T H E JOURN.4L O F I N D I ’ S T R I A L -4ND E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y
O C t . , 1917
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has a depth of 33l/2 ft. She is propelled with triple expansion stem engines, single screw and has a speed of I I knots per hour.
Iron tanks are quite generally used for storage in the oilproducing countries, though earthen reservoirs, either clay or timber lined, are not unusual in Russia. I n some of the newer TRANSPORTATION BY PIPE LINE fields in this country where it has not been possible to erect The first pipe line was 3 miles long and was laid in 1862. It was a gas pipe 4 in. in diameter and with caulked joints. wrought iron tanks, before some of the first wells were brought in, earthen tanks are now being utilized. A large concrete lined The leakage was so great t h a t little oil was delivered a t destination and the line was soon abandoned. I n 186j the first reservoir has recently been constructed in the Southwest section of our own country for experimental purposes. successful line was constructed and was the forerunner of this The most unique reservoirs, however, will be the ones evenmost useful method of transportation. I t connected the Shaffcr tually t o be owned by our own government. Secretary Daniels Farm with Benninghof Run, was of 4 in. pipe and was 4 miles states that when the three years’ program of oil-burning naval long. All the great oil-producing territories are now connected vessels, authorized by Congress, is completed, the navy alone with the seaboard refineries. will require 6,721,000 barrels of fuel oil annually and by 1927 I n Russia kerosene is pumped through lines connecting rethis will amount t o IO,OOO,OOO barrels. The present oil reserves fineries on the Caspian Sea with the open Black Sea. Just Nos. I and 2 are located in California and S o . 3 in lyyoming. one concrete example will be given t o show the magnitude of this Reserve No. 2 is in proven fields and probably contains above method of transportation. Crude oil is pumped from the Kansas ~oo,ooo,ooo barrels of oil. The scheme is to hold the oil in fields t o h-ew York-by relays of course. nature’s great reservoirs safe from fire and wastage until needed. I have not obtained definite figures as t o the lines between Whiting (Chicago) and Kansas City, b u t from data feel safe When this time arrives the drills will be started. The one great in assuming there are a t least an equivalent of two 8-in. lines precaution is to keep “poachers” a t a safe distance away from these preserves, because it has been pretty well cstablished all the way. A map issued by the Department of the Interior that the crude in one lease can be drawn away by an adjoining shows two lines all the distance of 450 miles, b u t not their size, one. many sections of three lines, a less number with four lines and With a careful selection of such great bodies of crudes and one considerable distance having five lines. From Whiting to with proper safeguarding, our country can be macle reasonably New York the following data on lengths of lines are taken from sure of an ample supply of fuel oil for many years to come, and Redwood’s “Treatise on Petroleum.’’ The trunk lines are of various diameters and contain the following number of barrels let us hope until the time arrives when it will no longer tie necessary to have a fleet of battleships afloat. of 42 gallons each per mile in length : 4 in. 8 2 . 0 7 bbls.
5 in. 128.23 bbls.
6 in. 184.67 bbls.
8 in. 3 2 8 . 2 4 bbls
From Whiting to 9 e w York the trunks are in pairs nearly all the distance and include : 129.20 miles 1316.93 miles 624.48 miles 900.00 miles
of 5 in. of 6 in. of 8 in. of 8 in.
pipe pipe pipe uiue . -
holding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,56i bbls. holding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243.19i bbls. holding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204.979 bbls. from Whiting to K a n s a s C i t y . . . 295,416 bbls.
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Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
i60.159 bbls.
