Global product demand trends favor increasing production of diesel fuel over motor gasoline. For refineries that have already invested in an FCC unit as its main conversion vehicle, the question becomes - how can we use our existing refinery assets to economically increase diesel production? The question is challenging because light cycle oil from fluid catalytic cracking operations has limited value as a component in modern diesel transportation fuel due to its aromatic, sulfurous character. To make matters worse, quality virgin distillate included in the FCC feedstock is essentially destroyed during FCC processing. In this paper, methodologies are presented for maximizing the production of high quality diesel in a refinery that relies on FCC as its principal means of heavy oil conversion: 1. Preserving straight run distillates for use in diesel blending by preventing its loss to FCC feed 2. Increasing yield, quality and recovery of LCO 3. Upgrading LCO quality through hydrotreating or hydrocracking 4. Preserving FCC naphtha octane and LPG during maximum LCO FCC operations. 5. Producing synthetic diesel through oligomerization of lighter olefinic FCC products
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