XXIV. THE PETROLEUM CHEMIST CARY R. WAGNER
The writer of this article i s well qualified to discuss the work of the petroleum chemist. Mr. Wagner h a s been actively engaged in this work for twenty years. Since 1924 he has been connected with the Pure Oil C m n @ n y f o r six
Chairman of the Dinision. He i s a member of a number of scienti5c and learned societies. In addition to his duties with the Pure Oil Company, he i s President and Director of the Gasoline Antioxidant CmnNny, and Director of the Gyro Process CmnNny. It i s b e l i e d that the large number of illustrations sent by Mr. Wagner will help the reader to understand the duties of the petroleum chemist.
++++++
years as Assistant Chief Chemist and the remaining time as Chief Chemist. H e has done extended research work i n na@r phase cracking and in polymerization. H e was graduated from the College of Wooster in 1915. His graduate study was done at Purdue Uniuersity. Mr. Wagner hus been secretary of the Petroleum Division of the American Chemical Society continuously since 1929 except for the two years, 1930-1932, when he was
The past history of the petroleum chemist does not cover a large span of years. Three decades ago, when kerosene was the main product from petroleum and gasoline was being poured on creeks and streams to float away or bum, the petroleumchemistwaspractically unknown. With the advent of the automobile and the necessity for gasoline, oils, and greases, the field became ripe for men with technical knowledge. One need only to glance a t the problems that are constantly occurring in the field to realize what a petroleum chemist does. Let us suppose, as is constantly occurring, that a discovery well in a new field is completely successful and large quantities of a new type a u d e become available. Immediately a sample is rushed to the laboratory for examination. In the laboratory all the physical characteristics of the crude are first determined-gravity, flash point, viscosity, solidification temperature, and so forth.. Then the crude is charged to a distillation unit where by the use of fire, vacuum, and steam, the petroleum chemist closely fractionates the material. The small cuts are then blended to determine the possible yields of various products. Full tests on these blends will indicate the yield and quality of gasoline, kerosene, gas oil, light and heavy lubricating oils, fuel oil, or whatever other products are desired. From such an analysis cost accountants can determine the preferable products to refine from thecrude in actual practice. Perhaps it is also desired to know the quantity of
cracked gasoline that can be made by charging any portion of this crude oil to cracking stills. Another petroleum chemist is operating a miniature oil cracking
has been determined by laboratory analysis, is giving excellent yields and the results are as forecast. But trouble develops. The refinery reports that still tubes are becoming crusted with a hard cake that interferes with heat transfer. Samples of the crust are furnished
the laboratory for analysis, as well as samples of the crude being used a t the time. The petroleum chemist finds there are now very small amounts of salt water in
unit from which can be obtained approximate yields of gasoline as well as tests on the gasoline. To return to the original crude as it comes from the well, probably a large amount of gaseous material is shipped to the laboratory, and the petroleum chemist, by low-temperature fractionation, determines its constituents. Especially it is desired to know the amount of recoverable gasoline held in i t as gas. The design of complete refineries may be based upon the results the petroleum chemist obtains in the analysis of such crude oil. Let us note some problems that are immediately passed on to the chemist when they occur in the refineries. Perhaps our new crude, whose refining
FIGURE 4.-I
