CONVERSION OF ASPHALTENIC PITCH WITHIN AN EBULLATED BED RESIDUUM HYDROCRACKING PROCESS

A process for upgrading residuum hydrocarbons including: feeding pitch, hydrogen, and a partially spent catalyst recovered from a hydrocracking reactor to an ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor; contacting the pitch, hydrogen, and the catalyst in the ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor at reaction conditions of temperature and pressure sufficient to convert at least a portion of the pitch to distillate hydrocarbons; and separating the distillate hydrocarbons from the catalyst. In some embodiments, the process may include selecting the ebullated bed pitch hydrocracking reactor reaction conditions to be at or below the level where sediment formation would otherwise become excessive and prevent continuity of operations.