The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1922-07-29
WOULD INCREASE
GASOLINE OUTPUT
Bureau of Mines Plans to Further
Condense Still vaporS at
Refineries.
WILL SAVE VAST QUA.lTI7'
Magnitude Of Loss Through Previous
Neglect Not Generally Known
Survey Of Plants Reveals
Interesting Facts.

Misunderstanding of increas-
ing gasoline by 120,000,000 gallons
through more complete condensation
of still vapors at the petroleum rein
cries was suggested by the bureau of
mines after an investigation by D. b.
Dow, the bureaus petroleum engineer.
Mr.. Dow estimated that 50,0OO,00O
gallons were recovered from uncon-
densed still vapors at refineries In
1921.
application Of the system to all re-
fineries would give a possible gasoline
recovery by this method of 170,00O,000
gallons yearly" the bureau said In a
statement.
1.-THE calculations Of the bureau of
mines are based on results obtained In
refineries whose general methods are
more efficient than those employed in
the hundreds of smaller skimming
plants that have no recovery systems.
1t Is assumed that in the less efi-
cient Swimming plants, located in sec
lions where the supply of cold water
81 CSSClitldl " toiitCioti uoC 10
scarce, greater r~ecoveries could be
made than In the large refineries
studied.
True of Southwest.
This should be especially true of
Oklahoma, north Texas and Louisiana
Swimming plants, where summer tenn
peratures are high and cold water is
scarce. A survey of these plants, it
Is believed, would show that their
losses in uncondensed still vapors
would be much higher than in the
plants where the studies of the bu-
reau of mines were conducted.
"The magnitude of the loss from
non-condensation of these vapors has
been realized only by few ~refiners,
judging by the number of plants that
have recovery systems. The thirteen
refineries studied by the bureau Of
mines are obtaining 12S,651 gallons Of
gasoline daily from u~ncondensed still
vapors. These plants are situated in
Pacific coast, and are running crude
representative of all the producing
fields east of the Rocky mountains.
In addition several are running Mex
lean crude. Information from Cali
fornia refineries indicates that on ac-
count of the smaller gasoline content
of the California crude there are no
recovery plants of Importance in that
state. The average recovery of gaso-
line at the ~refineries investigated by
the bureau of mines amounted to four
tenths gallon per barrel of crude oil
charged.
"Unless preventive measures are
adopted losses of gasoline from failure
to condense still vapors will increase
In the future, because crudes are be-
ing handled in the field with more and
more care to avoid evaporation, and
will therefore contain much lighter
and more volatile fractions than at
present.
condenslng vapors.
CONDENSATION Of the vapors formed
by heating crude oil is effected in the
refinery by leading vapors through
coils of pipe submerged in water. On
cooling, most of the yapor becomes
liquefied, but a certain amount of "a
por, due to insufficient time for
proper cooling or the fact that its con.
densing point is lower than the tenn
perature of the water, will remain un'
condensed. Also certain other frac.
tons will not be condensed, for the
reason that their liquefaction points
are affected by the presence of other
hydrocarbons. A small part of this
uncondensed vapor is dissolved in the
liquid that has condensed.
condensation of the vapors coming
from the still into liquids is accom-
plished either by passing them through
pipes or shells having large surfaces
exposed to the air or through coils
submerged in water.
atmospheric temperature is ar
important factor in the production OF
gasoline from uneondensed refinery
vapors. 1t is found that during win
condensation of the vapors, the pro
duction of the gas plant will fall of
to some extent. An unusual example
of this is a certain skimming plant
which produces about 5000 gallons OF
compression gasoline daily through
the summer months, but drops to as
low as 500 gallons per day in win
ter. Ordinarily the difference is fan
less. but there is always a tendency
for production to drop in cooler
weather"