ISOCRACKING®

Overview Chevron Lummus Global (CLG), a joint venture CLG has been propelled toward an aggressive
between Lummus Technology and Chevron, offers catalyst development program, especially over the
ISOCRACKING® technology to efficiently convert last decade by ongoing market growth, increasing
heavy opportunity feedstocks into premium, high operating severities and the design of very large
quality middle distillates and lube oil basestocks. units (75,000 – 140,000 BPSD). With improvements
Building upon more than 50 years of operating to catalyst formulations and raw material quality
experience including Chevron’s pioneering efforts (both amorphous and zeolitic), CLG’s latest line of
to commercialize modern hydrocracking, CLG has ISOCRACKING catalysts have proven not only to
continued to invest in the development of best enhance selectivity for a full range of applications,
practices, new and unique hydrocracking schemes but also to exhibit increased activity and stability
and catalyst systems. As a result of our continued for processing increasingly difficult feedstocks. The
innovation, today we are the leading hydrocracking process employs a family of unique catalyst systems
technology licensor with more than 60 units to maximize middle distillate or naphtha yields,
licensed since 2000. ISOCRACKING technology tailored to meet a particular unit’s requirements.
today incorporates new design features that Along with optimum catalyst design, catalyst
significantly reduce plant investment and operating life cycles can be extended by improving reactor
costs while offering 98%+ operating factor. operation. CLG’s latest ISOMIX®-e reactor internals
CLG is highly experienced as a licensor with more offer enhanced reactor operation by thoroughly
than 285 hydroprocessing units licensed since the mixing and uniformly distributing gas and liquid
1960s, a refiner and a world-class engineering across the reactor bed. These internals have
company enabling us to offer unparalleled demonstrated even temperature distribution
expertise in hydrocracking. We offer our clients (low radial ΔT’s < 3˚ C), which results in maximum
expertise through active research and development catalyst utilization across the reactor bed, ultimately
programs, pilot plant studies and a full range of improving cycle length, and operating stability.
engineering and technical support services.

Technical
Process Features Process Benefits
Advantages
Produces diesel fuels with very high cetane Can be blended with poorer quality streams and
number and low pour point still meet refiner’s diesel pool cetane specs

Produces kerosenes with low freeze points and Results in optimum fuel combustion
high smoke points characteristics

Produces hydrogen-rich heavy products Excellent feedstock for downstream processing

(e.g., FCC, ethylene or lube oil), providing better
yields and product properties in these units

Unique catalyst systems result in maximum Optimum catalyst selection will produce about
yield of middle distillate products and lube oil 3% more higher-value distillate product yield
base stocks than competing hydrocracking technologies

Minimizes formation of polynuclear aromatic Achieves high unit on-stream factor by avoiding
(PNA) compounds in the reaction system deposit of solids on process equipment

Catalysts with superior stability result in long Low catalyst replacement costs permits design
catalyst cycle length and ultimate life of lower pressure hydrocrackers with lower
investment cost

Extensive family of amorphous and zeolitic Selection of optimum reactor/catalyst configuration

catalysts available for any application gives refiners greater flexibility in processing a wide
range of feedstocks from different crudes
Process Flow Make-up
Diagram Hydrogen

Light Ends to
Fresh Feed Recovery Unit
Recycle
Gas Recycle
Gas
Fractionator Light
Naphtha
Second-
Heavy stage
First-stage Naphtha Reactor
Reactor
Middle
Separator Distillate

Separator

First-stage Second-stage Product

Product

Process The hydrocracker is a high-pressure, moderate The unconverted oil from the bottom of the
Description temperature conversion unit. ISOCRACKING fractionator is routed to the second stage reactor
hydrocracker designs include single-stage once section.
through, single-stage recycle and two-stage The second reaction stage saturates almost all
recycle processes. A two-stage hydrocracker of the aromatics and cracks the oil feed to light
with intermediate distillation represents the most products. Due to the aromatics saturation, the
common process configuration for maximizing second stage produces excellent quality products.
middle distillates. The liquid product from the second stage is then
The feed, which is typically a blend of HCGO sent to the common fractionator, where light
and VGO and in certain cases includes residue products are distilled. The second stage operates
hydrocracker VGO, is sent to the first stage of in a recycle to extinction mode with per pass
the hydrocracker and is severely hydrotreated. conversions ranging from 50 to 80%.
Most of the sulfur and nitrogen compounds are The overhead liquid and vapor from the
removed from the oil and many of the aromatics hydrocracker fractionator is further processed
are saturated. In addition, significant conversion to in a light ends recovery unit where fuel gas and
light products occurs in the first stage. liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and naphtha are
The liquid product from the first stage is sent to a separated. The hydrogen supplied to the reactor
common fractionation section. To prevent overcracking, sections of the hydrocracker comes from reformers
lighter products are removed by distillation. or steam-reformers. The hydrogen is compressed
in stages until it reaches system pressure of the
reactor sections.

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01.20.21