The key difference between paraffinic and naphthenic crude oil is that the viscosity of paraffinic crude oil is very high, whereas the viscosity of naphthenic crude oil is low.
Crude oil is a naturally occurring petroleum product that is made of hydrocarbon deposits and other organic materials. After extraction from the bedrock, it is processed in several stages, removing natural contaminants as well as undesirable hydrocarbons. The resultant oil can be described as paraffinic or naphthenic. The term paraffinic refers to substances containing paraffin compounds, while the term naphthenic refers to substances containing naphthene. These terms are commonly used in organic chemistry as well as in industrial chemistry. Paraffins are alkanes, while naphthenes are cyclic aliphatic hydrocarbons.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Paraffinic Crude Oil
3. What is Naphthenic Crude Oil
4. Paraffinic vs Naphthenic Crude Oil in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Paraffinic vs Naphthenic Crude Oil
What is Paraffinic Crude Oil?
The term paraffinic refers to substances containing paraffin. Therefore, paraffinic crude oil is a type of crude oil that contains a high amount of paraffin. Paraffins are alkanes. These are acyclic saturated hydrocarbons. Moreover, the general formula of paraffin is CnH2n+2. There are only single bonds between carbon atoms, and the molecule has a tree structure. Therefore, all the carbon atoms in paraffinic compounds are sp3 hybridized. Thus, this means each carbon atom has four single bonds around it.
Usually, this term is useful for higher alkanes that exist as waxes at room temperature. These compounds are colourless solid hydrocarbon mixtures of alkanes we can use to make candles, wax paper, lubricants, etc.
What is Naphthenic Crude Oil?
The term naphthenic refers to substances containing naphthene. Therefore, naphthenic crude oil is a type of crude oil consisting of a high amount of naphthenic compounds. Naphthenes are cyclic, aliphatic hydrocarbons that are manufactured from petroleum oil. The general formula of naphthenes is CnH2n.
Furthermore, these compounds have one or more rings ring structures, which have only single bonds. Therefore, these are saturated hydrocarbon compounds. We call them cycloparaffin. Moreover, we can easily convert naphthenic crude oil into gasoline than converting paraffinic crude oil.
What is the Difference Between Paraffinic and Naphthenic Crude Oil?
Crude oil is the liquid petroleum that can be found accumulated in various porous rock formations in Earth’s crust, and we can extract it to be used as a fuel for burning or for the processing of other chemical products. Paraffinic crude oil is a type of crude oil that contains a high amount of paraffins, while naphthenic crude oil is a type of crude oil that contains a high amount of naphthenic compounds. Moreover, the key difference between paraffinic and naphthenic crude oil is that the viscosity of paraffinic crude oil is very high, whereas the viscosity of naphthenic crude oil is low.
The below infographic presents the differences between paraffinic and naphthenic crude oil in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Paraffinic vs Naphthenic Crude Oil
The term paraffinic refers to substances containing paraffin compounds, while the term naphthenic refers to the substances containing naphthene. Commonly, these terms are used in organic chemistry as well as in industrial chemistry. Moreover, paraffins are alkanes, while naphthenes are cyclic aliphatic hydrocarbons. Paraffinic crude oil is a type of crude oil that contains a high amount of paraffin while naphthenic crude oil is a type of crude oil that contains a high amount of naphthenic compounds. The key difference between paraffinic and naphthenic crude oil is that the viscosity of paraffinic crude oil is very high, whereas the viscosity of naphthenic crude oil is low.
Reference:
1. “Crude Oil.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
2. “Naphthenic oil.” Wikipedia, Wikipedia.org
Image Courtesy:
1. “Crude oil (replica Drake Well House, Titusville, Pennsylvania, USA) 3″ By James St. John (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr