Naphtha

Naphtha is a flammable liquid made from distilling petroleum. It looks like gasoline. Naphtha is used to dilute heavy oil to help move it through pipelines, to make high-octane gas, to make lighter fluid, and even to clean metal. Catalytic reforming of heavy naphtha and isomerization of light naphtha constitute a very important source of products having high octane numbers which are key components in the production of gasoline. Environmental regulations limit on the benzene content in gasoline. If benzene is present in the final gasoline it produces carcinogenic material on combustion. Elimination of benzene forming hydrocarbons, such as, hexane will prevent the formation of benzene, and this can be achieved by increasing the initial point of heavy naphtha. These light paraffinic hydrocarbons can be used in an isomerization unit to produce high octane number isomers.