Process for high severity catalytic cracking of crude oil

A method for processing a crude oil feedstock having total metals (Ni+V) content of less than 5 ppm and Conradson carbon residue of less than 5 wt % comprising:

• fractionating the feedstock into a low boiling fraction and a high boiling fraction, wherein fractionating is conducted in a range temperature conducive to produce the high boiling fraction having less than 10 wt % Conradson Carbon and less than 10 ppm total metals;
• cracking the low boiling fraction in a first downflow reaction zone of a fluid catalytic cracking unit in the presence of a predetermined amount of catalyst to produce a first cracked product stream and spent catalyst;
• cracking the high boiling fraction in a second downflow reaction zone of the fluid catalytic cracking unit in the presence of a predetermined amount of catalyst to produce a second cracked product stream and spent catalyst;
• wherein each of the first and second downflow reaction zones includes a mixing zone, a separation zone and a catalyst-stripping zone, and
• regenerating spent catalyst from both the first and second downflow reaction zones in a common regeneration zone and recycling the regenerated catalyst back to the first and second downflow reaction zones;
• and
• recovering the first and second cracked product streams,
• wherein heat formed by combustion of coke formed on catalyst particles having increased coke formation from the high boiling fraction reaction zone overcomes limitations associated with reduced coke formation on catalyst particles from the low boiling fraction reaction zone.