Process and system for converting crude oil to petrochemical products

Abstract

A process for treating a crude oil feedstock includes introducing a crude oil stream to a reactive distillation unit to remove Conang carbon residues and metals in the crude oil stream and produce a distillate stream having a lower average boiling point distribution than the crude oil stream. The distillate stream is delivered in gaseous form continuously and without further processing to a catalytic cracking reactor in which the distillate stream is cracked to form a petrochemical product stream comprising light olefins and BTX. The catalytic cracking reactor contains a cracking catalyst and a susceptor material dispersed throughout the catalytic cracking reactor. Furthermore, the catalytic cracking reactor is operated at a temperature of 300 DEG C to 800 DEG C, heated by magnetic induction of the susceptor material.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the production of petrochemicals, and more particularly, to a process and related system for the direct production of petrochemicals from crude oil using induction heating. BACKGROUND

[0002] Crude oil refineries are generally focused on the production of transportation fuels such as gasoline, diesel and kerosene, with the incidental production of small but economically important quantities of petrochemicals base materials, mainly ethylene, propylene, butylenes, butadiene and aromatic compounds such as benzene, toluene and xylene. These are the most common petrochemical feedstocks, whose market is expanding faster than that of fuels. They are produced mainly by steam cracking of gas oil or light distillates, with some coming from refinery processes, such as propylene from FCC, and aromatics from reforming. Thus, the availability of these chemicals is dependent on the refinery business. From a chemical market perspective, it can therefore be desirable to produce these petrochemical base materials directly from a universally available feedstock. Crude oil is an ideal candidate, available cheaply everywhere, and compatible with the chemical business.

[0003] Past attempts to directly convert crude oil in a steam cracker were limited by coil coking and limited product flexibility. In recent years, some processing schemes have been proposed that build on a conventional refinery, then optimize the conversion of heavy fractions (VGO and resid) to light distillates by combining catalytic cracking, hydrocracking, fluid coking and delayed coking. The light distillates from direct distillation or bottom oil conversion are then converted with paraffinic gases in a multi-feed (from ethane to light gas oil) steam cracker co-located with an aromatics complex, configured similarly to what is seen in a conventional petrochemical hub. These complexes rely on proven technology, but involve a large number of units. To reduce this complexity and associated costs, an improved scheme has been proposed, in which crude oil is simply split into two fractions, with the light fraction sent to steam cracking, and the heavier fraction converted in a single unit, preferably a fluid catalytic cracking or hydrocracking unit. Such processes include a major conversion step of light distillates to chemicals, which relies on a steam cracking process that is energy intensive and has limited product selectivity.

[0004] Furthermore, as shown previously, past attempts to directly convert crude oil are energy intensive, and therefore typically generate large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions in this process, especially in high temperature processes such as steam cracking. SUMMARY

[0005] Accordingly, given the growing demand for these intermediate petrochemical products such as light olefins, there is a need for processes to produce these intermediate compounds from other types of feedstocks that are abundantly supplied at relatively low cost. Moreover, it is also desirable that in producing the intermediate petrochemical products, there is not a large production of greenhouse gases. The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for producing these intermediate compounds (sometimes referred to as "system products" as used in the present disclosure) by direct conversion of crude oil as a feedstock, where system heating is provided by induction heating of susceptor material, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for burning hydrocarbons to produce heat.

[0006] According to one or more embodiments, the crude oil feedstock can be processed by a method comprising introducing the crude oil stream into a reaction distillation unit to remove conradson carbon and metals from the crude oil stream and generate a distillate stream having an average boiling point distribution lower than the crude oil stream, a light gas stream consisting of C1-C4 hydrocarbons, a heavy liquid fraction comprising atmospheric residue formed from hydrocarbons having a boiling point of 400°C or higher, and coke. The distillate stream is continuously delivered in gaseous form and without further treatment to a catalytic cracking reactor in which the distillate stream is cracked to form a petrochemical product stream comprising light olefins and BTX, a light gas stream effluent consisting of hydrogen and C1-C4 alkanes, and an unconverted distillate stream comprising the remaining portion of the distillate stream delivered to the catalytic cracking reactor unit, wherein the catalytic cracking reactor comprises a cracking catalyst and a susceptor material dispersed throughout the catalytic cracking reactor, and the catalytic cracking reactor is operated at a temperature of 300°C to 800°C by magnetic induction heating of the susceptor material.

[0007] According to one or more further embodiments, a crude oil feedstock can be processed by a method comprising introducing a crude oil stream into a reaction distillation unit to remove Conradson carbon residue and metals from the crude oil stream and to generate a distillate stream having an average boiling point distribution lower than the crude oil stream, a light gas stream consisting of C1-C4hydrocarbons, a heavy liquid fraction comprising atmospheric residue formed from hydrocarbons having a boiling point of 400°C or higher, and coke. The distillate stream is continuously delivered in gaseous form and without further treatment to a catalytic cracking reactor in which the distillate stream is cracked to form a petrochemical product stream comprising light olefins and BTX, a light gas effluent consisting of hydrogen and C1-C4alkanes, and an unconverted distillate stream comprising the remainder of the distillate stream delivered to the catalytic cracking reactor unit. Therein, the catalytic cracking reactor comprises a cracking catalyst and susceptor material dispersed throughout the catalytic cracking reactor and the catalytic cracking reactor is operated at a temperature of 300°C to 800°C by magnetic induction heating of the susceptor material. Further, the reaction distillation unit comprises solid particles disposed within the reaction distillation unit, wherein the solid particles comprise a second susceptor material, such that the reaction distillation unit is heated by magnetic induction to a temperature of 300°C to 500°C, the second susceptor material being the same as or different from the susceptor material.

[0008] The reaction distillation unit comprises solid particles disposed within the reaction distillation unit, wherein the solid particles comprise a second susceptor material, such that the reaction distillation unit is heated by magnetic induction, the second susceptor material being the same as or different from the susceptor material.

[0009] Additional features and advantages of the technology disclosed herein will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art who practice the technology, including making and using, as well as those realized before the following detailed description is read. It is to be understood that the technology disclosed herein can be carried out by specific BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0010] The following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present disclosure can best be understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings, in which the same reference notations are used to indicate the same components throughout, and in which: Figure 1 A general schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a crude oil conversion system according to one or more embodiments described in the present disclosure is shown; Figure 2 A general schematic diagram illustrating another embodiment of a crude oil conversion system according to one or more embodiments described in the present disclosure is shown; Figure 3 A general schematic diagram illustrating another embodiment of a crude oil conversion system according to one or more embodiments described in the present disclosure is shown; Figure 4A general schematic diagram showing another embodiment of a crude oil conversion system according to one or more embodiments described in the present disclosure; Figure 5 A general schematic diagram showing another embodiment of a crude oil conversion system according to one or more embodiments described in the present disclosure; Figure 6 A general schematic diagram showing another embodiment of a crude oil conversion system according to one or more embodiments described in the present disclosure; Figure 7A A solid particle according to one or more embodiments described in the present disclosure is shown; Figure 7B A solid particle according to one or more embodiments described in the present disclosure is shown; Figure 8 A pellet of cracking catalyst and susceptor material according to one or more embodiments described in the present disclosure is shown; Figure 9A A core-shell particle of cracking catalyst and susceptor material according to one or more embodiments described in the present disclosure is shown; Figure 9B A core-shell particle of cracking catalyst and susceptor material separated by an interface layer according to one or more embodiments described in the present disclosure is shown; Figure 10 A pellet of core-shell particles according to one or more embodiments described in the present disclosure is shown; For the sake of simplicity and clarity of the Figures 1 to 5 schematic diagram and description, numerous valves, temperature sensors, electronic controllers, and similar components that would be employed by one of ordinary skill in the art in a particular chemical processing operation and that are well known are not included. In addition, accompanying components that are typically included in conventional chemical processing operations, such as air supply, catalyst hoppers, and flue gas treatment in a refinery, are also not shown. It should be understood that these components are within the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Operating components such as those described in the present disclosure can be added to the embodiments described in the present disclosure.

[0011] It is also noted that the arrows in the figures represent a process stream. However, these arrows can also represent a transfer line, which can be used to transfer a process stream between two or more system components. Additionally, an arrow connected to a system component defines an inlet or an outlet in each given system component. The direction of the arrow generally corresponds to the primary direction of movement of the material contained within the physical transfer line to which the arrow is pointing. Furthermore, an arrow not connecting two or more system components represents a product stream exiting the illustrated system or a system inlet stream entering the illustrated system. The product stream can be further processed in a companion chemical processing system or commercialized as a final product. The system inlet stream can be a stream transferred from a companion chemical processing system or an untreated feed stream. Some arrows can represent a recycle stream, i.e., a stream of effluent from a system component that is recycled back to the system. However, it is understood that in some embodiments, any recycle stream represented can be replaced by a system inlet stream of the same material, and a portion of the recycle stream can exit the system as a system product.

[0012] Additionally, the arrows in the figures can schematically show the process steps of transporting a stream from one system component to another system component. For example, an arrow pointing from one system component to another system component can represent "delivering" the effluent of the system component to the other system component, which can include the contents of the process stream "exiting" or being "removed" from one system component and "introducing" the contents of the product stream to the other system component.

[0013] It is understood that in Figures 1 to 6 In the schematic flow diagrams, when two or more lines intersect, it represents that two or more process streams are "mixed" or "combined." Mixing or combining can also include mixing by directly introducing two streams into the same reactor, separation device, or other system component. For example, it is understood that when two streams are shown as being directly combined prior to entering a separation unit or reactor, in some embodiments, the streams can be equivalently introduced into the separation unit or reactor and mixed in the reactor.

