Different types of Naphtha

[set71]

G'day everyone,
Due to our wonderful government we are having a crisis/shortage on petroleum products. I'm just curious which type of Naphtha is better to use "light alphatatic" (shellite which we have a shortage of) or "hydrotreated light" (torch and lamp oil which we still have some of) ??

 

[Transform]

Light aliphatic and hydrotreated light naphtha will amount to essentially the same thing, more or less, but may still differ on account of the exact blend of hydrocarbons in each batch. These two labels could also quite conceivably be found on different bottlings of identical product.

Won't torch and lamp oil be medium naphtha though? Light naphtha is too flammable to be used safely in that application. Lamp oil is likely to be less rigorously controlled for heavier fractions, so it would be particularly prudent to check that a sample of it evaporates cleanly, leaving absolutely no residue.

Naphtha intended for use as a specialist degreaser will have much more rigorous standards regarding its volatility (which should include the product branded as "Shellite", from what I gather) but you should always do an evaporation test with each new batch - and sometimes even again later on in an old batch if it's been stored for a considerable stretch of time.