naphthafeed

Naphthafeed is a term used in petroleum refining and petrochemical processing to denote a feedstock consisting primarily of naphtha or naphtha-like fractions. In refinery practice, naphtha refers to a family of volatile hydrocarbon liquids with carbon ranges roughly from C5 to C12. Naphthafeed can be classified as light naphtha (about C5–C6) or heavy naphtha (about C7–C11 or C12), with composition that depends on the source crude and downstream processing. The exact mix can be paraffinic, naphthenic, or aromatic-rich and may include varying levels of sulfur, nitrogen, and trace metals depending on refining safeguards and treatments.

Sources and production: Naphthafeed is obtained from atmospheric distillation of crude oil and from gas-oil streams within a refinery. It can also originate from certain catalytic cracking or deasphalting operations, as well as from natural gas condensates in some contexts. The flexibility of naphthafeed makes it a common intermediate in refinery configurations aimed at producing gasoline, olefins, or aromatics.

Uses and processing: The primary uses of naphthafeed are as a feed for catalytic reforming units, which produce high-octane gasoline components and aromatics, and as a feed for steam crackers to generate light olefins such as ethylene and propylene. Depending on desired outputs, naphthafeed may undergo hydrotreating to reduce sulfur and other contaminants, stabilization, or blending to meet product specifications.

Market and safety considerations: Naphthafeed prices follow crude oil and refined product economics, with margins influenced by gasoline and petrochemical demand. It is a flammable liquid, so storage and handling follow standard industrial safety guidelines.