Here is a response I recently gave to a similar question limited to Resid upgrading:

• Some Vacuum Residues have value as:

o Asphalt

 Must meet Viscosity and Penetration Speciation for various grades

 AC-10.AC-20,AC-30 and AC-40 are typical grades

o Lubricants – Viscosity and Viscosity Index (aka VI) specs for Bright Stock

 Often Hydrotreted to achieve these specs

• Most Vac Resids are nor suitable for Asphalt or Lubes and are sold as:

o High Sulfur Fuel oil

 Diluted with Diesel or lighter material to meet viscosty specification

o Low Sulfur Fuel Oil

 Usually Requires Dilution and/or Hydrotreating

 Breakeven value of Vac Residue is near or even below 0

o Dedicate Vacuum Residue upgrading units described below

• Upgrading Options:

o Residue Hydrotreating to produce lower Sulfur Residue and minimal cracking to lighter material

 Most Hydrotreating units built for this service were shut down or converted to other servoces

 A few of these units still operate as designed – mostly in Japan

 Some of these units produce resid boiling range feed to Fluidized Bed Catalytic Cracking Units (FCCU) that primarily produce gasoline.

• Require a more advanced FCCU design

o Thermal Conversion:

 Visbreaking has been used prinarilly in Europe and the Carribean

• Thermal cracking process produces fuel oil

• Max conversion set be product stability (multiple liquid phases) issu

 Delayed Coking:

• Batch wise more severe thermal cracking (typically 16-24 hr drum cycles) to produce:

• Solid petcoke (20-40 Wt%)

o Usually ss olid as an equivalent to coal

o Occasionally higher value as Anode or other specialty grade coke

• Hydrogen Deficient Liquid products (FCCU feed Gasoline and Diesel boiling range

o Requires Hydrotreating to produce finished products

• Fuel Gas

o Olefinic gas sometimes ised as Alkylation feed

 Fluid Coking – Continuous coking process with products similar to Delated Coking

 FlexiCoking - Similar to Fluid coking except petcoke is gasified to produce low Btu fuel gas



o Solvent Deasphalting

• Propane/Butane/Pentane used as solvent to “lift” higher quality material for upgrading at an FCCU

• Heavy materially burned or used as asphalt if it can be blended to meet specs

o Hydroconversion-

 H-Oil and LC-Fining Processes Hydrocrack Residue to lighter products that can be upgraded to Diesel or Gasoline in other refinery units

• Max conversion set be compatability limits similar to issues with visbreaking but at much higher conversion.

o Gasification – Thermal partio oxidation or other catalytic gasification processes

 Synthesis gas used for H2 production or Methanol, Ammonia or even Fischer Tropsch

I think that covers most of the option Refineries have to upgrade residue. The vast majority dilute and blend to produce a fuel oil. Delayed Coking is the most prevalent Vacuum Residue conversion process.

Chevron also Licenses  Hydrotrating Technology for Residue oil, Gas Oils, Diesel and Naphtha boiling range material,

Here is a link to their technology offerings the license in partnershis with CB&I ( acquired former partner Lmmus) as well as their ART Hydrotreating offerings,  Let me know if you need any explanation about how this technology works.

http://www.chevrontechnologymarketing.com/about_che_tech.aspx