Ebullated bed process for high conversion of heavy hydrocarbons with a low sediment yield

A process that uses an ebullated bed reactor system for the hydroconversion of a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock, having a high proportion of pitch hydrocarbons boiling at temperatures exceeding 524° C., to yield a heavy hydrocarbon conversion product having a low sediment content, wherein said process comprises:

• introducing said heavy hydrocarbon feedstock, having a content of said pitch exceeding 50 wt.%, into an ebullated bed reaction zone contained within a reactor volume defined by an ebullated bed reactor vessel,
• wherein said reactor volume includes an upper zone above said ebullated bed reaction zone and a lower zone below said ebullated bed reaction zone,
• wherein said ebullated bed reaction zone comprises a catalyst bed of small particle size, shaped hydroprocessing catalyst particles,
• wherein said shaped hydroprocessing catalyst particles comprise a calcined shaped alumina support, which consists essentially of alumina,
• wherein the alumina is calcined at a first temperature to form the calcined shaped alumina support,
• wherein the calcined shaped alumina support is impregnated with at least one active catalytic metal component followed by calcination at a second temperature providing said shaped hydroprocessing catalyst particles, and
• wherein said shaped hydroprocessing catalyst particles are further characterized as having a low macroporosity in the range of from greater than 0.01% to less than 9% and a geometry defined by a length and a polylobal cross section providing for a first ratio of the cross section perimeter-to-cross sectional area that is in the range of from 5 mm−1 to 8 mm−1;
• contacting under hydroconversion reaction conditions said heavy hydrocarbon feedstock with said shaped hydroprocessing catalyst particles within said ebullated bed reaction zone;
• and
• yielding from said upper zone said heavy hydrocarbon conversion product having less than 0.5 wt.% sediment, as determined by testing method ASTM-4870.