The Adair County news., 1922-07-11
WOULD INCREASE
GASOLINE OUTPUT
Bureau of Mines Plans to Further
GDndense Still Vapors at
RefinerieS.
WILL SAVE VAST QUANTITY
Magnitude of Loss Through Previous
Neglect Not Generally Known
Survey Of Plants Reveals
interesting Facts.

Misunderstanding of increas-
ing gasoline by 120,OOO,OOO gallons
through more complete condensation
of still vapOrs at the petroleum refin-
cries was suggested by the bureau of
mines after an investigation by d. B.
Dow, the bureaus petroleum engineer.
Mr. Dow estimated that 100000
gallons were recovered from uncOn-
densed still vapors at refineries in
1921
Application of the system to all re-
hnenes would give a possible gasoline
rScCveTy by this method of 10000, 900
gallons yearly" the bureau said in a
statement
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.
II IS assumed that in the less eff
Gent skimming plants, located in sec
tions where the supply of cold water
so essential for condenser use is
Scarce, greater recoveries could be
made than in the large refineries
stud1ed.
True Of Southwest.
This should be especially true of
Oklahoma, north Texas and Louisiana
SkiEnming plants, where summer tenn
peraSures are high and cold water is
scarce. A survey of these plants, it
is believes, would show that their
losses in uncOndensed still vapOrs
would be much higher than in the
plants where the studies of the bu-
FeaE of mines were conducted.
Tine magnitude of the loss from
noH-condensation of these vapOrs has
Judging by the number of plants that
have recovery systems. The thirteen
reineries studied by the bureau of
mines are obtaining 12S,651 gallons of
gasoline daily from uncondensed still
vspeEs 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 refnerieS indicates that on ac-
cGun1 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 ref1neries investigated by
the bureau Of mines amounted to four
tenths gallon per barrel of crude oil
charged.
CDleSs preventive measures are
adopted losses of gasoline from failure
70 cooudense still vapOrs will increase
In the future, because crudes are be-
ing handled in the field with more and
nlcEe care to avoid evaporation, and
VIII therefore contain much lighter
and more volatile fractions than at
present.
Condensinq Vapors.
Condensation of the vapOrS formed
by heating crude oil is effected in the
rCfmsry by leading vapOrs through
coQs of pipe submerged in water. On
cooling, most of the vapor becomes
liq51efeNi, but a certain amount of va
por, due 20 insufficient time for
proper cooling or the fact that its con-
de71sfng point is lower than the tenn
pezature of the water, will remain I'M
condensed. Also certain other frac-
rions will not be condensed, for the
reason that their HquefactiOn points
are affected by the presence of other
hydrocarbons. A small part of this
Tmcgndensed vapOr is dissolved in the
liquid that has condensed
CONDENSATION of the vapOrs coming
from the still into liquids is accom-
rEished either by passing them through
pipes or shells having large surfaces
exposed to the air or through coils
submerged in water.
= Atmospheric temperature is an
important factor in the production of
gasoline from uncOndensed refinery
yapOrs. II is found that during win.
ter months, due to more complete
condensation Of the vapOrs, the pro.
ductiOn of the gas plant will fall of
so some extent. An unusual example
of Ehis is certain skimming plant
which produces about 5000 gallons of
compression gasoline daily through
the summer months, but drops to as
low as 800 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"