Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-19
NEW OIL METHODS
| SAVE LARGE SUMS
Half Billion a Year Results
From improved Tech
t nology.

Half q billion dollars a year Is being
saved in the petroleum industry BY I'M
proved refinery technology, Or. Ben
jsnlin r. Brooks of New York declares
in a report to the Institute Of Chem
tstry Of the american Chemical Society
on Research In Petroleum Chemistry
Present and Future
The petroleum industry" SAYS DR.
Brooks. has developed a highly spe-
cisl technology Of It's own. The high
IL competitive nature Of the industry
has caused an accelerstion of technical
improvement. particularly in the lest
10 years,
These improvements in refinery
technology particularly IL the art Of
cracking for increasing the yield Of
gasoline. and in the methods Of diStn-
istion. and to a lesser degree. in all
other refinery operations conServanvcly
represent 4 saving over older practices
Of at least half billion dollars an
nually,
Public Gains.
Most of this saving. or increase in
value per barrel of crude. has been
passed on 70 the public by virtue Of
the competitive character of the in
eustry and abundance of crude. as wit
messed by the low prices obtained for
ali petroleum products in the last few
years
The industry must always produce
the principal products. such as motor
fuel and lubricants. which character
izs it now. Research will not change
that. However. research has informed
lis CT the anti-knock value OF motor
fuels and has greatly improved the
average motor fuel in this respect, II
has. allied with engineering. perfected
cracking processes. produced better
lubricants in better yields and at lower
cost: aided in the finding OF new pools,
reduced refinery losses; reduced loss by
fire; saved many millions of barrels
Of crude through the study Of emul-
sions; reduced labor costs throughout
the refinery.
Research has not done all Of this
directly. and most of this result has
been accomplished by the engineering
applications Of research.
On Efficient Basis.
The petroleum industry may fairly
be regarded as being at peak of en-
eineering development and on highly
eficient operating basis. Research in
tire industry has heretofore been direct
&C mainly toward getting better engi-
neering data and improving the refin-
cry processes for the production of the
major products.
Research IN the future may be eX-
pected 70 result in a greater diversity
OF products through chemical study Of
petroleum hydrocarbons. Heretofore this
has hardly been necessary. and i'm
provements of the kind named above
have been more urgent.
Now refners are seeking a greater
diversity Of products. Chemical con-
siderstions lead rs to expect that resins,
wakes. soap stock. paper sizing. solvents
for lacquers, paints and varnishes and
scores Of special chemicals for special
industrial uses will be made from petro-
ieunn
A statistical survey shows that the
average American refinery represents
an investment of $4,000. 600. of which
the laboratory, largely devoted TO rcu-
tine testing. represents $4,000.
II will be noted. however. that five
Of the largest companies have built and
equipped large research laboratories That
would be a credit even to a university
campus. The men whose ability and
foresight built up these large companies
have thus appraised the possibilities,
the necessity for research"