PETROLEUM RESIDUES BY MEANS OF REDUCTION OF VISCOSITY, DEASPHALTATION AND HYDROTREATMENT

The present invention provides a method of converting petroleum residues containing a high percentage of asphaltic materials into hydrocarbons of higher commercial value. The method comprises the steps of viscosity reduction, deasphaltation and hydrotreatment. The petroleum residues are submitted to a viscosity reduction process under prescribed pressure and temperature conditions. The resulting viscosity-reduced residue is submitted to a deasphaltation process with aliphatic hydrocarbons saturated at prescribed conditions of temperature, pressure and solvent:batch weight ratio to obtain a deasphalted oil and an asphalt. The deasphalted oil is hydrotreated with catalysts containing certain metals, under prescribed conditions of pressure, temperature, spatial velocity and H2:batch ratio, to obtain liquid products useful as low sulfur content fuels or as a basis for obtaining light distillates or gasolines.