Petroleum Products - Economics of Natural Gasoline (with Discussion)

The: volatility of a motor fuel is an index to its quality and to the satisfaction that will attend its use as an internal combustion engine fuel. Natural gasoline is concentrated volatility; threfore, it is quite natural that the most important market for natural gasoline should be for blending with less volatile refinery gasolines. Progress in the art of manufacturing natural gasoline, particularly in fractionation, which has made possible the elimination of the fixed gases and lighter hydrocarbons having a tendency to gasify at atmospheric pressure and temperature, has made it possible and desirable for refiners to utilize an ever-increasing percentage of natural gasoline in their finished product. This, in turn, has enabled the industry at large with each succeeding year to supply to the consuming public a better grade of gasoline. While cracking processes and improved fractionation in refinery operation have resulted in higher yields of gasoline per barrel of crude oil refined, natural gasoline has also played a large part in this respect because it has enabled the refiner to cut deeper into the crude and still maintain proper standards of volatility by blending natural gasoline with the product from his stills. There is, of course, with even the present improved grades of natural gasoline, a limit to the percentage that may properly be used. This percentage varies with different grades of crude oil, varies according to the facilities employed at the refinery and varies according to the grade of motor fuel manufactured; therefore it is not possible to say that for a certain predetermined amount of motor fuel to be manufactured in a given area, a certain definite amount of natural gasoline will be required. It is, however, generally conceded, and statistics bear out the statement, that the average gallon of motor fuel sold in this country contains approxi-matcly 11 per cent. of natural gasoline. Isolated cases may be found where in a very few refineries during certain seasons no natural gasoline is used, while in other plants as high as 35 per cent. and 40 per cent, natural gasoline is used in certain grades of motor fuels. Production Statistics The total production of natural gasoline for 1927, including California, is estimated at 1,627,600,000 gal. This represents an increase of 20 per