Sub-Product

The first unit operation (after being desalinated) in a petroleum refinery is the crude oil distillation unit. The overhead liquid distillate from that Unit is called virgin or straight-run naphtha or full boiling range naphtha (FBR naphtha) and that distillate is the largest source of naphtha in most petroleum refineries. The naphtha is a mixture of many different hydrocarbon compounds. It has an initial boiling point (IBP) of about 35°C and a final boiling point (FBP) of about 200°C, and it contains paraffins (alcanes), naphthenes (cycloalcanes) and aromatic hydrocarbons ranging from those containing 4 carbon atoms to those containing about 10 or 11 carbon atoms^[1].

Naphtha is used primarily as feedstock for producing a high-octane gasoline component via the catalytic reforming process. It is also used in the petrochemical industry for producing olefins in steam crackers and in the chemical industry for solvent (cleaning) applications^[2].

References

1. Wikipedia, Petroleum Naphtha.
2. New World Encyclopedia > Naphtha.