Heavy oil conversion with heavy oil hydrotreating recycle

A process, comprising:

• exposing a heavy oil feedstock to a slurry hydroconversion catalyst under slurry hydroconversion conditions in a reaction zone of a slurry hydroconversion reactor in the presence of hydrogen, thereby producing a slurry hydroconversion effluent comprising a gas product and a slurry product comprising upgraded heavy oil, unconverted oil, solid catalyst particles and solids formed during the hydroconversion reaction;
• separating the slurry product from the gas product of the slurry hydroconversion effluent, thereby producing a slurry stream comprising the unconverted oil, the solid catalyst particles and the solids formed during the hydroconversion reaction;
• separating the upgraded heavy oil from the slurry stream of the slurry hydroconversion effluent using one or more solid-liquid separators, thereby producing a solid-free lean stream comprising the unconverted oil and a solid-rich stream comprising the solid catalyst particles and the solids formed during the hydroconversion reaction;
• hydrotreating the solid-free lean stream comprising the unconverted oil in the presence of hydrogen and a hydrotreating catalyst in a heavy oil hydrotreating unit under heavy oil hydrotreating conditions, thereby producing a hydrotreated effluent;
• and
• recycling at least a portion of the hydrotreated effluent to the reaction zone of the slurry hydroconversion reactor.

A system, comprising:

• a heavy oil hydrotreating unit comprising a heavy oil hydrotreating reactor configured for hydrotreating a solid-free lean stream comprising unconverted oil processed from a heavy oil feedstock in a slurry hydroconversion reactor, in the presence of hydrogen and a hydrotreating catalyst under heavy oil hydrotreating conditions, thereby producing a hydrotreated effluent;
• a recycle line configured for recycling at least a portion of the hydrotreated effluent;
• and
• a slurry hydroconversion unit comprising one or more slurry hydroconversion reactors configured for hydroconverting a heavy oil feedstock and the portion of the hydrotreated effluent recycled from the heavy oil hydrotreating unit in the presence of hydrogen and a slurry hydroconversion catalyst under slurry hydroconversion conditions, thereby producing a slurry hydroconversion effluent comprising a gas product and a slurry product comprising upgraded heavy oil, unconverted oil, solid catalyst particles and solids formed during a hydroconversion reaction.