[0014] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same or like reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Described in the present disclosure are various embodiments of systems and methods for processing a crude oil feedstock directly into value-added chemicals such as ethylene, propylene, butylenes, and BTX (benzene, toluene, xylene). Generally, the processing of the crude oil feedstock includes two closely linked stages. In the first stage, contaminants such as Conradson Carbon Residue (CCR) and metals in the crude oil feedstock are substantially removed, and the boiling point distribution of the feedstock is lowered to facilitate its processing in the second stage. In the second stage, the effluent selected from the first stage is directly fed in gaseous form to a catalytic cracking reactor to produce value-added chemicals. Furthermore, the heat of reaction for processing in the first stage, the second stage, or both the first and second stages is provided by induction heating of susceptor material.

[0015] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a method for processing a crude oil feedstock includes a two-stage process. The first stage includes introducing a crude oil stream to a reaction distillation unit to remove Conradson Carbon Residue and metals from the crude oil stream. Furthermore, the first stage produces a distillate stream having an average boiling point distribution lower than that of the crude oil stream, a light gas stream composed of C1-C4 hydrocarbons, a heavy liquid fraction comprising atmospheric residue formed from hydrocarbons having a boiling point of 400 °C or higher, and coke. The second stage includes continuously and without further processing delivering the distillate stream in gaseous form to a catalytic cracking reactor. The catalytic cracking reactor has built-in cracking catalysts that crack the distillate stream to form a petrochemical product stream comprising light olefins and BTX, a light gas effluent composed of hydrogen and C1-C4 alkanes, and an unconverted distillate stream comprising the remainder of the distillate stream delivered to the catalytic cracking reactor unit. In addition to the cracking catalysts, the catalytic cracking reactor has susceptor material, the cracking catalysts and the susceptor material being dispersed throughout the catalytic cracking reactor. Furthermore, the catalytic cracking reactor operates at a temperature of 300 °C to 800 °C.

[0016] After generally introducing methods for processing a crude oil feedstock according to the present disclosure, definitions of various terms used in the present disclosure are also provided.

[0017] As used in the present disclosure, a "reactor" refers to a vessel in which one or more chemical reactions between one or more reactants can occur, optionally in the presence of one or more catalysts. For example, a reactor can include a tank reactor or a tube reactor configured to operate as a batch reactor, a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), or a plug flow reactor. Example reactors include packed bed reactors such as fixed bed reactors and fluidized bed reactors. One or more "reaction zones" can be provided in a reactor. As used in the present disclosure, a "reaction zone" refers to a region in a reactor in which a particular reaction occurs. For example, a packed bed reactor having multiple catalyst beds can have multiple reaction zones, where each reaction zone is defined by the region of each catalyst bed.

[0018] As used in the present disclosure, a "separation unit" refers to any separation device that at least partially separates one or more chemicals mixed in a process stream from each other. For example, a separation unit can selectively separate different chemical species from each other, thereby forming one or more chemical fractions. Examples of separation units include, but are not limited to, distillation columns, flash tanks, knock-out drums, knock-out pots, centrifuges, filtration devices, traps, scrubbers, expansion devices, membranes, solvent extraction devices, and the like. It should be understood that the separation processes described in the present disclosure can not completely separate all of one chemical component from all of another chemical component. It should be understood that the separation processes described in the present disclosure "at least partially" separate different chemical components from each other, and even if not explicitly stated, it should be understood that the separation can include only partial separation. As used in the present disclosure, one or more chemical components can be "separated" from a process stream to form a new process stream. Typically, a process stream can enter a separation unit and be divided or separated into two or more process streams having a desired composition. Further, in some separation processes, a "lower boiling point fraction" (sometimes referred to as a "light fraction") and a "higher boiling point fraction" (sometimes referred to as a "heavy fraction") can exit a separation unit, where, on average, the contents of the lower boiling point fraction stream have a lower boiling point than the higher boiling point fraction stream. Other streams can be intermediate between the lower boiling point fraction and the higher boiling point fraction, such as an "intermediate boiling point fraction."

[0019] It should be understood that "effluent" generally refers to a stream exiting a system component, such as a separation unit, a reactor, or a reaction zone, after a particular reaction or separation, and generally has a different composition (at least in proportion) than the stream entering the separation unit, reactor, or reaction zone.

[0020] As used in the present disclosure, a "catalyst" refers to any substance that increases the rate of a particular chemical reaction. The catalysts described in the present disclosure can be used to facilitate various reactions, such as, but not limited to, cracking, demetallization, de-aromatization, desulfurization, and denitrification. As used in the present disclosure, "cracking" generally refers to a chemical reaction that breaks down a molecule having carbon-carbon bonds into more than one molecule by breaking one or more carbon-carbon bonds.

[0021] As used in the present disclosure, a "susceptor" or "magnetic susceptor" refers to any material that heats by magnetic induction. Specifically, the introduction of a magnetic field proximate to a susceptor causes the magnetic field energy to be converted into heat energy within the susceptor. The conversion of magnetic energy from the magnetic field into heat energy causes the temperature of the susceptor to increase.

[0022] It is also to be understood that streams can be named according to their components, and that the components used to name a stream can be the primary components of that stream (e.g., 50 weight percent (wt%) of the contents of the stream, 70 wt%, 90 wt%, 95 wt%, 99 wt%, 99.5 wt%, or even 99.9 wt% to 100 wt% of the contents of the stream). It is also to be understood that when a stream containing a component is disclosed as being delivered from one system component to another system component, the component of the stream is disclosed as being delivered from the one system component to the other system component. For example, a disclosed "hydrogen stream" delivered from a first system component to a second system component is to be understood as equivalent to disclosing "hydrogen" delivered from the first system component to the second system component.

[0023] Referring now to Figure 1 , a hydrocarbon conversion system 10 is schematically illustrated. The hydrocarbon conversion system 10 generally receives a crude oil stream 100 and directly processes the crude oil stream 100 to form a petrochemical product stream containing light olefins and BTX. While the present description and examples can specify crude oil as the material of the crude oil stream 100, it is to be understood that the hydrocarbon conversion system 10 described with respect to the embodiments of Figures 1 to 6 is applicable to converting a variety of feed hydrocarbons, including whole crude oil or a crude oil fraction. The crude oil stream 100 used can be Arabian Light crude oil. Table 1 illustrates example properties of a certain grade of Arabian Light crude oil.

[0024] Table 1 - Arabian Light Feed Example

[0025] In one or more embodiments, the crude oil stream 100 provided to the hydrocarbon conversion system 10 contains less than 10 weight percent (wt%) CCR and less than 50 parts per million (ppm) metals. For the purposes of the present disclosure, the metals content is based on the content of nickel (Ni) and vanadium (V). In various embodiments, the crude oil stream 100 provided to the hydrocarbon conversion system 10 contains less than 8 wt% CCR, less than 6 wt% CCR, less than 5 wt% CCR, less than 3 wt% CCR, or less than 2 wt% CCR. Further, in various embodiments, the crude oil stream 100 provided to the hydrocarbon conversion system 10 contains less than 40 ppm metals, less than 30 ppm metals, less than 20 ppm metals, or less than 10 ppm metals. It is expressly stated that the CCR and metals content disclosed in various manners can be combined in any manner and combination.

[0026] In one or more embodiments, the crude oil stream 100 provided to the hydrocarbon conversion system 10 can contain a variable amount of hydrocarbons having a boiling point range within the gasoline, diesel, vacuum gas oil (VGO), and resid fractions. It is noted that gasoline is considered to be hydrocarbons having a boiling point range from the initial boiling point (ibp) to 216°C, diesel is considered to be hydrocarbons having a boiling point range from 216°C to 360°C, VGO is considered to be hydrocarbons having a boiling point range from 360°C to 538°C, and resid is considered to be hydrocarbons having a boiling point range greater than 538°C. VGO can be further subdivided into light VGO from 360°C to 450°C and heavy VGO from 450°C to 538°C.

[0027] The crude oil stream 100 can be delivered to the reaction distillation unit 20 to remove Conradson carbon and metals from the crude oil stream 100 and generate a distillate stream 200 having a lower average boiling point distribution than the crude oil stream 100. Specifically, a majority of the crude oil stream 100 is converted to the distillate stream 200, and the distillate stream 200 has a lower contaminant content than the crude oil stream 100. In various embodiments, the distillate stream 200 can comprise at least 60 wt%, at least 65 wt%, at least 70 wt%, at least 75 wt%, or at least 80 wt% of the total effluent of the reaction distillation unit 20. It is noted that the distillate stream 200 is considered to be hydrocarbons having a boiling point within an upper range between the ibp to 300°C and an upper limit of 538°C. In various embodiments, the upper limit can be 500°C, 475°C, 450°C, 425°C, or 400°C. Thus, the distillate stream 200 does not include hydrocarbon gases that exist at standard temperature and pressure (STP) (such as light gases including hydrogen, methane, ethane, ethylene, propane, propylene, butane, and butylene). In addition to the distillate stream 200, other products generated in the reaction distillation unit 20 include a light gas stream 201 composed of C1-C4 hydrocarbons, a heavy liquid fraction 203 comprising atmospheric resid formed from hydrocarbons having a boiling point higher than the end boiling point of the distillate stream 200, and coke.

