Production of lubricating oils

A method for producing lube oils from an atmospheric residual oil which comprises,

• separating an atmospheric residual oil to recover a light vacuum gas oil, a heavy vacuum gas oil and a resid containing asphaltic material, deasphalting said resid to provide a first raffinate product thereof,
• solvent extraction said light vacuum gas oil to provide a second raffinate phase and a first extract phase, separating solvent from said extracted light vacuum gas oil, combining said first extract phase with said first raffinate product of said resid deasphalting operation to form a mixed oil phase comprising solvent with extracted polycyclic aromatics,
• using said mixed oil extract phase with solvent to remove undesired aromatics from said heavy vacuum gas oil in a second solvent extraction zone,
• recovering a second extract phase from said second solvent extraction zone and separating solvent from aromatics in said second extract phase, recycling solvent thus separated to said second solvent extraction zone,
• recovering a third raffinate phase from said second solvent extraction zone and separating solvent from an oil phase comprising said third raffinate and boiling above about 800.degree.F., recycling solvent thus separated to said second extraction zone,
• passing said oil phase boiling above about 800.degree.F. to a hydrocracking zone maintained under relatively mild hydrocracking conditions selected to enhance the yield of lube oil base products and separating a product of said hydrocracking operation boiling above about 650.degree.F into a plurality of separate boiling range lube oil fractions.