Methods and systems for enhancing processing of hydrocarbons in a fluid catalytic cracking unit using plastic

A method of processing a gas oil in a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit, the method comprising:

• introducing steam and the gas oil into a riser of the FCC unit;
• mixing the gas oil and the steam with a catalyst of the FCC unit when fluidized in the riser;
• injecting an amount of fluidized plastic into one or more locations of the FCC unit other than the riser, at one or more time periods to one or more of (a) balance heat within the FCC unit or (b) optimize yield of one or more hydrocarbon products, the fluidized plastic comprising a plurality of granules;
• cracking the gas oil into the one or more hydrocarbon products in the FCC unit, thereby to cause one or more surfaces of the catalyst to be at least partially covered by coke so as to define a coked FCC catalyst;
• and
• separating the coked FCC catalyst from the one or more hydrocarbon products in one or more cyclones of the FCC unit.

A method of processing a gas oil in a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit, the method comprising:

• passing a coked FCC catalyst from a cyclone of the FCC unit to a regenerator;
• introducing a fluidized plastic into the regenerator;
• and
• combusting a combination of the fluidized plastic and a coke from the coked FCC catalyst in the regenerator, thereby to produce a regenerated FCC catalyst and a flue gas.

A system for processing a gas oil in a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit, the system comprising:

• a riser having a first inlet to receive a gas oil stream, a second inlet in fluid communication with steam and a first portion of fluidized plastic, and a third inlet to receive a catalyst, the riser positioned to facilitate mixing and catalytic cracking of the gas oil stream in presence of the steam and the catalyst, thereby to produce a plurality of hydrocarbon products and coked FCC catalyst;
• a reactor having (i) a FCC reaction zone in fluid communication with a portion of the riser and configured to continue to crack the gas oil stream in presence of the steam and the FCC catalyst, thereby generate the plurality of hydrocarbon products and more of the coked FCC catalyst, (ii) a separation zone to separate the plurality of hydrocarbon products from the coked FCC catalyst, and (iii) a first outlet stream to transport the plurality of hydrocarbon products to a fractionation zone, thereby to separate the plurality of hydrocarbon products into one or more of propylene, isobutene, butylenes, gasoline, distillate, diesel fuel, heating oil, slurry oil, or wet gas;
• and
• a regenerator having a first inlet stream in fluid communication with a second outlet stream of the reactor to receive the coked FCC catalyst, the regenerator having a second inlet stream to receive at least oxygen and a third inlet stream in fluid communication with and to receive a second portion of fluidized plastic, a third outlet stream in fluid communication with the third inlet of the riser to supply a regenerated FCC catalyst to the riser, and a fourth outlet stream positioned to discharge a flue gas containing one or more of nitrogen, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, or water vapor, the regenerator operated to combust coke on the coked FCC catalyst, the first portion of fluidized plastic, and the second portion of fluidized plastic, thereby to produce the regenerated FCC catalyst and the flue gas.