What is hydrocracking technology in petroleum refining?

Hydrocracking technology is an important conversion technology for producing high-value naphtha or distillate products from a wide range of refinery feedstocks. Conventional hydrocracking technologies have a difficult time handling low-quality feedstocks that are rich in undesirable asphaltene molecules, for example heavy oil, bottom of the barrel and oil sands bitumen. Hydrocracking is a two-stage process combining catalytic cracking and hydrogenation, where heavy feedstock is cracked in the presence of hydrogen to produce more desirable products. The process employs high pressure, high temperature, a catalyst and hydrogen.