Residue thermal cracking process in a packed bed reactor

A process comprising passing an asphaltene-containing residual oil which has not been deasphalted and hydrogen through a catalytic hydrodesulfurization zone at a temperature between 690.degree. and 790.degree. F., passing asphaltene-containing hydrodesulfurized residual oil from said hydrodesulfurization zone through a thermal cracking zone containing a fixed bed of inert solids at a temperature between 750.degree. and 1,000.degree. F. which is above the hydrodesulfurization zone temperature to thermally crack said hydrodesulfurized oil to produce cracked products comprising both middle distillates boiling in the 350.degree. to 650.degree. F. range and naphtha boiling below 350.degree. F., the ratio of middle distillates to naphtha in said cracked products being greater than one.