The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1918-05-18
Changing Gas into Gasoline
Thru Casing-Head Sys-
TEN Now is Feature
OF Industry

OF Industry
It is only within the last few
months that the manufacture Of gas
olene from casing-head gas has be-
come feature OF the oil industry Of
Wyoming, although for several years
It, has been most important phase Of
the business in other districts. One
large and one small plant are already
In successful operation. a second large
one is almost ready for the gas, and q
third will be built this summer.
Others will follow in due time, es-
pecially as gas wells are brought into
production. and within n year at the
latest, it Is believed that this branch
of the oil business will make great
strides in all parts Of the state.
The Midwest Refining company was
the pioneer In utilizing the flow Of gas
from the oil wells In the great Salt
Creek held for conversion into gaso-
line. It's plant, which WAS completed
late in 1917, is now handling about B.
600 600 cubic feet OF gas day and will
in a brief time be treating all the gas,
estimated In volume at 4, 5OO, 600 cubic
feet per day. The recovery amounts
to practically Pc gallons "f the high
est grade of gasoline from each 1,OOJ
feet Of natural gas, so when the full
plant Ia working it should yield 1900
gallons or 20 barrels Of gasoline day.
So high is the gravity Of this casing
head gasoline that it is valued ut 20
cents a gallon. Owing to the extreme
ly iniamable character of this product
from gas that otherwise would be
wasted, 1t must be blended with'lower
grades of refined oil for shipment to
the reflneries at Casper. Once 1t has
reached the refinery 1t is used to en-
rich lower gravity gasoline or Is again
blended with ''ends"and refined into
commercial caroline.
The Kinney Oil and Refining COM
pany and the Ohio Oil company have
recently erected a small plant on the
Kinney lease in the Big Muddy field
which is earning for each of these
companies some thing like 5000
month, besides supplying gasoline for
use In all the trucks and engines used
on the lease.
In the Grass Creek field, the Ohio
Oil company has completed . plant
which will be in operation in few
weeks and which will treat all the gas
that escapes from the numerous wells
in that field. In this case the gasoline
derived from gas will first be blended
with crude naptha and then pumped
with the crude oil thru the crude pipe
line to the Greybull refinery Of the
Midwest company, or shipped by tank
car, mixed with crude to the plant Of
the Imperial Oil Company, Ltd, at
Regina.
Another plant will be built this sum
mer by the Midwest Refining company
in the Elk Basin field, the Midwest
company treating the gas from the
wells of the three companies operating
in that district. 1t Ia difficult to be-
lieve that the Big Muddy field will
not have large plant within the next
year, as experience has shown that
all wells which are drilled into the
Wall Greek sand give of more gas as
they grow older and it is patent that
rs development proceeds In this dis
trict the gross volume collectable will
be larger even than In Salt Creek.
Thus far the only system used In
Wyoming is that of compression, the
gas, after being caught in traps at the
field tanks, being pumped to a central
station where 1t is forced thru low
pressure cylinder and then thru low
pressure coil-cooling treatment. This
gives . 10 to 80 degree Baume gasoline.
The uncomfortable gas from this
treatment Is then forced thru q high
pressure cylinder and then thru high