Fixed bed hydrocracking process

A process for converting a gas oil range petroleum feedstock into lighter petroleum products, said process consisting essentially of:

• (a) charging said gas oil range petroleum feedstock and hydrogen to a first fixed bed hydrocracking zone containing a hydrocracking catalyst at hydrocracking conditions to produce a first hydrocracking zone product stream;
• (b) separating said first fixed bed hydrocracking zone product stream in a fractionation zone into a petroleum products stream having a boiling range below about 650.degree. F. and a bottoms stream having a boiling range above about 650.degree. F.;
• (c) charging said bottoms stream and hydrogen to a second fixed bed hydrocracking zone containing a hydrocracking catalyst at hydrocracking conditions to produce a second fixed bed hydrocracking zone products stream;
• (d) cooling said second fixed bed hydrocracking zone product stream to a temperature from about 150.degree. to about 250.degree. F.;
• (e) recycling a first portion of said cooled second fixed bed hydrocracking zone product stream to said fractionation zone;
• (f) removing a heavy bottoms stream having a boiling point at above about 1050.degree. F. from a second portion of said cooled second fixed bed hydrocracking zone product stream to produce a treated second portion;
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• (g) recycling said treated second portion to said first fixed bed hydrocracking zone.

A process for converting a gas oil range petroleum feedstock into lighter petroleum products, said process consisting essentially of:

• (a) charging said gas oil range petroleum feedstock and hydrogen to a first fixed bed hydrocracking zone containing a hydrocracking catalyst at hydrocracking conditions to produce a first hydrocracking zone product stream;
• (b) separating said first fixed bed hydrocracking zone product stream in a fractionation zone into a petroleum products stream having a boiling range below about 500.degree. F. and a bottoms stream having a boiling range above about 500.degree. F.;
• (c) charging said bottoms stream and hydrogen to a second fixed bed hydrocracking zone containing a hydrocracking catalyst at hydrocracking conditions to produce a second fixed bed hydrocracking zone product stream;
• (d) cooling said second fixed bed hydrocracking zone product stream to a temperature from about 150.degree. to about 250.degree. F.;
• (e) recycling a first portion of said cooled second fixed bed hydrocracking zone product stream to said fractionation zone;
• (f) removing materials having a boiling range from about 500.degree. to about 650.degree. F. and a heavy bottoms stream having an initial boiling point above about 1050.degree. F. from a second portion of said cooled second fixed bed hydrocracking zone product stream to produce a treated second portion;
• and
• (g) recycling said treated second portion to said first fixed bed hydrocracking zone.