[0028] In one or more embodiments, the reaction distillation unit 20 is operated at a temperature to partially vaporize the crude oil stream 100 to produce various effluents including the distillate stream 200, the light gas stream 201, and the heavy liquid fraction 203. In one or more embodiments, the reaction distillation unit 20 is operated at a temperature range from 300°C to 500°C. In various further embodiments, the reaction distillation unit 20 is operated at a temperature range from 300°C to 450°C, 340°C to 450°C, 380°C to 450°C, or 420°C to 450°C. At these operating temperatures, gasoline, diesel, and a portion of the light vacuum gas oil (VGO) fraction will vaporize and form part of the distillate stream 200 that is sent to the catalytic cracking reactor 30 that constitutes the second stage of the disclosed process.

[0029] It is understood that the cut point of the distillate stream 200 is dependent on the temperature and pressure in the reaction distillation unit 20. The cut point of the distillate stream 200 can be adjusted by the operating temperature and pressure of the reaction distillation unit 20. The cut point selection of the distillate stream 200 can be based on the catalyst present in the catalytic cracking reactor 30 that forms the second stage of the process of the present disclosure. A larger (in common parlance, higher) cut point temperature can result in excessive coking of the catalyst in the catalytic cracking reactor 30. Conversely, a smaller (in common parlance, lower) cut point temperature can reduce the yield of the distillate stream 200. Specifically, usable hydrocarbons, such as heavy diesel or light VGO, can be lost in the heavy liquid fraction 203. Therefore, the cut point can be selected based on the catalyst or catalyst used in the catalytic cracking reactor 30.

[0030] The processing in the reaction distillation unit 20 can be performed at atmospheric pressure. Alternatively, a pressure can be applied to change the cut point of the distillate stream 200. In one or more embodiments, the reaction distillation unit 20 operates at a pressure in the range of 1 bar to 20 bar absolute. In various further embodiments, the reaction distillation unit 20 operates at a pressure in the range of 1 bar to 15 bar absolute, 1 bar to 12 bar absolute, 1 bar to 8 bar absolute, 1 bar to 5 bar absolute, or 1 bar to 3 bar absolute. At the operating temperature and pressure, gasoline, diesel, and a portion of the light vacuum gas oil (VGO) fraction will vaporize and be sent as part of the distillate stream 200 to the catalytic cracking reactor 30 that forms the second stage of the process of the present disclosure.

[0031] It is noted that increasing the pressure in the reaction distillation unit 20 allows for an increase in the operating temperature in the reaction distillation unit 20 while maintaining the cut point of the distillate stream 200. Since the processing temperature in the reaction distillation unit 20 and the desired cut point of the distillate stream 200 can be slightly different, pressure manipulation can be utilized to achieve operation at the desired temperature. For example, VGO components in the range of 400 °C to 500 °C can vaporize prior to being delivered to the cracking reactor and flow out of the reaction distillation unit 20 at atmospheric pressure. They can be refluxed into the reactor within the reaction distillation unit 20 at the reactor deck; however, it can be more efficient to keep them in a liquid state until they are cracked into lighter hydrocarbons for inclusion in the distillate stream 200 or light gas stream 201 by slightly increasing the pressure above atmospheric pressure. Slightly increasing the pressure in the reaction distillation unit 20, such as 1 bar to 3 bar above atmospheric pressure, can manipulate the distillate cut point and processing temperature.

[0032] In one or more embodiments, a portion of the heavy liquid fraction 203 is vaporized in the reaction distillation unit 20 based on the operating temperature, but is not intended to be transferred with the distillate stream 200 to the catalytic cracking reactor 30. Thus, the portion of the heavy liquid fraction 203 that is vaporized in the reaction distillation unit 20 is condensed prior to entering the catalytic cracking reactor 30 to form a condensed stream 202. Specifically, the operating temperature and pressure of the reaction distillation unit 20 can cause components having a boiling point higher than the boiling point of the distillate stream 200 to also be vaporized, thereby rendering the entire heavy liquid fraction 203 not in liquid form. For example, the distillate stream 200 can include hydrocarbons having a boiling point up to 400°C, but the reaction distillation unit 20 can be operated at 500°C, causing hydrocarbons boiling between 400°C and 500°C to also be vaporized. Condensing these hydrocarbons to form the condensed stream 202 allows them to be recombined with the heavy liquid fraction 203.

[0033] In one or more embodiments, and with reference to Figures 3 to 5 , the heavy liquid fraction 203 is at least partially recovered to the reaction distillation unit 20 to allow the hydrocarbons in the heavy liquid fraction 203 to be further processed and cracked to hydrocarbons having a boiling point range comparable to the distillate stream 200. In one or more embodiments, the heavy liquid fraction 203 is recovered to the reaction distillation unit 20 to exhaustion. In various further embodiments, the condensed stream 202 is not combined with the heavy liquid fraction 203, but is entirely recovered to the reaction distillation unit 20, with or without all, some, or none of the heavy liquid fraction 203.

[0034] The various hydrocarbons provided to the reaction distillation unit 20 can undergo cracking by thermal cracking or catalytic cracking. In one or more embodiments, the reaction distillation unit 20 includes a catalyst. In further embodiments, the reaction distillation unit 20 cracks the various hydrocarbons provided as feed streams based on thermal cracking alone. The cracking products generated in the reaction distillation unit 20 include gasoline, diesel, and light VGO distillate products, forming the distillate stream 200; hydrogen, methane, ethane, propane, propylene, butane, and butylenes, forming the light gas stream 201, the heavy liquid fraction 203, and coke that accumulates in the reaction distillation unit 20. In one or more embodiments, the light gas stream 201 can also include C5 hydrocarbons.

[0035] In various embodiments, an excess of unconverted liquid fraction can be periodically or continuously removed from the reaction distillation unit 20 to form the heavy liquid fraction 203. The heavy liquid fraction 203 can be transferred to another conversion process, such as catalytic cracking, hydrocracking, delayed coking, or fluidized coking. Alternatively, the heavy liquid fraction 203 can be recycled to exhaustion in the reaction distillation unit 20.

[0036] During the thermal cracking of crude stream 100 and any other hydrocarbon feed in reaction distillation unit 20, coke can deposit on the internal surfaces of reaction distillation unit 20. The deposition of coke on the reactor surfaces generally requires periodic shutdowns and decoking operations. In one or more embodiments, reaction distillation unit 20 includes solid particulates 22 disposed within reaction distillation unit 20. For simplicity, solid particulates 22 are shown in the figures only at the bottom of reaction distillation unit 20, but it should be understood that solid particulates 22 can fill all or only a portion of reaction distillation unit 20. The solid particulates can act to preferentially capture contaminants of the feedstock, particularly CCR and metals. In addition, coke produced in reaction distillation unit 20 will accumulate on solid particulates 22 rather than on the internal surfaces of reaction distillation unit 20.

[0037] In one or more embodiments, with reference to Figures 1 to 6 , solid particulates 22 include a second susceptor material 24 such that reaction distillation unit 20 can be heated by magnetic induction. It is expressly contemplated that second susceptor material 24 can be the same as or different from susceptor material 34 used in catalytic cracking reactor 30.

[0038] In one or more embodiments that rely on thermal operation in reaction distillation unit 20, solid particulates 22 can include second susceptor material 24 encapsulated or embedded in a protective non-porous layer 26. Such an arrangement of solid particulates 22 is shown in Figure 7A and Figure 7B Specifically, Figure 7A encapsulated second susceptor material 24 in protective layer 26, and Figure 7B a plurality of particles of second susceptor material 24 embedded in protective layer 26. In various embodiments, protective layer 26 can be made of ceramic, enamel, inorganic oxide, or other non-porous material. It should be understood that the placement of second susceptor material 24 in protective material 26 can avoid direct contact of the hydrocarbons in reaction distillation unit 20 with second susceptor material 24, thereby avoiding corrosion or other damage to second susceptor material 24. In addition, contact between second susceptor material 24 and the hydrocarbons in reaction distillation unit 20 can catalyze coking reactions, thereby increasing the overall coke yield in the process. Further, protective material 26 can provide a non-conductive layer between particles of second susceptor material 24, thereby preventing contact and interaction between particles of second susceptor material 24. Contact between particles of second susceptor material 24 can result in the formation of larger conductive pathways between particles and particles, which can change the heating power characteristics of second susceptor material 24.

[0039] The use of inductive heating and the second susceptor material 24 to heat the reaction distillation unit 20 can generate heat throughout the entire internal volume of the reaction distillation unit 20. In particular, heat is generated at each solid particle 22, avoiding the need for heat transfer from the walls of the reaction distillation unit as would be required if an external heating medium, such as combustion or resistance heating of the reactor walls, were used. In addition, external heating of the reactor walls can undesirably promote the formation of coke on the reactor walls, as coke preferentially forms on hotter surfaces. It will be appreciated that the use of solid particles 22 comprising a second susceptor material 24 can achieve maximum heating at the solid particles 22, thereby preferentially depositing contaminants, particularly asphaltenes, and organometallics, such as metalloporphyrins, on the solid particles 22.

[0040] The second susceptor material 24 can be any material that reacts to a magnetic field to generate heat energy. In various embodiments, the second susceptor material 24 can comprise iron, iron oxide, cobalt, or alloys thereof.

[0041] The particle size of the second susceptor material 24 can affect the reaction of the second susceptor material 24 to an applied magnetic field. In one or more embodiments, the particles of the second susceptor material 24 are nanosized. In further embodiments, the particles of the second susceptor material 24 are micro- or millimeter sized. In the case of nanoparticles, the heating mechanism is limited to magnetic induction, while in the case of micro- or millimeter particles, eddy currents generated by the magnetic field in the second susceptor particles 24 also contribute to heating.

