Distillation characteristics and compositional analysis of Arabian Light straight run naphtha

Straight run naphtha is a basic constituent of refined petroleum products. It consists mainly of aliphatic hydrocarbons along with small amounts of na phthenic and aromatic hydrocarbons. It has a wide boiling range between 95 degrees F and 410 degrees F. Currently, its main utilization is as gasoline blend, however, naphtha is a potential feedstock for the production of var ious petrochemicals. Continuous catalytic reforming of naphtha can produce aromatic compounds in amounts up to 70% of the reformat. Nevertheless, the catalytic reforming process is usually associated with various limitations that may be related to the wide-ranging composition of naphtha. In this stu dy straight run naphtha derived from Arabian Light crude oil was fractionat ed, and the hydrocarbon composition of its different distillation cuts was determined. The results indicate that, straight run naphtha can be split in to two main fractions. A light fraction boiling between ambient temperature and 225 degrees F, consists mainly of C-7((-)) and a medium heavy fraction boiling between 225 degrees F and 335 degrees F, consists mainly of C-7(()). Detailed distillation characteristics, along with compositional analysi s of SRN seems to be useful for diversifying its processing technologies, a nd upgrading currently applied processing practices to yield various high-v alue products and petrochemicals feed stocks.