Hydrocarbon Processing - January 2022 - 47

100th Anniversary
History of the HPI
LEE NICHOLS, Editor-in-Chief/Associate Publisher
Up to the 1930s: Whales, lamps, automobiles,
plastics and war
Over the next 10 mos, Hydrocarbon
Processing will provide a detailed history
of the origins and evolution of the hydrocarbon
processing industry (HPI). This
robust analysis will chronicle the beginnings
of the modern refining and petrochemical
industries through the technological
advancements that have created
the global energy juggernaut the industry
has become today. This examination of
the history of the HPI will dictate how
human ingenuity has provided the products
that have increased the standard of
living for billions of people around the
world, as well as a reflection on technological
advancements over the past 170 yr.
The discovery of kerosene. Everything
has a beginning. From the construction
of roads, buildings and ship
assembly to use in medicines and weaponry,
ancient civilizations have been using
oil for thousands of years. However,
the modern refining industry traces its
origins back nearly 170 yr, with the invention
of kerosene by Canadian physician
and geologist Abraham Gesner and
the construction of new refining facilities
to produce the high-demand product.
In the early 1840s, Gessner began experimenting
with hydrocarbons, specifically
bitumen from Trinidad. From these
experiments, he developed a process
to extract oil, which could be burned.1
However, the bitumen product was expensive
to obtain and the burning of it
produced a horrendous odor. Therefore,
he started experimenting with a
tpye of asphalt called albertite. Gessner
noticed that the oil that was extracted-
the process was done by heating coal in
a retort2
-burned with a strong yellow
flame with no odor. He termed the product
" keroselaion " from the Greek words
" wax oil. " He later shortened the name to
kerosene. Little did Gesner know that his
discovery was soon to usurp whale oil in
the burning of lamps and begin an international
movement.
Whales, lamps and refineries.
Through the late 1800s/early 1900s,
whale oil was used extensively as a fuel
for lighting. The oil, which is more of a
liquid wax, was obtained from the blubber
from the head of whales. The oil was
processed and sold as a fuel for lamps,
lubrication, making soap or to produce
candles. Although highly dangerous, the
whaling industry grew significantly as
consumer demand for oil to fuel lighting
expanded exponentially.
The whaling industry peaked in the
1820s and declined over the next several
decades. Decreasing whale populations
and taxation led to higher prices
for whale oil, which could not compete
against other options, such as kerosene.
Consumers' pocketbooks dictated the
pathway to the adoption of a cheaper and
comparable alternative, ushering in a new
era of refined products.
Several years after Gesner's discovery
of kerosene, Samuel Kier began his
own experimentation on petroleum that
would seep into his family's salt wells
near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (U.S.)-
at the time, this substance was known
as " carbon oil. " Although the substance
could be burned for lighting, much like
Gesner's experiments with bitumen from
Trinidad, the unrefined material had an
unpleasant odor. Instead, Kier used the
material for medicinal purposes until it
lost its appeal in the early 1850s.
To find another path for the oily substance,
Kier experimented with using the
substance for lighting. On the recommendation
of James Booth, a chemist
and professor from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
(U.S.), Kier used distillation to
extract the best materials for the use of
lamp burning fuel. In 1851, Kier began
selling his lamp fuel oil for $1.50/gal, a
more cost-effective product than whale
oil.3
As demand grew, Kier established
North America's first oil refinery in 1853,
which processed 1 bpd-2 bpd of liquid
petroleum in its first year, growing to
5 bpd in 1854 (FIG. 1). In 1859, Edwin
Drake drilled the first commercial oil well
in North America in Titusville, Pennsylvania.
After trial-and-error, he discovered
oil at a depth of nearly 70 ft. Soon, his
commercial well produced 25 bpd. The
oil was destined to be sold to a local refiner
to produce kerosene for lamp fuel.
His first customer: Samuel Kier.
Nearly
4,300
mi
away,
Łukasiewicz started to produce kerosene
in the early- to mid-1850s, as well. After
experimenting with different oils extracted
by wells drilled near Bóbrka, Poland
and other sites he set up with local business
entities, Łukasiewicz opened Europe's
first oil distillery in 1856 in Jaslo.
The refinery was established to produce
kerosene for lamp lighting. Shortly thereafter,
a larger scale refinery was built in
Ploieşti, Poland by brothers Teodor and
Marin Mehedinţeanu.4
The Râfov refinery
used cylindrical iron and cast iron
vessels, which were heated by wood fire,
to produce 7 tpd of distilled oil.5
The oil
was ultimately used as lamp lighting fuel,
leading Ploieşti to become the first city to
be lighted by distilled crude oil.5
In the 1860s, John D. Rockefeller established
and increased the size, wealth
and power of Standard Oil Company,
which produced and shipped kerosene,
eventually becoming a monopoly within
the U.S.-the company was eventually
split into several entities that would
lead to the creation of Amoco, Chevron,
Hydrocarbon Processing | JANUARY 2022 47
Ignacy
Hydrocarbon Processing - January 2022

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