[0042] In one or more embodiments, the solid particles 22 are periodically removed from the reaction distillation unit 20. In further embodiments, the solid particles 22 are continuously removed from the reaction distillation unit 20. For example, the solid particles 22 can be periodically or continuously removed from the reaction distillation unit 20 along with the heavy liquid fraction 203. The solid particles 22 can then be separated from the liquid oil that forms the heavy liquid fraction 203 using any suitable solid and liquid medium separation method known to those skilled in the art. For example, the solid particles 22 and the heavy liquid fraction 203 can be separated by filtration. After the solid particles 22 are separated, the coke and other buildup on the solid particles 22 can be removed by any suitable decoking method known to those skilled in the art. For example, the coke can be removed from the solid particles 22 by combustion. After the coke is removed from the solid particles 22, the solid particles 22 can be recycled back to the reaction distillation unit 20. The provision of the solid particles 22 in the reaction distillation unit 20 provides the advantage that this deployment limits the deposition of coke on the internal components of the reactor, but traps it on the surface of the solid particles 22, thereby allowing the frequency of decoking operations to be reduced, or even avoided altogether.

[0043] In one or more embodiments, the solid particles 22 can also provide catalytic cracking activity. In particular, the solid particles 22 can also act as a cracking catalyst. The solid particles 22 that provide cracking activity can increase the conversion of the crude stream 100 and the recycled heavy liquid fraction 203 (if present). In addition, the solid particles 22 formed from materials having catalytic cracking activity can produce different products than thermal cracking, including more light olefins and lighter distillates. In the presence of solid particles 22 having catalytic cracking activity, the coke yield can also increase, thereby extracting more coke and coke precursors from the distillate stream 200 that is provided to the catalytic cracking unit 30, where the formation of coke is undesirable. In one or more embodiments, the solid particles 22 comprise inorganic oxides. For example, in one or more particular embodiments, the solid particles 22 comprise kaolin, silica, alumina, silica alumina, phosphorous-doped silica alumina, magnesia, titania, zirconia, alumina magnesia, hydrotalcite, and molecular sieves, and mixtures thereof. The solid particles 22 can be shaped into granules or pellets, which are more resistant to attrition and facilitate transport within the reaction vessels that make up the reaction distillation unit 20.

[0044] The distillate stream 200 can be delivered to a catalytic cracking reactor 30 to crack the distillate stream 200, thereby forming a petrochemical product stream 300. In particular, the distillate stream 200 enters the catalytic cracking reactor 30 and is catalytically cracked therein to produce a majority of chemicals, such as light olefins, such as ethylene, propylene, butylenes, and BTX (benzene, toluene, and xylene), thereby forming the petrochemical product stream 300. At the same time, a light gas effluent 301 consisting of hydrogen and C1-C4 alkanes, such as methane, ethane, propane, and butane, is also produced. Another stream, an unconverted distillate stream 302, is also produced. The unconverted distillate stream 302 is formed from the remainder of the distillate stream 200 that is delivered to the catalytic cracking reactor unit 30 after removal of the petrochemical product stream 300 and the light gas effluent 301.

[0045] Notably, the distillate stream 200 is delivered from the reaction distillation unit 20 to the catalytic cracking reactor 30 in gaseous form continuously and without further processing. Importantly, the distillate stream 200 is continuously removed from the reaction distillation unit 20 and introduced to the catalytic cracking reactor 30 in a rapid manner to limit over-cracking of the distillate stream 200. In particular, if the residence time of the products in the reaction distillation unit 20 is too long, selectivity to low boiling hydrocarbons (such as dry gas, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and light gasoline) and coke can result from over-cracking. This situation is undesirable because over-production of low boiling hydrocarbons and coke inhibits the production of petrochemical product stream 300 including light olefins and mono-aromatics in the catalytic cracking reactor 30, thereby reducing the yield of such desirable products. In various embodiments, the residence time of the crude oil stream 100 in the reaction distillation unit 20 can range from about 1 minute to 60 minutes, 1 minute to 30 minutes, 2 minutes to 45 minutes, 5 minutes to 60 minutes, 5 minutes to 30 minutes, or 5 minutes to 20 minutes depending on the processing temperature.

[0046] In one or more embodiments, the light gas stream 201 is delivered to the catalytic cracking reactor 30 concurrently with the distillate stream 200. It should be understood that the light gas stream 201 and the distillate stream 200 can be provided to the catalytic cracking reactor 30 as separate streams. This arrangement allows for control of the feed composition to the catalytic cracking reactor 30 because the delivery of the light gas stream 201 can be adjusted to obtain the desired mixture of hydrocarbons. Alternatively, the light gas stream 201 and the distillate stream 200 can be combined into a single stream prior to delivery to the catalytic cracking reactor 30. In one or more further embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the light gas stream 201 can be diverted from the catalytic cracking reactor 30 and provided to a different processing unit, such as a steam cracking unit 50. Figure 6

[0047] ​In various embodiments, catalytic cracking reactor 30 can include a fixed bed, a fluidized bed, or a transported catalyst bed. In one or more particular embodiments, catalytic cracking reactor 30 is a fixed bed reactor. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that catalytic cracking operations are typically conducted in a transported bed. In traditional operations of a chemical plant, cracking in a transported bed is generally considered necessary due to the production of significant amounts of coke. In particular, when vacuum gas oil (VGO) is contacted with an acid catalyst in a reactor operating at a temperature in the range of 480°C to 550°C, significant amounts of coke are traditionally produced. Catalyst provided in traditional operations loses a significant portion of its activity in a matter of seconds. However, the hydrocarbon conversion system 10 and operations in accordance with the present disclosure take advantage of the understanding that the lighter the boiling point range of the feed to a catalytic cracking process, the lower the coke production. In comparison to fluidized catalytic cracking, the treatment of crude oil stream 100 in reaction distillation unit 20 prior to passing crude oil stream 100 into catalytic cracking reactor 30, the composition of distillate stream 200 produced in combination with the nature of the catalyst in catalytic cracking reactor 30 results in coke production at a very low level. In various embodiments, the coke production can be less than 3 wt%, 2 wt%, 1 wt%, or 0.5 wt% of crude oil stream 100. Thus, in accordance with the present disclosure, in a fixed bed or fluidized bed reactor, catalyst deactivation is much slower and continuous operation for long periods of time is possible. Moreover, it is notable that the very low level of coke production will make it difficult to run a heat balanced circulating bed process in, for example, a fluidized catalytic cracking unit without a significant additional input of fuel.

[0048] In one or more embodiments, catalytic cracking reactor 30 operates at a temperature in the range of 300°C to 800°C. In various further embodiments, catalytic cracking reactor 30 operates at a temperature in the range of 350°C to 750°C, 400°C to 725°C, 500°C to 700°C, or 550°C to 670°C. Moreover, in one or more embodiments, there can be two or more catalyst beds and heated at different temperatures. In accordance with one or more embodiments of such an arrangement, a first catalyst bed can operate at a lower temperature than a subsequent bed. For example, a first catalyst bed can operate at a temperature in the range of 400°C to 650°C or 500°C to 600°C, while a second catalyst bed operates at a higher temperature in the range of 500°C to 750°C or 600°C to 700°C.

[0049] Without intending to be bound by any theory, it is noted that catalytic cracking reactor 30 can be operated under pressure, but preferably operates at as low a pressure as possible to limit hydrogen transfer reactions. Hydrogen transfer reactions can saturate olefins, thereby reducing the yield of target chemicals and increasing the rate of coke formation, which will accelerate catalyst deactivation. Thus, in one or more embodiments, catalytic cracking reactor 30 is operated at a pressure in the range of 0.5 bar to 10 bar absolute. In various further embodiments, catalytic cracking reactor 30 is operated at a pressure in the range of 1 bar to 10 bar absolute, 0.5 bar to 8 bar absolute, 0.5 bar to 5 bar absolute, or 1 bar to 3 bar absolute.

[0050] In one or more embodiments, a diluent can be introduced into catalytic cracking reactor 30 along with distillate stream 200 to reduce the partial pressure of hydrocarbons and reduce the residence time in catalytic cracking reactor 30. It is understood that the residence time in catalytic cracking reactor 30 should be selected to achieve sufficient conversion in a single pass, while the feedstock does not undergo undesirable excessive thermal cracking. In various embodiments, the residence time in the catalytic cracking unit can be 3 seconds to 3 minutes, 3 seconds to 1 minute, 5 seconds to 3 minutes, 5 seconds to 1 minute, or 3 seconds to 30 seconds. In one or more embodiments, the diluent can be an inert gas. In one or more embodiments, the diluent can be water vapor.

[0051] Catalytic cracking reactor 30 includes a cracking catalyst 32 disposed therein that cracks distillate stream 200 to form petrochemical product stream 300. For simplicity and clarity, cracking catalyst 32 is only shown in the bottom portion of catalytic cracking reactor 30, but it is understood that cracking catalyst 32 can fill all or only a portion of catalytic cracking reactor 30.

[0052] In one or more embodiments, cracking catalyst 32 for catalytic cracking of distillate stream 200 includes alumina, silica alumina, phosphorus-doped silica alumina, magnesia, titania, zirconia, aluminum magnesium spinel, or hydrotalcite, molecular sieves, and mixtures thereof.

