The Washington herald., 1922-10-08
GASOLINE IS TAKEN
FROM NATURAL GAS
West Virginia Has Production
Which Runs Into Millions
Annually.

Gasoline is a livs subject. II is
particularly interesting to the 49,
24s automobile owners In West Vir-
ginia, who are compelled to buy
gasoline for their machines.
Many of the automobils owners,
however. do not know that a large
percentage OF the gas" they use IL
taken from natural gas. And COM
paratively few people in West vir-
ginia know that the FIRST natural
gas gasoline plant erected in the
United States was built near Sisters
Vile. W. Va, in 1903. This plant
was tbs type known as the COM
preston process and operated on
gas derived from oil wells.
1920 Record SIa,o4e,5SI.
There Is probably less known
about this industry than there IS
about any other industry in the
State that approaches its magnitude.
The market value of gasoline pro-
duced in West Virginia in 1920, .he
latest statistics available. was sls,-
04s.551.
This industry began to develop in
a practical way about 1910, al
though active expansion Of the m
dustry did not take place until 1918.
In 1911 there were in the United
States 1876 plants for the recovery
OF gasoline from natural gas. and in
1920 We find 1,14s such operations
There are two methods Of recov-
| ering gasoline from natural gas;
they are known as the compression
and absorption processes. In tie
compression process all the gasoline
manufactured is from gag gathered
from oil wells. This gas Is subject
ed to varying pressures that cause
the gasoline contained in this gas
to condense. This product is of a
light character and must be mixed
with a heavier petroleum prod let
before it can be used for fuel or au-
tomotive units.
Has 1888 Plants.
West Virginia in 1920. had 1863
compression plants with an output
Of 10 5s72,S33 gallons Of gasoline
valued at s3,169.S59 This State
ranks fourth in the production of
natural gas by the compression
| process. Oklahoma leading with a
wide margin over California, Texas
and West Virginia. However, the
value of gasoline produced in West
Virginia is higher than that pro-
duced In any other State in the
Union. The average barket price In
1920 was West Virginia, 1884 cents:
Oklahoma, 1874 cents; California,
1872 cents and Texas 174s cents.
Gasoline produced by the absorp-
tion method consists Of passing dry
or lean natural gas. that produced
by gas wells, through light
petroleum oil which absorbs the
gasoline contained therein. and this
oil is subsequently piped to a steam
distilling apparatus where the gasc-
line absorbed by the oil is recovered.
This product having been steam dis
titled does not contain the per-
centage of the extremely light and
| volatile fractions characteristic of
the product made by the compress
sion process.
Has Little Carbon.
By the addition of from 10 to 20
per cent of natural gas gasoline to
the refinery gasoline, that produced
from crude oil very satisfactory
motor fuel is produced which in
sures easy starting and freedom
from carbon. As natural gas gaso.
line has a high volatility. it is also
blended with other refinery prod
| ucts. such as naptha, thereby in
creasing the value of such blending
materials.
1t is of interest to West vir-
ginians to know that the largest
gasoline absorption plant in the
world is located in tbs State at
Hastings, w. Va. This plant ,s
owned and operated by the Hone
Natural Gas Company. 1t was built
in 1910, being the first gasoline
absorption plant ever constructed in
the United States.
There were forty-eight ABSORB.
ton plants in West Virginia in
1920. They recovered 42.s6s,655 gal
Ions of gasoline valued at Ss,s79.-
692. leading by an SIS per cent
greater output than Oklahoma. and,
of course by still greater per-
centage over California and Penn
sylvania. The average market price
of the West Virginia gasoline in
1920 was, per gallon. 22.99 cents,
for Oklahoma 1924, and Pennsyl-
vania 22.l6.