Hydrocarbon Processing - September 2022 - 18

100th Anniversary
HP Flashback
LEE NICHOLS, VP, Content/Editor-in-Chief
Advancing processing technologies and refining
operations: Excerpts from the 1920s
The following is a mixture of technical articles, columns and
headlines published in the 1920s by The Refiner and Natural
Gasoline Manufacturer, the forerunner to Hydrocarbon Processing.
This collection of excerpts provides a look into the major
technological advancements and topics/trends in the hydrocarbon
processing industry during that timeframe.
Comparison of principles involved in
existing cracking processes
L. Reiss and E. R. Lederer, January 1923
This article detailed the nine different classifications under
which cracking processes fall:
1. Cracking in stills under pressure
2. Cracking in the liquid phase in tubes under pressure
3. Cracking in the liquid-vapor phase in tubes
under pressure
4. Cracking by any of the above, using steam
5. Cracking by any of the above, using fixed gases
and hydrogen
6. Cracking by any of the above, using chemicals
7. Cracking with the aid of internal heat
8. Cracking in the vapor phases in tubes under pressure
9. Cracking by electrical methods.
Some advantages of Dubbs Cracking Process
E. R. Lederer and W. F. Fulton, February 1923
The authors detailed the advantages of the Dubbs Cracking
Process. Most notably, the Dubbs plant has the advantage of being
able to handle up to 20 t of carbon or coke, which is deposited
out of the heating zone in the expansion chamber where it
can be easily removed at the end of the run without any material
injury to the apparatus, thus permitting continuous operation
over a longer period than any of the other methods in commercial
use at the present time.
High recovery claim of Cross process
R. Cross, March 1923
During the early 1920s, many companies were conducting
research to increase gasoline yield in refining. The author wrote,
" Never in the history of the petroleum industry has there been
so much activity in methods of increasing the yield of gasoline
from crude oil. During the last 12 mos, most important advances
in practical cracking have been made. " This article provided
details on a new process, which essentially is a process of producing
synthetic crude that is subsequently distilled.
18 SEPTEMBER 2022 | HydrocarbonProcessing.com
Blending distillates and gas condensates
G. W. Reid, April 1923
This article provided new insights on the blending of petroleum
distillates and natural gas condensates. The primary purposes
of the author's experiments were to detail physical changes
that occurred when blending is in process and distillates and
condensates are being mixed. Are the changes purely physical,
purely chemical or a mixture of both?
Copper dish and " doctor " tests not so good
J. V. Meigs and E. J. Ford, May 1923
The authors provided insights on how the present way of
determining corrosive elements in gasoline could be greatly improved,
as well as offering their opinion on better methods.
Editorial Comment: Can there be too many
cracking plants?
R. L. Dudley, June 1923
What will be the result if most refineries install cracking
plants? Won't this mean an over-production of gasoline with
resultant lower prices? These questions were answered within
a survey conducted by the publication in 1923. The majority
response was, " yes, more cracking processes probably will lower
the cost of gasoline if the present supply of crude continues, but
economically and financially the cracking process will be vindicated
more as the years go by. "
Cooling condensing water a problem
H. Pennington, April 1924
The value of cool condensing water is felt by every refiner
running light oils, especially during summer months when atmospheric
temperatures run high, and condensers are apt to
" blow. " This challenge is not always given much attention but
has a prominent place in operating efficiency.
Comparing gasoline plant operating costs
D. E. Foster, April 1924
The big problem of a gasoline plant is not simply running the
plant and making gasoline, it is making money on the invested
capital. This article detailed the economics of three methods of
producing natural gasoline in 1924: compression, compressionblending
and oil absorption.
Power costs reduced by electric drive
H. Pennington, August 1924
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