[0053] In one or more embodiments, the cracking catalyst 32 used for catalytic cracking of the distillate stream 200 is a zeolite or a mixture of zeolites. Example zeolites include Y-type zeolite, beta-type zeolite, ITQ21, MFI, ITQ13, IM5, theta-type zeolite, mordenite, and ferrierite. In one or more embodiments, the cracking catalyst 32 comprises a mixture of large pore zeolites and medium pore zeolites. The use of large pore zeolites results in low boiling point products, while medium pore zeolites promote selective cracking of gasoline and light diesel components into light olefins and BTX. Thus, the large pore zeolites and medium pore zeolites work together to generate the desired light olefins and BTX from the distillate stream 200. Suitable large pore zeolites with pores and cavities having 12 or more member rings include Y-type zeolite, beta-type zeolite, and ITQ21. Example medium pore zeolites include MFI, ITQ13, IM5, theta-type zeolite, mordenite, and ferrierite. It should be understood that medium pore zeolites generally produce less coke than large pore zeolites, but can be more susceptible to coking due to mass transfer limitations, especially in zeolites with one- or two-dimensional pore networks.

[0054] In one or more embodiments, the zeolite comprising the cracking catalyst 32 can be in the form of small crystals ranging from 5 nanometers to 5 micrometers. For example, the zeolite can comprise nanocrystals having a maximum dimension ranging from 5 nanometers to 50 nanometers. Further, in one or more embodiments, the cracking catalyst 32 can comprise one or more transition metals supported in the medium pore zeolite to increase dehydrogenation activity, thereby increasing the yield of aromatics. The transition metal can be selected from Groups 4 to 12, and can include Ni, Cr, Mo, Mn, Zn, Ga, Cu, Fe, or combinations thereof, at a concentration of 0.1 wt% to 10 wt%. Further, a noble metal such as Pt can be added at a concentration of 1 ppm to 1 wt% for cost considerations.

[0055] In one or more embodiments, the cracking catalyst 32 comprises a mixture of Y-type zeolite and ZSM-5. In various embodiments, the cracking catalyst 32 comprises a mixture of Y-type zeolite and ZSM-5 at a weight ratio of 90:10 to 50:50, 85:15 to 60:40, 80:20 to 60:40, 80:20 to 70:30, or about 75:25.

[0056] In various embodiments, the cracking catalyst 32 is arranged in the catalytic cracking reactor in a single bed or in several stacked beds. Further, the composition of the stacked beds can be different, and the temperature of each stacked bed during operation can also be different. For example, as previously described, one catalyst bed can be heated at a temperature in the range of 400°C to 650°C, while a subsequent catalyst bed can be heated at a temperature in the range of 500°C to 750°C. Further, in one or more embodiments, the catalytic cracking reactor 30 can be composed of a series of separate reactors, each reactor having a different cracking catalyst 32 and operating at a different temperature.

[0057] In one or more embodiments, the catalytic cracking reactor 30 is composed of multiple stacked beds, where the first catalyst bed can contain a large pore zeolite, while the second and subsequent catalyst beds of the catalytic cracking reactor 30 contain a medium pore zeolite. As previously indicated, the large pore zeolite promotes cracking of the heaviest components of the distillate stream 200, enabling the medium pore zeolite to promote selective cracking of the gasoline and light diesel components into light olefins and BTX.

[0058] The catalytic cracking reactor 30 additionally has susceptor material 34 dispersed throughout the catalytic cracking reactor 30. The susceptor material 34 can be the same or different material as the second susceptor material 24 optionally placed within the reaction distillation unit 20. As a result of the presence of the susceptor material 34 within the catalytic cracking reactor 30, the catalytic cracking reactor 30 can be heated by induction. In one or more embodiments, the susceptor material 34 can be composed of nanoparticles of a magnetic material, which can be a metal or an alloy. For example, the susceptor material 34 can include iron, cobalt, iron oxides, or an alloy of iron and cobalt. Further, additional Group 6 to 10 transition metals, such as nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), or molybdenum (Mo), can be added to the alloy to change the properties of the susceptor material 34.

[0059] In one or more embodiments, the susceptor material 34 can be catalytically active. For example, magnetic oxides, such as ferrites, and some carbides, such as iron carbide, can be used as the susceptor material 34, provided that their Curie temperature is higher than the process temperature. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that magnetic oxides can provide catalytic activity, providing such additional benefits in addition to heating.

[0060] The susceptor material 34 can be provided in various forms and sizes. In one or more embodiments, the susceptor material 34 can be provided in the form of nanoparticles. Without intending to be bound by any theory, it is believed that the particle morphology can affect the magnetic properties of the susceptor material 34. Thus, in one or more embodiments, the susceptor material 34 can be formed into particles that are microns or larger in size. The presence of larger particles of the susceptor material 34 allows for the generation of heat in these particles by the formation of eddy currents. The presence of eddy currents currently makes many electrically conductive materials suitable for use as the susceptor material 34 for generating induced heat from an applied magnetic field.

[0061] In one or more embodiments, the cracking catalyst 32 and the susceptor material 34 can be provided to the hydrocarbon conversion system 10 as separate particles dispersed within the catalytic cracking reactor 30. Such an arrangement is shown in FIGS. Figure 1 , 2 and 6. However, it should be understood that such an arrangement of the cracking catalyst 32 and the susceptor material 34 can also be implemented in the embodiments shown in FIGS. Figures 3 to 5

[0062] In one or more embodiments, the cracking catalyst 32 and the susceptor material 34 can be incorporated as separate particles into the pellets 36, which can be in the form of one or microspheres, to be placed in the catalytic cracking reactor 30. Such an arrangement is shown in FIG. Figure 3 . However, it should be understood that such an arrangement of the cracking catalyst 32 and the susceptor material 34 can also be implemented in the embodiments shown in FIGS. Figure 1 , 2 , 4, 5 and 6. In one or more embodiments, and with reference to FIG. Figure 8 , the pellets 36 can include a filler 38 to bind the pellets 36 together. The cracking catalyst 32 is made into the pellets 36 in the micron to millimeter size to accommodate the type of bed construction that makes up the catalytic cracking reactor 30. For example, for a fluidized bed, spherical microspheres of 40 microns to 120 microns can be employed as the pellets 36; for a fixed bed, pellets 36 of 0.5 mm to 2 mm in characteristic size, typically in the form of bars of different cross-sectional shape, can be used.

[0063] In one or more embodiments, and with reference to FIG. Figure 4 , the pellets 36 can be formed into: a first pellet 36A in which the cracking catalyst 32 and the susceptor material 34 are incorporated as separate particles; and a second pellet 36B in which the cracking catalyst 32 and the susceptor material 34 are incorporated as separate particles. The selected susceptor material 34 and loading of each of the first pellet 36A and the second pellet 36B can be selected so that the first pellet 36A generates more heat per unit volume than the second pellet 36B. Such an arrangement is shown in FIG. Figure 4 ​such an arrangement of cracking catalyst 32 and susceptor material 34 can also be implemented in the embodiments shown in Figure 1 , 2 , 3, 5, and 6. Further, in one or more embodiments, the cracking catalyst 32 between the first and second particulates 36A, 36B can also vary to achieve different cracking reactions. Further, it should be appreciated that the heating differential provided by the susceptor material 34 between the first and second particulates 36A, 36B allows for temperature optimization for the particular cracking catalyst 32 present in each particulate 36. In particular, such an arrangement allows each of the first and second particulates 36A, 36B to operate differently while being blended in the same catalytic cracking reactor 30.

[0064] In one or more embodiments, mesoporous zeolites can be used in the first particulate 36A, with a higher heating effect expected to promote the generation of chemicals and to facilitate the conversion of more difficult to crack small gasolinerange hydrocarbons. At the same time, macroporous zeolites can be used in the composition of the second particulate 36B, with a lower heating effect expected to crack larger molecules such as diesel and VGO range feed molecules under less severe conditions, thereby limiting the generation of undesirable dry gas and coke.

[0065] In one or more embodiments, the cracking catalyst 32 and the susceptor material 34 are provided as a single core-shell particle 50, with the susceptor material 34 as the core and the cracking catalyst 32 as the shell. Such an arrangement is shown in Figure 5 . However, it should be appreciated that such an arrangement of cracking catalyst 32 and susceptor material 34 can also be implemented in the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 4 and Figure 6 . In one or more embodiments, with reference to Figure 9A , the cracking catalyst 32 can be present as a layer directly on the nanoparticle-sized particles of the susceptor material 34 to form a core-shell type structure. According to such an arrangement, the cracking catalyst 32 is located in close proximity to the susceptor material 34 as a heat source. In one or more further embodiments, with reference to Figure 9BAn interface layer 52 can exist between the susceptor material 34 and the cracking catalyst 32 of the core-shell particle 50. In various embodiments, the interface layer 52 can be formed of silica or a glaze. Further, the interface layer 52 can serve a variety of functions. For example, the interface layer 52 can protect the susceptor material 34 from degradation in the reaction medium (such as oxidation in air), prevent reaction of the hydrocarbons in the distillate stream 200 with the susceptor material 34, and provide a substrate and anchor point for the cracking catalyst 32 to adhere and grow as a layer on the susceptor material 34, thereby forming the final core-shell particle 50.

