Evening star., 1922-10-08
GASOLINE PRODUCT
OF NATURAL GAS
First Plant of This Kind
Built and Operated in
West Virginia.
ONCE USED FOR FUEL
Two Methods of Manufacturing
"Gas" by This Means
Are Explained.
BY PAUL j. HUBBELL.

| Many Of the automobile owners.
however, do not know that large
| percentage Of the gas" they use is
taken from natural gas. And COM
| paratively few know that the first
| natural gas gasoline plant erected In
the United States was built near Sis
terville, W. Va, in 1903. This plant
was the type known as the compress
sion process and operated on gas de-
| rived from oil wells.
There is probably less known about
| this industry than there Is about any
| other industry in the state that ap-
| proaches its magnitude. The market
value of gasoline produced in west
| virginia in 1920, the latest statistics
available, was $13.04s.55l.
| This industry began to develop IN
a practical way about 1910. although
| active expansion OF the Industry oia
not take place until 1919; In 1911
| plants for the recovery OF gasoline
| from natural gas. and in 1920 we find
1,149 such operations.
| The Compression Process.
| There are two methods Of recover
| ing gasoline from natural gas; they
are known as the compression ane ao-
| sorption processes. In the compress
l sion process al (hC eoSoI'iS
factured is from gas gathered from
oil wells. This gas is subjected 70
! varying pressures that cause the
gasoline contained In this gas to con-
idense. This product Is of light char
acter and must be mixed with q
heavier petroleum product before It
can be used for fuel or automotive
units.
preston plants. with an output OF
4 Of
at $s,16s,s5s. This state ranks fourth
! in the production of natural gas by
the compression process: OKLAHOMA
leading with a wide margin over CAL
ifornia. Texas and West virginia
duced in West Virginia Is higher than
that produced In any other state in
the Union. The average market price
in 1920 was: West Virginia, 1884
cents: Oklahoma. 1874 cents: Cali.
| cents-
| Thte Absorption Proeeas.
Gasoline produced by the absorp-
tion method consists of passing dry
or lean natural gas. that produced
by gas wells. through a light petro-
1leum oil. which absorbs the gasoline
contained therein. and this oil Is sub
| apparatus, where the gasoline abb
sorbed by tho oil is recovered. This
product having been steam distilled
does not contain the percentage OF
the extremely light and volatile frac-
tions characteristic Of the product
! BY tho addition of from 10 to 20
per cent Of natural gas gasoline to
| the refinery gasoline, that produced
| from crude oil. a very satisfactory
motor fuel is produced which insures
easy starting and freedom from car
| Sn1jnn has a
high volatility. it Is also blended with
other refinery products. such as
naptha, thereby increasing the value
of such blending materials.
| 1t is of interest to West Virgtnians
to know that the largest gasoline
absorption plant in the world Is To-
Gated in that state at Hastings: This
plant is owned and operated by the
Hope Natural Gas Company. 1t was
built,in 1910. being the hrst gasoline
absorption plant ever constructed IN
the United States:
There were forty-eight absorption
plants in West Virginia in 1920:
They recovered ASSESSES gallons Of
gasoline, valued at $s,S7S.6s2, leading
by an sb per cent greater output than
i greater percentage over California
and Pennsylvania. The average mar
ket price Of the West Virginia gaso-
line in 1920 was. per gallon. 22.99;
for Oklahoma, 1924. and Pennsyl-
vania, 22.16.
! Conservation Of Resources.
! Prior to the time gasoline was ex-
tracted from natural gas it was
| burned as fuel and as q result the
gasoline was lost. As the extraction
Of tho gasoline only reduces the heat
ing value Of the natural gas q negli.
gible percentage, and 10 Of great
value whom extracted. several states
have enacted laws requiring gas
| companies to construct gasoline re-
| covery plants. Louisiana has q law
| that compels all carbon black COM
panies to construct gasoline recovery
| the gasoline.
| The rapid increase in the number
Of automobiles in the United States
| makes necessary the production OF
| more and moro gasoline each year.
Chemists have been working for sew.
eral years trying to find a gasoline
substitute, but to date no successful
substitute has been discovered.
The people Of the United States
should realize the necessity Of con-
serving gasoline, because within q
few years the available supply will
be exhausted at the rate 1t is now
being used. The United States Geo.
logical Survey reports in 1919 a total
output Of gasoline recovered from
natural gas at S61.536.ooo gallons,
valued at }64.1s6.7e3. West Virginia
produced about one-fifth OF this
amount.
Many Jeecmisttys enGins4rsl rssara
f%$SFJSSS sT.NSs4 Mo- s7gs5s & Tzss