The average price for the crude oil t h a t is pumped through this line was quoted in May, 1 9 1 7 , as S1.90. The value of the oil in the line therefore is S1,444,302. This line must be full of oil before a single barrel can be delivered a t the other end; in other words, it represents actual dead capital. The pipe itself is of special construction, wrought iron, lap welded, tested to 1200 lbs. pressure. The ends are threaded with greater taper than for ordinary work and the unions, are correspondingly better made. At distances of approsimately 25 miles, pumping stations are located. The oil is usually discharged into tanks from which the pumps draw it. and force i t along t o the tanks a t the next station. As a n indication of the capacities of these lines we find the following definite statements: “The Gulf Pipe Line Company has an 8 in. trunk line from Watkins Station Glenn Pool t o Sour I,ake, a distance of 419 miles. It has a capacity of 14,000 barrels per day. “The Texas Company has an 8 in. trunk line from Lefebre Station, Tulsa, t o Humble, Texas, the length of which is 470 miles. The capacity of the line is I j , O O O barrels daily.” STORAGE
a t t h e wells is usually in wooden tanks having capacities of 2 5 0 barrels and upward. They are connected with the trunk line through 2 in. pipes and are practically measuring tanks. As soon as the tanks are gauged the oil is taken away through the trunk line and delivered either into tank cars or into storage. The standard size for the tanks for storage of crude by the National Transit Company is 30 ft. high by 90 ft. in diameter: these hold 35,000 gallons. STORAGE OF CRUDE OILS
TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE OF LIQUIDS I N SMALL PACKAGES By I,. R. ADKIXS,of t h e Vacuum Oil C o m p a n y The container next smaller than the tank and pipe line used in storing and transporting liquids is the barrel. The barrel as a unit of quantity is a rather variable standard. According t o the old arithmetics i t contains 3 I . j gallons and this figure is still used in wine statistics. Crude petroleum in bulk is bought and sold and also calculated by the refiner as of 42 gallons. The container in which the finished products are shipped out holds approximately j o gallons. This discrepancy sometimes causes errors in calculating and is taken advantage of by the unscrupulous Oil Company promoter, who figures a very nice profit on that eight gallons in the size of his barrels from crude oil purchased to gasoline sold. THE WOOD BARREL
The wood barrel used in the petroleum industry in the Eastern United States is made of red and white oak. Some tight gum wood barrels arc used for soft waxes but all the barreled liquid oil goes into oak. These packages are made a t the works or by independent coopers in the oil regions, from staves and heads manufactured in the oak forests of Arkansas. The best material goes to the wine barrel people. Their barrels must hold liquid without a n inside coating, as the contents sivel1 the barrel tight. The oil man must use some barrel coating to make his barrel tight so that small worm holes, etc., arc. filled and of no great consequence. The staves are received a t the cooperage in 34 in. lengths, 3 , 4 in. thick and from 3 to 6 in. wide. The headings are cut t o size, 20 5,’8 in. in diameter. The whole process of manufacture in a modern cooper shop is semi-automatic-that is, after the barrel is once set up machinery does practically all the work on it, the operators merely feeding the machines. The hoops are formed and riveted similarly. As mentioned before, a wood barrel, to hold petroleum products, must have some kind of an inside coating. Many substances have been tried, including various sugar house by-products, water glass and vegetable gums. Many of these adhesives
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T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING C H E M I S T R Y
make a fair first coating; they fill the pores and prepare the wood for the second coating, which is a heavy one. High-grade hide glue has proved to be the only practical second coat material. It has resilience and elasticity, is unattacked by oil and forms a smooth, impervious coat. The wood barrel has many good points. On account of its “barrel” shape it can be easily rolled on a fairly smooth surface and will roll by gravity on tracks. Transportation of packages into the warehouses, cars or steamers is thus an easy problem. This barrel can be easily repaired without machinery, with a few special tools by an expert cooper; broken heads, staves and hoops can be easily replaced; the interior can be readily cleaned and reglued. When full, it is a remarkable fire-resistant. It is cheap. It has one great disadvantage, the seeming impossibility of making it do what it is made for-hold liquids without leaking. Aqueous liquids of course swell the wood enough to keep the barrel tight, but oil barrels left out in the hot sun or stored in cool warehouses must periodically have their staves redriven to make them reasonably oil-tight. THE IRON BARREL