[0066] In one or more embodiments, the formed pellets 36 include: a first core-shell particle 50A having the susceptor material 34 as a core and the cracking catalyst 32 as a shell; and a second core-shell particle 50B having the susceptor material 34 as a core and the cracking catalyst 32 as a shell. The susceptor material 34 and loading can be selected for each of the first core-shell particle 50A and the second core-shell particle 50B such that the first core-shell particle 50A generates more heat per unit volume than the second core-shell particle 50B. Such an arrangement is shown in FIG. 3. However, it should be understood that such an arrangement of cracking catalyst 32 and susceptor material 34 can also be implemented in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 Figure 3 Figure 1 , 2 , 4, and 5. Further, in one or more embodiments, the cracking catalyst 32 can also vary between the first core-shell particle 50A and the second core-shell particle 50B to achieve different cracking reactions. Further, it should be understood that the difference in heating provided by the susceptor material 34 between the first core-shell particle 50A and the second core-shell particle 50B allows for temperature optimization for the particular cracking catalyst 32 present in each core-shell particle 50. In particular, such an arrangement allows the first core-shell particle 50A and the second core-shell particle 50B to perform different operations while being blended in the same pellet 36.

[0067] In one or more embodiments, a mesoporous zeolite can be used in the first core-shell particle 50A, with the expectation of higher heating effect to promote the generation of chemicals and aid in the conversion of lighter hydrocarbons of a more difficult cracking gasoline distillation range. At the same time, a macroporous zeolite can be used in the composition of the second core-shell particle 50B, with the expectation of lower heating effect to crack larger molecules such as diesel and VGO distillation range feed molecules under less severe conditions, thereby limiting the generation of undesirable dry gas and coke.

[0068] ​During operation, coke can form on cracking catalyst 32, resulting in a loss of activity over time. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically remove coke from cracking catalyst 32 to restore the activity and effectiveness of cracking catalyst 32. In one or more embodiments, the decoking of reaction distillation unit 20 and catalytic cracking reactor 30 is performed simultaneously. Specifically, operation of hydrocarbon conversion system 10 is terminated so that both reaction distillation unit 20 and catalytic cracking reactor 30 can be decoked. According to one or more further embodiments, multiple reactors in reaction distillation unit 20 are coupled to multiple reactors forming catalytic cracking reactor 30, such that hydrocarbon conversion system 10 can be operated continuously, with some reactors in a regeneration phase and other reactors in a reaction phase. Regeneration of catalyst in second stage reactors 20 can be performed by any suitable means. Specifically, the parallel reactors or units in each of reaction distillation unit 20 and catalytic cracking reactor 30 allow at least one reactor or unit in each of reaction distillation unit 20 and catalytic cracking reactor 30 to operate while the remaining reactors or units are being decoked. Notably, the presence of solid particulates 22 disposed within reaction distillation unit 20 allows reaction distillation unit 20 to operate continuously only in one or more embodiments in which parallel catalytic cracking reactors 30 are required to achieve continuous operation.

[0069] In one or more embodiments, with reference to Figure 2 , 4 and 5, at least a portion of unconverted distillate stream 302 can be recycled back to catalytic cracking reactor 30 for further processing. Specifically, catalytic cracking reactor 30 can further crack the hydrocarbons forming unconverted distillate stream 302 to produce additional hydrocarbons for providing petrochemical product stream 300 and light gas effluent 301.

[0070] In one or more embodiments, with reference to Figures 1 to 6 , unconverted distillate stream 302 can be transferred to other units, such as a reformer, an aromatic dealkylation unit, or a naphthenic soft hydrocracking unit, for further conversion into chemicals.

[0071] Unconverted distillate stream 302 can contain other target chemicals not included in petrochemical product stream 300, such as alkyl aromatics having 9 or more carbon atoms, and naphthalene, which is worth recovering. Therefore, in one or more embodiments, unconverted distillate stream 302 can be collected or processed with a separation unit to recover additional valuable chemicals.

[0072] In one or more embodiments, with reference to Figure 5In one or more embodiments, the feedstock separator 40 can be a gas-liquid separator, such as a flash tank (sometimes referred to as a break pot, knock out pot, knock out drum, compressor suction drum, or compressor inlet drum). In such embodiments where a gas-liquid separator is used as the feedstock separator 40, the lower boiling hydrocarbon fraction stream 103 exits the feedstock separator 40 as a vapor, while the higher boiling hydrocarbon fraction stream 104 exits the feedstock separator 40 as a liquid. The gas-liquid separator can be operated at a temperature suitable to separate the crude oil stream 100 into the lower boiling hydrocarbon fraction stream 103 and the higher boiling hydrocarbon fraction stream 104, with a cut point in the range of pentane to the end boiling point of distillate 200. For example, the contents of the lower boiling hydrocarbon fraction stream 103 can have a boiling point in the range of ibp to less than or equal to 50°C, less than or equal to 150°C, less than or equal to 220°C, less than or equal to 300°C, or less than or equal to 400°C. The contents of the higher boiling hydrocarbon fraction stream 104 can have a boiling point of at least 50°C, at least 150°C, at least 300°C, or at least 400°C. The higher boiling hydrocarbon fraction stream 104 can be provided to the reactive distillation unit 20, while the lower boiling hydrocarbon fraction stream 103 can be provided directly to the catalytic cracking reactor 30. Without intending to be bound by theory, it has been experimentally shown that retaining some lighter hydrocarbons in the higher boiling hydrocarbon fraction stream 104 reduces coke formation in the reactive distillation unit 20, and therefore, the cut point should not be so high as to remove all lighter hydrocarbons as reflected in the disclosed cut point range.

[0073] It should be appreciated that the hydrocarbon conversion system 10 according to the present disclosure has advantages over a direct steam cracking process. In particular, the two-stage process to generate the distillate stream 200 in the reactive distillation unit 20 prior to delivery to the catalytic cracking reactor 30 provides greater flexibility in determining the product slate of the crude-to-chemicals process. For example, this process makes it possible to increase the ratio of propylene to ethylene well beyond the values conventionally obtained in steam cracking processes. In addition, the hydrocarbon conversion system 10 allows for a reduction in the operating temperature of the cracking process as compared to a steam cracking process. The reduction in operating temperature limits heat loss and material stress throughout the conversion operation. In addition, the hydrocarbon conversion system 10 functions to directly convert whole crude oil, with less coking issues than other processes such as steam cracking, where the heavier fractions are generally just discarded rather than converted into useful products.

[0074] Example The following examples will further clarify various embodiments of the methods and systems for processing a crude oil feedstock. These examples are illustrative in nature and should not be construed as limiting the disclosed subject matter.

[0075] Initially, the method according to the present disclosure was applied to treat Arab Light Crude in a reactive distillation unit to demonstrate that, in Examples 1 to 3, the production of lighter hydrocarbons was increased by treating in a reactive distillation unit, according to the distillate stream. Furthermore, Examples 4 to 6 give an example of distillate cracking.

[0076] Example 1 Twelve grams (g) of Arab Light Crude were introduced into a semi-batch reactor and heated. The apparatus consisted of a quartz vessel containing liquid hydrocarbons, a distillation head, a collector for recovering the distillate, a gas bag for non-condensed gases in the collector, and a syringe pump for injecting fresh feed into the system. When the crude started to boil and the lighter fraction started to distill, fresh Arab Light Crude was continuously pumped into the reactor at a rate of 0.5 ml / min to maintain a constant amount of liquid at the bottom of the vessel while distillation of the lighter fraction continued. The vessel was gradually heated to 440°C and maintained at this temperature while continuously injecting Arab Light Crude and distilling the light fraction. Steady state was maintained until the injection of Arab Light Crude ended. Then, the remaining liquid in the vessel was left to react for an additional 3 hours at 440°C, after which the system was cooled. The remaining heavy liquid product in the reactor vessel was recovered and filtered to separate the solid coke, which was dried and weighed. The filtered liquid was then analyzed by Simulated Distillation (SIMDIS) as well as the distillate in the collector. The gases were analyzed by Gas Chromatography (GC). The feed composition of Arab Light Crude and the resulting products after treatment are published in Table 2.

[0077] In the fraction classification, the fractions are defined as follows: light distillate (ibp-216°C), heavy distillate (216-400°C), light VGO (400-450°C), heavy VGO (450-538°C), and residue (boiling point higher than 538°C). According to the present disclosure, all liquid materials having a boiling point lower than 400°C, i.e. the light distillate fraction and the heavy distillate fraction, are considered as distillate streams. Notably, this corresponds to hydrocarbon compounds having a number of carbon atoms in the chain up to 25.

[0078] Table 2

[0079] As indicated in Table 2, the amount of the original feed included in the distillate stream provided to the cracking catalyst reactor increased from 66.5 wt% when the crude oil was distilled directly to 84.2 wt% of the crude oil when processed as proposed in the present disclosure. Sub-products included 2.3 wt% of low gas yield, which primarily corresponds to methane, where the methane can be transferred with the distillate, having no negative impact on the catalytic cracking reactor, and 5.5 wt% of coke. The remaining unconverted crude oil was 8.0 wt%, which represents the heavy liquid fraction.

[0080] Example 2 Fifteen (15) grams (g) of Arab Light crude oil was introduced into a semi-batch reactor with a silica-alumina catalyst and heated. The silica-alumina catalyst containing 25 wt% alumina was calcined at 500 °C prior to being placed into the semi-batch reactor. The silica-alumina catalyst was loaded into the reactor vessel prior to loading the Arab Light crude oil. The mixture was gradually heated to 420 °C and held at this temperature for 3 hours. No fresh Arab Light crude oil was added during the trial. Product analysis was performed to compare the feed composition of the Arab Light crude oil and the resulting products after processing in a similar manner as Example 1, as published in Table 3.

[0081] Table 3

[0082] As indicated in Table 3, the amount of the original feed included in the distillate stream provided to the cracking catalyst reactor increased from 66.5 wt% when the crude oil was distilled directly to 84.1 wt% of the Arab Light crude oil when processed as proposed in the present disclosure. Although the gas yield was similar to Example 1, the coke yield increased to 7.5 wt% in the presence of the catalyst. The use of the catalyst resulted in a decrease in the yield of the atmospheric residue in the products to 5.9 wt%. In particular, the residual fraction representing hydrocarbons having a boiling point higher than 538 °C was reduced to 0.3 wt%.

