METHOD FOR CONVERTING A HIGH-BOILING HYDROCARBON FEEDSTOCK INTO LIGHTER BOILING HYDROCARBON PRODUCTS

摘要

The present invention relates to a process for converting a high- boiling hydrocarbon feedstock into lighter boiling hydrocarbon products, said lighter boiling hydrocarbon products being suitable as a feedstock for petrochemicals processes, said converting process comprising the following steps of: feeding a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock to a cascade of hydrocracking unit(s), cracking said feedstock in a hydrocracking unit, separating said cracked feedstock into a top stream comprising a light boiling hydrocarbon fraction and a bottom stream comprising a heavy hydrocarbon fraction feeding said bottom stream of such a hydrocracking unit as a feedstock for a subsequent hydrocracking unit in said cascade of hydrocracking unit(s), wherein the process conditions in each hydrocracking unit(s) are different from each other, in which the hydrocracking conditions from the first to the subsequent hydrocracking unit(s) increase from least severe to most severe, and processing the lighter boiling hydrocarbon fractions from each hydrocracking unit(s) as a feedstock for a BTX and LPG producing unit.