I n recent years the iron barrel has been coming more and more into use. These packages are made entirely in large establishments through the outgrowth of smaller stamping operations or recently by companies organized for their exclusive manufacture. They are made in several sizes from g to I I O gallons capacity. The I S - , 30- and gg-gallon drums are the sizes used in the petroleum industry. Several patented and unpatented features, such as the form of the chime, the arrangement and kind of faucets and bungs, the use and method of application of hoops, make talking points for the various varieties. These barrels, or drums, as they are ordinarily called, are made from 16- to 19gauge iron, according to the use to which they are to be put. The lighter drum is usually designed t o sell outright to the customer, while the heavier ones are sold on some sort of return basis. Thirty round trips is not too much to expect of a good drum used with care and systematically repaired. I n their manufacture the sheet iron is rolled out in heavy shaping machines, the heads are pressed by heavy presses and they are put together in much the same way as all sheet metal containers from pill boxes to dish pans. Gas or electric welding has replaced in recent years riveted seams and tightly pressed chimes, making a tighter, stronger and neater package. The ordinary “barrel” or bilge form is used in a few iron drums but the greater number of them are cylindrical. The bilge form can be easier rolled on runways and headed up. The cylindrical form, if the hoops are well made, dents less easily and generally stands abuse much better than the other form. The one great advantage the iron barrel has over the wood barrel is t h a t i t can be made oil- and naphtha-tight. If not too badly damaged it can be made tight again after puncturing. I t s chief disadvantages are that oxide will flake and fall off on the inside, thus contaminating the liquid, particularly if the empty barrel is allowed to become rusty. This barrel is difficult to handle and it is very expensive. The difference in price between the two kinds of packages is of course much greater now than in peace times. THE TIN CAN
No one has yet invented a satisfactory small container for non-corrosive products to replace the common tin can. It is made in countless shapes and sizes to contain talcum powder, French peas, paint, axle grease and gasoline. The small tin or sheet iron package has driven the small wooden one entirely off the market. Many designs of wood paint kegs which were formerly made have been replaced by metal ones. Cans for the petroleum trade are made of metal from 26 to 2 8 gauge, either tin or terne plate. They are made by semiautomatic and automatic machines which cut, shape and solder
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with amazing rapidity. The standard 5-gallon can is made in enormous quantities, one of the seaboard refineries having a daily capacity of 120,ooo cans. I n such cans burning oils and naphthas are shipped to all parts of the world, particularly to South Africa, South America and the Orient. They are packed two cans in a wooden case. These cases can be carried on the backs of animals over mountains and on the backs of men through the jungle where barrel goods cannot be transported. The empty cans are made use of in innumerable ways. A great many of them come back to us from the Orient filled with Soja bean and tung oil. They cover roofs, patch leaky boats, and serve as containers for many substances. A large business has grown up in recent years in automobile oils. As this is a highly advertised business it is largely a package one. Every cross-road grocery store now carries a few fancy, lithographed cans of oil, grease and soft soap. These cans are usually made more carefully than the unlabeled packages; they have special pour-out spouts and sealing devices for prevention of fraud. The transportation of cased goods in the refinery and warehouses has been developed very highly. Special elevators, belt and roller conveyors carry empty cans and full cases from floor to floor, building to building, into box cars and into the holds of ships with very little handling. Before the advent of the automobile, “oil” to the average layman meant kerosene, linseed, or the small bottle on the pantry shelf labeled “Sewing Machine Oil, will not gum,” which was used also on the lawn mower, door hinges, razor strop and bicycle. Many thousands of these small bottles are sold for domestic lubricating purposes each year. The total volume of oil in them is small, however, as a 2-doz. case of 4-oz. bottles contains less than one gallon. Their sale is more of a grocery and drugstore business, discussion of which would carry us far beyond any reasonable limits of the transportation and storage of liquids. -~
THE HANDLING AND TRANSPORTATION OF LIQUIDS By M. H. EISBNHART. of t h e Eastman Kodak Company
This question of the handling and transportation of liquids on an industrial scale is one which necessarily must absorb considerable attention and thought in normal times, and especially is this so now, when the chemical industry generally is being so greatly expanded in this country. The developments along this line are taking place so rapidly that many materials, which only yesterday perhaps we were concerned with in the smaller laboratory way, to-day we may be handling in lots of many tons. This question then of the handling on a large scale of some new chemical or even one with which we are very familiar, necessarily means the investigation and use of many new processes, which in turn means a study of the many problems of how best large quantities of liquids can be handled for the particular end desired. This problem pertains to many different kinds of chemicals, such for example as very light liquids or oily materials, the heavier viscous oils, liquids carrying solids in suspension, acids or corrosive liquids, etc., and it is the last of these, namely acids and more particularly nitric and sulfuric acids with which this paper is concerned. For the sake of convenience, I have chosen to look a t the subject from two separate angles: I . TRANSPORTATION BETWEEN P u N T s - I f , for example, you are operating a plant here in Rochester and find i t to advantage to purchase large quantities of sulfuric acid in Buffalo, Cleveland, or even farther away, then, of course, somebody must concern himself with how that acid is to be gotten here. 11. LOCAL TRANSPORTATION-FOf example, YOU have a stock of sulfuric acid on hand a t the plant, how are you storing it, how do you inventory it, how do you get certain quantities when you want them, how do you weigh it for use, how do you get