[0083] Example 3 Example 3 verified the implementation of inductive heating. Iron powder with a particle size range of 0.02 mm to 0.1 mm was physically mixed with kaolin powder in a 1 :2 weight ratio. The mixture was then pelletized into 0.4 mm to 0.8 mm pellets, which were subsequently pyrolyzed at a temperature of 600 °C for 2 hours under a nitrogen environment. The resulting solid was loaded into the reactor described in Example 1 along with a 12 gram sample of crude oil. The same protocol published in Example 1 was followed, with the only difference being that the heating in the system was provided by the inductive coil directly heating the iron in the pellets. As described in the protocol in Example 1, once the crude oil started to boil, additional fresh crude oil was fed into the reactor. A total of 28 grams of crude oil was processed during the test. After the injection of crude oil was stopped, the remaining liquid was reacted for an additional 3 hours at 420 °C. Lighter products were extracted every 20 minutes using a light vacuum (300 mbar). The products were re-collected as in Example 1. The coke yield was determined by the weight difference between the total weight of the iron-kaolin composite solid pellets fed into the system and the solid pellets recovered after the test. The product distribution after processing is summarized in Table 4. It is worth noting that the amount of distillate available increased from 66.5 wt% in the feed light crude oil to 78.9 wt%, and the amount of feedstock converted to gas (2.2 wt%) and coke (1.1 wt%) was minimal.

[0084] Table 4

[0085] Example 4 The distillate sample obtained in Example 1 was cracked in a fixed bed containing a combination of Y-type zeolite and ZSM5 (weight ratio of 3:1) at 1.3 g. The zeolite powder was pelletized before mixing with similar sized silicon carbide pellets to bring the total bed weight to 10 grams. The catalyst in the reactor was divided into two beds, the first bed containing Y-type zeolite and the second bed containing ZSM5 zeolite. Each bed had an independent heating source, which included an electric furnace with multiple heating zones, where each heating zone could reach a different temperature. The distillate provided in Example 1 was fed into the reactor at atmospheric pressure, with each bed at a temperature of 650 °C and a space velocity of 5 h -1 -1 calculated on the total amount of zeolite in the reactor. Nitrogen was fed into the reactor along with the distillate at a rate of 15 milliliters per minute (ml / min). The injection was continued for 6 hours. The product fractions of gas and liquid were continuously recovered, and a mass balance was periodically performed. The average product yields over the entire run were then determined. The product yields are summarized in Table 5. It is worth noting that in Example 3, more than 50 wt% of the Example 1 distillate fed into the reactor was converted to light olefins and BTX.

[0086] Table 5

[0087] The final yields for the complete operation of the presently disclosed process, which integrates crude oil reaction distillation in the first stage reactor followed by catalytic cracking of the distillate in the second stage reactor, were calculated. To do so, the chemical yields in Table 5 were corrected for the distillate yield obtained in Example 1 (i.e., 84.2 wt% for Example 1). In addition, the light olefin yields from the first stage reaction distillation (i.e., 0.07 wt% ethylene, 0.21 wt% propylene, and 0.14 wt% butylenes) were added back to the total yield as collected products. Table 6 summarizes the yields of value-added petrochemical products in this integrated process, expressed as a weight percent of the crude oil processed. The results show that 44.9 wt% of the crude oil was converted to light olefins and BTX.

[0088] Table 6

[0089] Example 5 The distillate sample obtained in Example 1 was processed in a similar manner as Example 4, but with higher temperatures in the ZSM-5 bed. Specifically, the distillate sample obtained in Example 1 was cracked in a fixed bed containing 1.3 g of a combination of Y zeolite and ZSM-5 (3:1 weight ratio). The zeolite powders were pelletized prior to mixing with similar sized silicon carbide particles to bring the total bed weight to 10 grams. The catalyst in the reactor was divided into two beds, the first bed containing Y zeolite and the second bed containing ZSM-5 zeolite. Each bed had an independent heating source, which included an electric furnace with multiple heating zones, where each heating zone could be brought to a different temperature. The distillate provided in Example 1 was fed into the reactor at atmospheric pressure, the Y zeolite bed was at a temperature of 650 °C, the ZSM-5 bed was at a temperature of 700 °C, and the space velocity was 5 h -1 -1, calculated on the total amount of zeolite in the reactor. Nitrogen was fed into the reactor at a rate of 15 milliliters per minute (ml / min) along with the distillate. The injection was continued for 6 hours. The product fractions of both gas and liquid were continuously recovered and mass balances were periodically performed. The average product yields over the entire run were then determined. The product yields are summarized in Table 7.

[0090] It is noted that compared to Example 3, the product distribution was adjusted due to the increased severity of cracking when the ZSM5 bed was operated at a temperature of 700 °C. Thus, compared to Example 4, the operation according to Example 5 produced more ethylene and less propylene and butylenes, while the total light olefins and BTX were similar. Due to the more severe cracking conditions, the yields of methane and hydrogen were significantly increased. However, despite the more severe operation, the yield of coke was not significantly increased.

[0091] Table 7

[0092] The final yields of the complete operation of the presently disclosed process, which integrates crude oil reaction distillation in the first stage reactor followed by catalytic cracking of the distillate in the second stage reactor, were calculated. To this end, the chemical yields in Table 7 were corrected for the distillate yield obtained in Example 1 (i.e. 84.2 wt% of Example 1). In addition, the light olefin yields from the first stage reaction distillation (i.e. 0.07 wt%, 0.21 wt% and 0.14 wt% for ethylene, propylene and butylenes, respectively) were added back to the total yield as collected products. Table 8 summarizes the yields of value-added petrochemicals in this integrated process, expressed as a weight percentage of the crude oil processed.

[0093] The total yield of chemicals increased slightly to 46.3 wt% of the crude oil compared to 44.9 wt% of Example 3. Importantly, the yield of ethylene doubled, while the yields of propylene and butylenes decreased. The ratio of ethylene to propylene changed from 0.65 in Example 3 to 1.4 in this example. This demonstrates the flexibility of the process to adjust the product distribution according to the needs of the chemicals hub over a larger range than can be accomplished, for example, by steam cracking.

[0094] Table 8

[0095] Example 6 The distillate sample obtained in Example 1 was processed in a similar manner as in Example 5, but the reactor was inductively heated. Specifically, the sample was cracked in a fixed bed containing a combined mixture of 1.3 g of zeolite Y and ZSM5 (3:1 weight ratio). The zeolite powder was granulated together with commercial alumina powder used as a binder and cobalt nanorods with a silica shell (CoNRs@Si02) used as inductive heating susceptors. The final granules had a zeolite material content of 60 wt% and a CoNRs@Si02 content of 10 wt%. The distillate of Example 1 was fed to the reactor at atmospheric pressure, a temperature of 650 °C and a space velocity of 5 h-1 calculated on the total amount of zeolite in the reactor. The temperature was maintained by applying a magnetic field generated by a 6-turn coil surrounding the catalytic bed, which was operated at 30 kHz. Nitrogen was fed to the reactor at a rate of 15 ml / min together with the hydrocarbon feedstock. The injection was continued for 4 hours. Gas and liquid product fractions were continuously recovered and mass balances were performed periodically. Then, the average product yields over the entire run were determined. The product yields are summarized in Table 9. -1

[0096] ​Notably, using the induction heating system, 46.3 wt% of distillates in Example 1 were converted to light olefins and BTX. For comparison, we performed a test using electric resistance heating (electric furnace) instead of induction heating. The catalyst pellets were prepared with the same zeolite composition content (60%), the same binder, but without cobalt nanorods. The operating conditions were the same, i.e., atmospheric pressure, 650°C, 5 h -1 and 15 ml / min of nitrogen as a carrier gas. It is indicated in Table 9 that the chemical yields of chemicals obtained using induction heating are slightly higher than using electric resistance heating (electric furnace), and the product composition shifts towards ethylene.

[0097] Table 9

[0098] The final yields of the full operation of the presently disclosed process, which integrates crude oil reaction distillation in the first stage reactor, followed by catalytic cracking of distillates using induction heating in the second stage reactor, were calculated. To this end, the chemical yields in Table 9 have been corrected according to the distillate yield obtained in Example 1 (i.e., 84.2 wt% of Example 1). In addition, the light olefin yields from the first stage reaction distillation (i.e., 0.07 wt%, 0.21 wt%, and 0.14 wt% of ethylene, propylene, and butylenes, respectively) were added back to the total yield as collected products. Table 10 summarizes the yields of value-added petrochemical products in this integrated process, expressed as a weight percentage of the crude oil processed.

[0099] Table 10

[0100] It should now be appreciated that various aspects of a method for processing a crude oil feedstock and related systems have been described, and that these aspects can be used in combination with other various aspects.

[0101] According to a first aspect, a method for processing a crude oil feedstock includes: introducing a crude oil stream into a reactive distillation unit to remove Conradson carbon and metals from the crude oil stream and generate a distillate stream having an average boiling point distribution lower than the crude oil stream, a light gas stream consisting of C1-C4 hydrocarbons, a heavy liquid fraction comprising atmospheric residue formed from hydrocarbons having a boiling point of 400°C or higher, and coke; continuously and without further treatment delivering the distillate stream in gaseous form to a catalytic cracking reactor in which the distillate stream is cracked to form a petrochemical product stream comprising light olefins and BTX, a light gas effluent consisting of hydrogen and C1-C4 alkanes, and an unconverted distillate stream comprising a remaining portion of the distillate stream delivered to the catalytic cracking reactor unit, wherein the catalytic cracking reactor comprises a cracking catalyst and susceptor material dispersed throughout the catalytic cracking reactor, and the catalytic cracking reactor is operated at a temperature of 300°C to 800°C by magnetic induction heating of the susceptor material.

