Naphtha - Production in Refineries

Production in Refineries

Naphtha is obtained in petroleum refineries as one of the intermediate products from the distillation of crude oil. It is a liquid intermediate between the light gases in the crude oil and the heavier liquid kerosene. Naphthas are volatile, flammable and have a specific gravity of about 0.7. The generic name 'naphtha' describes a range of different refinery intermediate products used in different applications. To complicate the matter further, similar naphtha types are often referred to by different names.

The different naphthas are distinguished by:

• Density (g/ml or specific gravity)
• PONA, PIONA or PIANO analysis, measured by detailed capillary gas chromatography (usually in volume percent but can also be in weight percent):
  • Paraffin content (volume percent)
  • Isoparaffin content (only in a PIONA analysis)
  • Olefins content (volume percent)
  • Naphthenes content (volume percent)
  • Aromatics content (volume percent)