FIELD: chemistry.
SUBSTANCE: present invention provides a method for hydroprocessing of hydrocarbons with uneven catalyst volume distribution from two or more catalyst beds. Method for hydroprocessing of hydrocarbon feed includes (a) providing two or more catalyst beds disposed in sequence and in liquid communication, wherein each catalyst bed is fixed and contains a catalyst, having a catalyst volume, catalyst volume increasing in each subsequent catalyst bed; (b) contacting feed with (i) a diluent and (ii) hydrogen, to produce a feed/diluent/hydrogen mixture, wherein hydrogen is dissolved in mixture to provide a liquid feed; (c) contacting feed/diluent/hydrogen mixture with a first catalyst in a first catalyst bed, to produce a product effluent; (d) contacting a product effluent with a final catalyst in a final catalyst bed, to produce a final product effluent, wherein product effluent contacted with final catalyst is product effluent from catalyst bed immediately prior to final catalyst bed; wherein each contacting step of step (c) and step (d) is performed under liquid-full reaction conditions, and where method is characterised by higher degree of conversion of sulphur and nitrogen in comparison with uniform volume distribution of same catalyst in same volume.
EFFECT: furthermore, hydrocarbons may be converted in a method to produce a liquid product, including clean fuels, with a range of required properties, such as low density and high cetane number.
15 cl, 2 dwg, 7 tbl, 9 ex
