Hydrocracking process selective for improved distillate and improved lube yield and properties

A hydroprocessing process that is selective for distillate boiling range converted products and yielding unconverted products useful as lubricants, which process comprises:

• hydrotreating a vacuum gasoil feedstream having a sulfur content of at least about 1000 wppm and a nitrogen content of at least about 200 wppm with a hydrogen-containing treat gas stream in the presence of a hydrotreating catalyst under effective hydrotreating conditions to form a hydrotreated product;
• hydrocracking the hydrotreated product in a first hydrocracking stage with a hydrogen-containing treat gas stream in the presence of a first hydrocracking catalyst system under effective hydrocracking conditions sufficient to attain a conversion level of not more than 50%, so as to form a first hydrocracked, hydrotreated product;
• separating the first hydrocracked, hydrotreated product into a first converted product having a boiling range maximum of about 700° F. (about 371° C.) and a first unconverted product having a boiling range minimum of about 700° F. (about 371° C.), the first converted product having one or more of a cetane number of at least 40, a smoke point of at least 19 mm, and a sulfur content of not greater than 20 wppm, the first unconverted product having a nitrogen content of not greater than about 50 wppm and a sulfur content of not greater than about 300 wppm;
• hydrocracking the first unconverted product in a second hydrocracking stage with a hydrogen-containing treat gas stream in the presence of a two-stage hydrocracking catalyst system under effective hydrocracking conditions sufficient to attain a conversion level of greater than 55%, so as to form a second hydrotreated, hydrocracked product;
• and
• separating the second hydrotreated, hydrocracked product into a second converted product having a boiling range maximum of about 700° F. (about 371° C.) and a second unconverted product having a boiling range minimum of about 700° F. (about 371° C.), the second converted product having one or more of a cetane number of at least 45, a smoke point of at least 20 mm, and a sulfur content of not greater than 12 wppm, the second unconverted product having one or more of a viscosity index of at least 80, a pour point of less than 5° C., and a kinematic viscosity at about 100° C. of at least 1 cSt,
• wherein the two-stage hydrocracking catalyst system comprises (i) a USY catalyst containing a Group VIII noble metal selected from platinum, palladium, and combinations thereof and (ii) a ZSM-48 catalyst containing a Group VIII noble metal selected from platinum, palladium, and combinations thereof.