TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Process Details : The hydrocarbon charge has a final boiling point greater than 600degreesC, and consists mainly of atmospheric and vacuum residues of heavy crudes. The asphaltene content of the deasphalted effluent is less than 1000 ppm wt., more preferably less than 500 ppm wt. The solvent used in stage (a) comprises at least 50% wt. of 3 - 7C hydrocarbons, the deasphalting being carried out in an extraction column. The catalyst in stage (b) is a hydroconversion catalyst comprising an amorphous support and a metal or metal compound with a hydrogenating function. Consecutively to stage (c) a separation of solid catalyst particles is effected ; the stage consists of an atmospheric distillation followed by vacuum distillation. The vacuum distillate is sent to a hydrocracking stage. EXAMPLE - A vacuum residue(RSV) of a heavy crude , with the following properties :- Density 15/4 : 1.06 ; S : 5.75 ; Ni + V : 500 ppm ; N : 6800 ppm ; insoluble asphaltenes C7 : 17% ; Conradson C : 25% ; -was deasphalted with pentane to give 62% of a deasphalted oil with an analysis of :- Density : 1.01 ; Ni + V : 130 ppm ; S : 4.6% ; N : 0.42% ; Conradson C : 12.0% ; insoluble asphaltenes : less than 0.05% ; The deasphalted oil was introduced in a fluidized bed reactor in the presence of H2 and a specific catalyst, Axens HTS-458 , to obtain an 85% conversion of the 524degreesC + fraction. The operating conditions were VVH : 0.8 h-1 ; H2 pressure : 13.5 MPa ; recycled H2 : 600 l H2/l of charge ; reactor temperature : 435degreesC. The quality of the products obtained were as follows :- Petrol : S / N(ppm) : less than 50 / 10 ; density : 0.737 ; Kerosene 1 : S / N (ppm) : 210 / 175 ; density : 0.824 ; Gasoil 1 : S / N(ppm) : 280 / 500 ; density : 0.866 ; cetane number : 46 ; Atmospheric residue 1 : S / N(ppm) : 2950 / 2320 ; density : 0.932 ; H2 : 11.8% ; Ni + V : less than 1ppm ; The residue 1 was treated in a catalytic cracking unit and gave yields(relative to the atmospheric residue) of :- Gas and LPG : 18.65 ; Petrol 2 : 47.6% ; S : 90 ppm ; Gasoil 2 : 14.8% ; S : 0.395 ; slurry(second residue) : 11.6% ; Coke : 7.4% ; The global yields of petrol , kerosene and gasoil relative to the initial non-deasphalted oil were :- Petrol 1 and 2 : 22.3 ; kerosene 1 : 8.1 ; gasoil 1 and 2 : 15.0 ; residue2 : 3.0 ; asphalt : 38 ; The distillates produced were characterized by low impurity contents,thus requiring only moderate complementary hydrotreatments.