Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-06-11
CONDENSATION OF STILL
vAPORS SAVES GASOLINE
Bureau of Mines Estimates
Savings Equal Ou,pu, of
l20,000,000 Gallons.
FIFTY MILLION SAVED IN 1921
tnlchs Preventive Mrasurcs Arc
Adopted LOSSES of Gasoline From
Failure To CondcnAc vapors VIII
Greatly Increase, Says Report.
icy Associated prcss.l

WASIIiNGTON. June lo.-possi-
hility of increasing the output Of
gasoline ny l20.0oo.O00 gallons
through more complete condemnation
" still vapors ut the petroleum re-
fncrics was suggested today by the
Bureau OF Mines after an invcstiga
ton by D. II, Dow. the bureaus pc
:rolcum engineer
Sir. Dow estimated that 10000. 900
gallons were recovered from uncon-
tcnscd SIN vapors at rcnncrics In
1921
Application Of the system TO all
ro'in"rics would give u possible gaso-
i'nc recovery by this method OF no.
10000 gallons yearly" the bureau
-.iid IN statement
Hcsuits Of surveys.
The calculations OF the Bureau Of,
Mines are based On results obtained
IN rcNn"r!os who's" general methods
ar" more efficient than those en-
pIoy'd in the hundreds of smaller
sk!mming plants that have no re-
covory systems. u is assumed that
in tn" less efficient skimming plants
located In sections whore tho supply
d"uscr use, ia scarce. greater recov-
cries could be made than In tho large
f"hncrics studied. This should to
especially true OF Oklahoma. North
Texas aud Louisiana skiinming plants.
Wh.fc summer Temperatures are
high and where cold water Is scarce
a survcy OF these plants. II IS be-
l'evcd. would show that their losses
In uncendcnsed san vapors would
b" much higher than in the plants
where the studies OF the Bureau of
Mines were conducted.
The magnitude OF the loss from
noncondcnsatlon OF these vapors has
hocu realized only ~ few rcancrs
judging tho number OF plants that
have recovery systems. Tho thirteen
ichucrics studied by the Bureau Of
Mines arc obtaining les,G5i gallons
of gtsol!r" dd.iy from uncondcnsod
Si'!! Nar"rS These plants arc sit
uHi"l iu the various refining ccnto-s
"ihcr hau ihc Pacific Coast aud are
i"hhlhg crud. representative Of all
~" producing Helds onst OF Inc
rocky Mountains In addition sev.
'ral are rAunlng Mexican crude. In
formation from California reancries
Indicates that on accouu, OF the
rW'I'"T gasoline content OF the Cal
ii"rnia crude" there are no recov-
"rF plants Of importance in tina;
state Tho average recovery OF gas
ulinc =, the renncries Investigated
ny INC bureau Of Mines Amounted to
fourteen gallons per barrel o. crude
OIL chRrged
JnlcHs preventive measures are
adopted. losses OF gasoline from fall
u'e 10 condcn.a stili vapors will In.
'rcase In tho future. because crudes
"a IN, 10 nal 10 4
more and more care To avoid cvapor-
alton. ana viii therefore contain
much lighter and more volatile
fractions than a. present
Method of CONDENSATION. e.
Fprd"nsRtion OF the vapors
formed by heating crude oil is cf-
f"c'"d in tho refinery by leading va
lorS through coils OF pine submerged
In water. on cooling. most OF the
Napor becomes liIuiiied, but certain
gmoun; - vapor. due TO insufficient
time for proper cooling, or IN, fact
That It's condensing po!n, is lower
tuan tho temperature OF tho water.
VIII remain uuCondsus.d. Also. Ger
tom other fractions VIII no, be con
uuus.d. for the reason that their
!iGu'iactlpn points arc affected by the
presence Of other hydrocarbons. 4
smal part Of this mncondcnscd vapor
is dissolved IN the liquid tina; has
condensed
CONDENSATION Of tho vapors com
ins from tho still into li1uid is ac-
'ompl!shed 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 uncondcnsed refinery