Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1922-06-13


Washington, June Possibility
of increasing the output of gasoline
by @O,OO0000 rallons thru more com
plete condensation of still yapOrs at
the petroleum rcfnCrics. was sug-
Eestod today by the Bureau Of mines
after an Investigation by y. g. Bow,
the bureaus petroleum engineer,
Mr., Dow estimated that 5O,OU0,0oo
gallons were recovered from uncou.
dcnscd sim yapors at rehncries in
1921
Application of the system to all
rcilneric8, would give possible gas
olmc recovery by this method OF
10000, GOO gallons yearly" the bu.
reau said in a statement
'Fhc calculations of the Bureau of
Mines are based on results obtained
In rchncrics whose general methods
are moro efficient than those employ.
ed in the hundreds of smaller skim
ming plants that have no recovery
GystomG It Is assumed that in the
less efficient skmming plants, locat-
cd III sections whore the supply of
cold water, so essential for condenser
use, ~ scarce, greater rcCOycrips
could be mad" than in the largo re
tinoriog studied. This should be cs-
rcCially true Of oklahoma, north
Texas, and Louisiana skmming
plants, whore summer temperatures
Of al t.
scarce. 4 survey of those plants. It
is believed, would show that their
lceses in mcOndonsod still vapors
would be much higher than in the
plants whore the studies Of the Blu
reau Of Mines were conducted.
"Thc magnitude of the loss from
non.condensation Of these vapors has
been realized only by few ronncrs,
Judging from the number Of plants
that have recovery systems The
thirteen rctincrios studied bv the Blu
reau of Mines are obtaining 12SG5l
gallons Of gasoline daily from mcou.
densed still yapors. These plants are
situated in the various refining con
tors, other than the Pacifis coast and
are running crude representative of
~ the producing fields cast Of the
Rocky Mountains. In addition sever
al are running Mexican crude TnfOr,
nation from California rcfncrics in
dictates that on account OF tho small
lor gasoline content of the California
crude, there are no recovery plants
of Importance in that state The av.
CraGe recovery OF gasoline at the re.
tinerics investigates bv the Bureau of
Mines amounted to four-tcnths gallon
per barrel of crude oil charged
Unless preventive measures arc
adopted, Losses of gasoline from fail.
IRE to condensc still vapors will in
crease in the future, because crudce
are being banded in the field with
more and more care to avoid evapora.
ton and will therefore contain much
lighter and more volatile fractions
than at present
"Condcnsation Of the vapors form
cd bv heating crude oil is Of
fected in the refinery by leading yap
ors through coils of pipe submerged
in water On cooling. most Of the
vapor becomes liQuofed. but a Ger
ctent time for proper cooling or the
fact that its condensng point is
lower thau the temperature of the
water will remain uncondcnsod Also
certain other fractions will not be cor
densod for the reason that their liquc
faction points are affected by the
presence of other hydrocarbons A
small part Of this uncondonscd vapor
Is dissolved in the liquid that has
condensed
Condensation of the vapors com
ing fom the stll into liquid is ac
complishcd either by passing then
THROUGH pipes or shells having large
surfaces exposed TO the air or through
coils submerged in water.
atmospheric temperature is al
important factor in the production ut
gasoline from unrondcnscd refinery
Vapora, It is found that during win
ter months due to more complete con
densation of the yap0rs, tho nrnduc
ton of tho gas plants will fall of
to somo extent An unusual cXamulC
Of this Is = certain skimmin" plan
which produces about 5000 gallons o
compression gasoline daily tarourl
the summer months, but drops to as
low as 500 gallons per dav in III,
winter. Ordinarily, the difference /,
far loss, but thorc is always a tcndcn
cY for production to drop in cooler
weather
"'Thc cost Of installing recover,
plants win necessarily vary. depend
Inv