Two-phase moving bed reactor utilizing hydrogen-enriched feed

A process for converting a liquid hydrocarbon feedstock into lower molecular weight hydrocarbon compounds in a moving bed reactor, the process comprising:

• a. mixing the liquid hydrocarbon feedstock and an excess of hydrogen gas in a mixing zone under predetermined conditions of temperature and hydrogen partial pressure to dissolve a portion of the hydrogen gas in the liquid hydrocarbon feedstock and produce a mixture of hydrogen-enriched liquid hydrocarbon feedstock and undissolved hydrogen gas;
• b. introducing the mixture produced in step (a) into a flashing zone to separate the undissolved hydrogen gas and any light hydrocarbon components present from the hydrogen-enriched hydrocarbon feedstock, the flashing zone being operated under predetermined conditions of temperature and pressure corresponding to those in a downstream reaction zone, and recovering the hydrogen-enriched liquid hydrocarbon feedstock;
• c. introducing the hydrogen-enriched liquid hydrocarbon feedstock into the reaction zone of at least one moving bed reactor containing at least one catalyst or catalyst precursor under reaction conditions that are predetermined containing respect to the hydrocarbon feedstock, and reacting the feedstock and hydrogen exothermally to convert at least a portion of the feedstock into lower boiling hydrocarbons;
• d. recovering a reactor effluent from the at least one moving bed reactor comprising converted hydrocarbon products and unconverted liquid feedstock;
• e. introducing the reactor effluent from the at least one moving bed reactor into a separation zone to separate converted hydrocarbon products from unconverted liquid feedstock;
• f. recovering the converted hydrocarbon products from the separation zone;
• and
• g. recovering the unconverted liquid feedstock from the separation zone.