the total pore volume is made up of pores having a diameter of at least 8 nm, an amorphous cracking component, a binder and at least one hydrogenation component of a Group VI metal and/or at least one hydrogenation component of a Group VIII metal. The invention also relates to catalyst compositions suitable for use in said process.