[0102] A second aspect includes the process of the first aspect, wherein the light gas stream is delivered to the catalytic cracking reactor simultaneously with the distillate stream.

[0103] A third aspect includes the process of the first or second aspect, wherein the light olefins and BTX comprising the petrochemical product stream include one or more of ethylene, propylene, butylene, benzene, toluene, and xylene.

[0104] A fourth aspect includes the process of any of the first through third aspects, wherein the cracking catalyst and the susceptor material are provided as separate particles dispersed within the catalytic cracking reactor.

[0105] A fifth aspect includes the process of any of the first through fourth aspects, wherein the cracking catalyst and the susceptor material are incorporated as separate particles into a pellet.

[0106] A sixth aspect includes the process of the fifth aspect, wherein the pellets are formed as: a first pellet in which the cracking catalyst and the susceptor material are incorporated as separate particles into the first pellet; and a second pellet in which the cracking catalyst and the susceptor material are incorporated as separate particles into the second pellet. The susceptor material and loading are selected for each of the first pellet and the second pellet such that the first pellet generates more heat per unit volume than the second pellet.

[0107] A seventh aspect includes the process of any of the first through third aspects, wherein the cracking catalyst and the susceptor material are provided as a single core-shell particle having the susceptor material as a core and the cracking catalyst as a shell.

[0108] An eighth aspect includes the process of the seventh aspect, wherein an interface layer is provided between the core of the susceptor material and the shell of the cracking catalyst.

[0109] The ninth aspect includes the process of the seventh or eighth aspect, wherein the formed particles include: first core-shell particles having a susceptor material as a core and a cracking catalyst as a shell; and second core-shell particles having a susceptor material as a core and a cracking catalyst as a shell. The susceptor material and loading selected for each of the first core-shell particles and the second core-shell particles are such that the first core-shell particles generate more heat per unit volume than the second core-shell particles.

[0110] The tenth aspect includes the process of any one of the first through ninth aspects, wherein the susceptor material is iron, cobalt, or an alloy of iron and cobalt.

[0111] The eleventh aspect includes the process of any one of the first through tenth aspects, wherein the reactive distillation unit contains solid particles disposed within the reactive distillation unit.

[0112] The twelfth aspect includes the process of the eleventh aspect, wherein the solid particles contain a second susceptor material that is the same as or different from the susceptor material, such that the reactive distillation unit is heated by magnetic induction.

[0113] The thirteenth aspect includes the process of the eleventh or twelfth aspect, wherein the solid particles contain one or more of kaolin, silica, alumina, silica alumina, phosphorous-doped silica alumina, magnesium oxide, titania, zirconia, aluminum magnesium spinel, hydrotalcite, and molecular sieve.

[0114] The fourteenth aspect includes the process of any one of the eleventh through thirteenth aspects, wherein the solid particles are continuously or periodically removed from the reactive distillation unit along with the heavy liquid fraction.

[0115] The fifteenth aspect includes the process of any one of the first through fourteenth aspects, wherein the reactive distillation unit is operated at a temperature range of 300 °C to 500 °C.

[0116] The sixteenth aspect includes the process of any one of the first through fifteenth aspects, wherein the catalytic cracking reactor is a fixed bed reactor.

[0117] The seventeenth aspect includes the process of any one of the first through sixteenth aspects, wherein the cracking catalyst is a zeolite or a mixture of zeolites.

[0118] The eighteenth aspect includes the process of any one of the first through seventeenth aspects, wherein the cracking catalyst contains a mixture of large pore zeolite and medium pore zeolite.

[0119] The nineteenth aspect includes the process of the eighteenth aspect, wherein the cracking catalyst contains Y-type zeolite and ZSM-5 in a weight ratio of 90:10 to 50:50.

[0120] The twentieth aspect includes the process of any one of the first through nineteenth aspects, wherein the catalytic cracking reactor includes one or more first catalyst beds comprising a large pore zeolite followed by one or more second catalyst beds comprising a medium pore zeolite.

[0121] The twenty-first aspect includes the process of the twentieth aspect, wherein the first catalyst bed and the second catalyst bed are heated at different temperatures.

[0122] The twenty-second aspect includes the process of the twenty-first aspect, wherein the first catalyst bed is heated at a temperature in the range of 400 °C to 650 °C and the second catalyst bed is heated at a temperature in the range of 500 °C to 750 °C.

[0123] The twenty-third aspect includes the process of any one of the first through twenty-second aspects, wherein the heavy liquid fraction is recycled back to the reaction distillation unit until depleted.

[0124] The twenty-fourth aspect includes the process of any one of the first through twenty-third aspects, wherein the unconverted distillate stream is recycled back to the catalytic cracking reactor for further processing.

[0125] It is noted that one or more of the following claims use the terms "wherein" as a transitional phrase. For the purposes of this technology, it is noted that this term is introduced in a claim as an open-ended transitional phrase that is used to introduce a list of one or more recited features to be combined with an explicitly recited feature. It is to be understood that this term is to be interpreted in the manner relevant to the ordinary meaning of the terms in this technology and should not be interpreted in the manner relevant to the more commonly used open-ended transitional phrases "comprising" and "including."

[0126] It is to be understood that any two quantitative values that impart a certain property can constitute a range of that property, and all combinations of ranges formed by all recited quantitative values of a given property are contemplated in this disclosure.

[0127] The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0128] After reference to the details of the foregoing description and drawings, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure, which is intended to cover all such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A method for processing a crude oil feedstock, the method comprising: introducing a crude oil stream into a reactive distillation unit to remove Conradson carbon and metals in the crude oil stream and to produce a distillate stream having an average boiling point distribution lower than the crude oil stream, a light gas stream consisting of C1-C4 hydrocarbons, a heavy liquid fraction comprising atmospheric residue formed from hydrocarbons having a boiling point of 400°C or higher, and coke; and delivering the distillate stream continuously and without further treatment in gaseous form to a catalytic cracking reactor in which the distillate stream is cracked to form a petrochemical product stream including light olefins and BTX, a light gas stream effluent consisting of hydrogen and C1-C4 alkanes, and an unconverted distillate stream comprising the remainder of the distillate stream delivered to the catalytic cracking reactor unit, wherein the catalytic cracking reactor contains cracking catalyst and susceptor material dispersed throughout the catalytic cracking reactor and the catalytic cracking reactor is operated at a temperature of 300°C to 800°C, heated by magnetic induction of the susceptor material.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the light gas stream is delivered to the catalytic cracking reactor simultaneously with the distillate stream.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the light olefins and BTX comprising the petrochemical product stream include one or more of ethylene, propylene, butylene, benzene, toluene, and xylene.

4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cracking catalyst and the susceptor material are provided as separate particles dispersed within the catalytic cracking reactor.

5. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cracking catalyst and the susceptor material are incorporated as separate particles into a pellet.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the pellet is made: a first pellet into which the cracking catalyst and the susceptor material are incorporated as separate particles; and a second pellet into which the cracking catalyst and the susceptor material are incorporated as separate particles; the susceptor material and loading selected for each of the first pellet and the second pellet being such that the first pellet produces more heat per unit volume than the second pellet.

7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cracking catalyst and the susceptor material are provided as a single core-shell particle, the core-shell particle having the susceptor material as a core and the cracking catalyst as a shell.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein an interface layer is provided between the core of the susceptor material and the shell of the cracking catalyst. a first core-shell particle having the susceptor material as a core and the cracking catalyst as a shell; 9. The method of claim 7 or 8, wherein the formed pellets comprise: ​ and a second core-shell particle, the second core-shell particle having the susceptor material as a core and the cracking catalyst as a shell; the susceptor material and loading selected for each of the first core-shell particle and the second core-shell particle being such that the first core-shell particle generates more heat per unit volume than the second core-shell particle.

10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the susceptor material is iron, cobalt, or an alloy of iron and cobalt.

11. The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the reaction distillation unit comprises solid particles disposed within the reaction distillation unit.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the solid particles comprise a second susceptor material, the second susceptor material being the same as or different from the susceptor material, such that the reaction distillation unit is heated by magnetic induction.

13. The method of claim 11 or 12, wherein the solid particles comprise one or more of kaolin, silica, alumina, silica alumina, phosphorous-doped silica alumina, magnesium oxide, titania, zirconia, alumina magnesia spinel, hydrotalcite, and molecular sieve.

14. The method of any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the solid particles are continuously or periodically removed from the reaction distillation unit with the heavy liquid fraction.

15. The method of any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the reaction distillation unit is operated at a temperature in the range of 300 °C to 500 °C.

16. The method of any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the catalytic cracking reactor is a fixed bed reactor.

17. The method of any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the cracking catalyst comprises a mixture of large pore zeolite and medium pore zeolite.

18. The method of any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the catalytic cracking reactor comprises one or more first catalyst beds comprising large pore zeolite followed by one or more second catalyst beds comprising medium pore zeolite.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first catalyst beds and the second catalyst beds are heated at different temperatures.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first catalyst beds are heated at a temperature in the range of 400 °C to 650 °C and the second catalyst beds are heated at a temperature in the range of 500 °C to 750 °C.

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