I-INTRODUCTION
Any industry nccds chcnp rnw 1iizttcriiiIs as n fouiidcitioii for siicccss, niid this is pirticularly true of tiic orgiiiiic cliciiiicnl industry, in wliich tlic iiccessiiry stcps in most syiitlicscs arc iiumcrous niid tlic yields frcqueiitly low. Froiii this point of vicw oil refiiicry gnscs arc as f'undninc~itnlly imporfniit to nliphntic clieiiiistry ns conl ttir is to nromntic clicmistry. \71iilc by 110 iiicaiis nil products in citlicr ficld stciii h c k to tlicsc two sourccs, niost of tliciii cnii bc built up froiii tlic linsic biiildiiig blocks found in rcfiiicry gnscs and coiil tnr rcspcctivcly, niid this n t lcast seLs n top limit on costs. 111 spitc of this fact rcfiiicry gnscs Iny ciitircly iicglcctcd for iiiniiy ycors after tlic cliciiiistry of conl tar niid its dcrivntives wcrc thoroughly dcveloped. As n iiinttcr of h c t twcnty-fivc ycnrs ago fcw cvcii apprcciatcd tlic csistcncc of large quailtitics of rcfiiicry gnses, Inrgcly on uccount of thcir iiivisiblc niid iiiipondernblc nnturc. Not uiitil tlic production of rcfiiicry gns bcgnii t o bc iiicrenscd by tlic widespread adoption of crnckiiig! ill tlic period after 1814 , did rciiiicrics begiii to coiisidcr rccovcriug tlic gns, niid cvcii thcii i t wns collcctcd Iiiorc to cliniinntc a linznrrl tlmi bccnusc it wns considcrcd of particular vnluc. In inany cascs i t was simply biirncd in a torcli n t a rcmotc part of tlic rcfincry.
Soon, howcvcr, tlic iiiorc progrcssivc rcfiiiers began to establish absorption plnnts to rccovcr tlic cquivnlcnt of casinghcnd gnsoliiic froiii tlicsc gnscs for blciidiiig into rcgulnr gnsolinc, niid tlicrc was nlso n gradunlly iiicrcusiiig tcntlciicy to burn tho gns ns fucl uiidcr rcfiiicry stills. During this pcriod tlierc wns littlc inforiiiiitioii nvailnblc ns to the dctnilcd niicilyscs of tlicsc gtisos, and w r y littlc nttcntion wns pnid to thcir cliciiiictil pussibilitics. Tlic rcul n\vnlrcning to tlicsc lnttcr possibilities bcgnii nbout 1931, with tlic Cnrbidc & Carbon Cliciiiicnl Corporation, tlic Stnndiud llcrclop~ncnt Co., 'nnd t\rtliur D. Littlc, Tnc. ns tlic oiitstniidiiig pionccrs in tlic cliciiiicnl ficlrl. Tlic Univcrsiil Oil Products Co., tlic 31. I'. liellogg Co., tlic Stnndiird Oil Conipnnics of New Jcrscy nntl Jiitlinnn, and tho l'liillips, Slicll, rind Anglolraiiinii Oil Coiiil)~iiiios, liaivc bccn londcrs ia tlic dovc10~~iiiciit of otlicr uses for rcfincry giiscs. II-COMPOSITION OF REFINERY GASES licfiiicry giiscs, wliicli nrc primnrily hydrocarbons with 0110 to four carhon IitOliiR, conic from two priiicipnl sourccs : rouglify 30 x, of tlic t o t d is csso~itinlly nnturnl giis dissolved in tliu orudu oil nnd rlrivoii on' in tlio process of distillntioa. 'Yliis giiv coiitniiis oiily tho snliiriited Iiydrocnrbons. Tho ninoiint of such gas pot 1090 CHEN ISTRY AND INDUSTRY Dcc. 23,1U3P