The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1920-12-19

! the oil in the large pipe is kept fluid
and flows normally. Still another
a four.inch line is laid beside the big
pipe, and through it fuel oil Is un-
loaded from the tank cars into a re-
ceiving tank. Between the two sid
ings is a loading rack" with 20
spots" or spouts, ten being for load
ing, and ten for unloading purposes.
From the receiving tank at the rail
road the crude is pumped either to
the crude oil storage tanks or di-
rectly into the stills.
or stills, the company has eight, of
the usual horizontal type, with fur
mace underneath. They are placed
side by side, and the material is
passed from one 10 the other in pro-
cess of manufacture there being many
different grades Of finished product
produced. each still giving off its par
ticular grade or quality, and passing
on the unfinished material to the next
still. As stated at the outset, only a
small amount Of gasoline and kindred
products are carried by the low grav.
| ity oils this company now uses. Hence
the different products are different
| qualities and grades OF lubricating oil.
But in the making Of these lubricants
| other ingredients are used, chiefly
amount of these chemicals used is
! chemicals. The exact nature and
more or less of a trade secret, and
although carefully explained to the
writer--it would be difficult to so
describe the details Of the process as
to make it intelligent TO the general
reader.
From the last still in the series is
reclaimed the heaviest oils, and there
| is left a residue, the nature Of which
varies according to the nature OF the
crude oil. and which can be made
| into variety Of products. such as
| F'lux OIL asphalt, high temperature
paints, mineral rubber cylinder stock,
| road oil, gear oil, transmission grease,
wire rope lubricant, roofing paper,
| filters and Il large variety Of other
| mpounds-depending upon the ma
| ture of the oil and the method Of
treating and compounding same.
| Certain OF the products receive
/ Ut tOHiDiiiNu
with different chemicals for the pro-
duction of desired lubricants. This
| mixing process is carried on in what
is called an "agitator." This agita-
tor (of which the plant is equipped
with two, and has two others in the
| process Of manufacture) is a circular
| tower built of boiler steel to a height
l 80 oh 70 nd
concrete foundation. Inside Of this
tower is built a cone-shaped recep-
tacle attached to the walls of the
tower at the top, and contracted to a
point at the bottom, which is about
five feet from the ground. Each has
capacity Of 663 barrels. These
cones are filled nearly to the top
with the partially completed product
which is to be treated. then the chem.
icals are pumped in on top Of this
A nair pipe leads from air compress
ors to the top Of the apparatus,
passes down on the inside of 1t
through the oil, and at the bottom the
compressed air Is turned loose. forcing
its way up through the mass and
"agitating" thence the name. agi
tator. 1t reminds the layman Of the
old.fashioned dash churn our mothers
(and sometimes we boys) had TO use.
The pulling OF the dasher up and
down through the cream stirred the
contents of the churn, much as does
the currents Of air forced up through
material in this cone mix them to-
gether. When the process is COM
pleted-which only the expert hand.
lers can tell-the chemicals and un.
desirable properties in the mass settle
to the notion ,and are drawn off,
and the completed product is let off
through a pipe leading from the apex
Of the cone.
This plant is easy to write about;
every stage through which the ma.
terial passes Is readily explained by
the plant officials TO visitors who
gain admission, and each step is OF
absorbing interest. The material Is
passed through the plant entirely by
mechanical means. and at different
| stages there are spigots and cut-offs
by means of which passing material
| Is sampled. and the samples taken to
the excellent laboratory on the
grounds. The laboratory is equipped
with small. portable stills, furnaces,
test tubes. thermometers, delicate bal
ances and all Of a. other parapher-
MALTA that chemists use, together with
racks OF long slim sample bottles filled
with oils of colors ot such unanmity
that only the most practiced eye can
detect even a shade OF difference. Yet
each series OF bottles has different
quality as u lubricant and is Intended
| for IA different use. The series are la'
beled and numbered, and, like con-
victs. are spoken of only by tielr
number.
Up TO the present time the Bay
State Company sells its product to the
jobbers only. But within the next few
months they will have the branch at
Chicago established, through which
the selling and distributing end of the