NAPHTHA

Petroleum refining in producing Naphtha

Top 5 :
A Rajkumar Aakarsh Gupta Abhishek B Suresh Abhishek K Baikadi Abhishek Verma

Contents
What is Naphtha Types of Naphtha Description of petroleum Naphtha Properties Production Uses Safety reading Reference

What is Naphtha ???

Naphtha is a name given to several mixtures of liquid hydrocarbons that are extremely volatile and flammable. Naphtha is an Ancient Greek word that was used to refer to any sort of petroleum.

Types of Naphtha
Based on source from which its obtained:
Petroleum naphtha (crude oil distillation) Coal-tar naphtha ( coal tar distillation) Wood naphtha ( wood distillation).

 It is also classified based on :

Paraffin content Isoparaffin content Olefins content Naphthene content Aromatic content (like HAN and LAN)

Properties
Molecular weight Specific gravity Boiling point Vapour pressure Colour : 100215 g/mol : 0.750.785 g/cm3 : 30200 C : < 5 mm Hg : Colourless(kerosene odour) : Red-brown(aromatic odour) : Insoluble in water and soluble in organic liquid.

Solubility

Production
Naphtha is manufactured from crude oil by direct atmospheric distillation and by catalytic cracking of heavy residues.

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.

 The first unit process in a petroleum refinery is the crude oil distillation unit. The overhead liquid distillate from that unit is called virgin or straight-run naphtha and that distillate is the largest source of naphtha in most petroleum refineries. It contains paraffin, naphthene and aromatic hydrocarbons ranging from those containing 4 carbon atoms to those containing about 10 or 11 carbon atoms. The virgin naphtha is often further distilled into two streams:
a virgin light naphtha with an IBP of about 30 C and a FBP of about 145 C containing most of the hydrocarbons with 6 or less carbon atoms. a virgin heavy naphtha containing most of the hydrocarbons with more than 6 carbon atoms. The heavy naphtha has an IBP of about 140 C and a FBP of about 205 C.

 It is the virgin heavy naphtha that is usually processed in a catalytic reformer because the light naphtha has molecules with 6 or less carbon atoms which, when reformed, tend to crack into butane and lower molecular weight hydrocarbons which are not useful as high-octane gasoline blending components.

Most uses of petroleum refinery naphtha require the removal of sulphur compounds down to very low levels (a few parts per million). That is usually accomplished in a catalytic chemical process called hydrodesulphurization which converts the sulphur compounds into hydrogen sulphide gas that is removed from the naphtha by distillation.

Uses
As a component in the production of petrol. Industrial solvents and cleaning fluids. A commonly available general purpose solvent designated as "VM&P" naphtha, which stands for "varnish makers' and painters. As an adulterant to petrol. As a fuel for portable stoves and lanterns. A fuel for fire spinning, fire juggling or other fire performance equipment which creates a brighter and cleaner yet shorter burn. To remove from the aperture blades of camera lenses any oil which, if present, could slow the movement of the blades, leading to overexposure As a coating for elemental lithium metal, to prevent oxidation. As a fuel in gas turbine unit.

Safety aspects
Almost all volatile, lipid-soluble organic chemicals cause general, nonspecific depression of the central nervous system or general anaesthesia. Target Organs : eyes, skin, RS, CNS, liver, kidney. Symptoms of acute exposure are dizziness with loss of consciousness. Topical exposure to naphtha can cause a burning sensation on the skin within a period of minutes to an hour, followed by contact dermatitisa rashthat can last for days to weeks.

Reference
www.wikipedia.org www.newworldencyclopedia.org www.en.citizendium.org www.petroleumbazaar.com