Britannica AI Icon

hydrocracking

industrial process

Quick Summary

Hydrocracking is an industrial process used in petroleum refining to break down heavy hydrocarbon molecules into lighter, more valuable ones, such as gasoline, kerosene, and diesel fuel. This process utilizes hydrogen gas to improve the hydrogen-carbon ratio in the cracked molecules, offering greater flexibility in product yields compared to catalytic cracking.12

Hydrocracking operates at lower temperatures but much higher pressures than catalytic cracking. The catalysts used can vary, often including silica-alumina types, and sometimes hydrogenation catalysts like nickel, tungsten, platinum, or palladium. This process was developed in the 1950s and has become a significant part of modern refining, allowing for the production of high-quality, low-sulfur fuels.213

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.