Industrial Research 



47 



research, engine research, asphalt research, anci funda- 

 mental research, a large degree of flexibility and co- 

 operation is maintained. Approximately 15 percent of 

 the total budget of the laboratories is spent upon such 

 fundamental investigations as the mechanism of catal- 

 ysis, mechanism of polymerization, hydrocarbon re- 

 arrangements, and pyrolysis. 



The laboratory of the Development Company, starting 

 with a total staff of 57 includmg 12 university-trained 

 research workers, has steadily expanded until in 1940 it 

 employs 520 persons, of whom 91 are senior research 

 workers and 260 are university graduates. 



Standard Oil Company of California 



Organized research and development work was initi- 

 ated in the Standard Oil Company of California in 1920 

 when a research division for these activities was created 

 within the manufacturing department. During the first 

 few years, the main effort of the division was directed to- 

 wards the improvement of such refining processes as 

 distillation, thermal cracking, acid treating, and acid 

 recovery, with such impressive retmns that in 1926 the 

 research work was expanded and centralized in an 

 independent department. Since that time the depart- 

 ment has grown steadily imtd it is now composed of a 

 staff of 400 men, about half of whom are chemists, 

 engineers, physicists, or men with some technical train- 

 ing. Two branch laboratories are maintained, and the 

 department has representatives at the various refineries 

 and producing plants. 



The company has done pioneer work in the manu- 

 facture of compoimded lubricating oils for Diesel engines, 

 and in recent years much of its research has been done 

 in the field of catalysis for the purpose of developing 

 processes by which petroleum can be converted into 

 new and better products for industrial and domestic 

 uses. 



Standard Oil Company of Indiana 



Research in the Standard Oil Company of Indiana 

 has expanded in a period of 50 years from the work of a 

 single plant chemist to the multiple activities of a 

 modem department comprising 186 technical and 250 

 nontechnical men. 



Research began in the company in 1890 with the 

 hiring of Dr. WiUiam M. Burton to investigate the 

 Frasch Desidfiu-ization Process. Later, when the larg- 

 est refinery of the company was being erected in Whit- 

 ing, Ind., Bm-ton established an analytical laboratory 

 there to test paints and other materials being used in 

 the construction. During the next 20 years, until 1910, 

 there was httle increase in the laboratory staff, which 

 was mainly concerned with routine analyses. Some 

 development work was carried out, however, and it 

 resulted in improvements in the manufacturing of 

 asphalts, greases, lubricating oils, and candles. 



The years 1910-20 brought moderate expansion in 

 both personnel and research. Although emphasis con- 

 tinued to be placed on analytical work, experiments 

 were carried out in connection with the Burton crack- 

 ing process, while other investigations led to improve- 

 ments in the manufacture of medicinal white oils and 

 lubricants. 



After 1922 the expansion of the laboratory staff was 

 rapid, conforming to the widening of research activities. 

 The laboratories of 3 refineries of the company were 

 incorporated into the research department, while other 

 laboratories were established. One, the engine re- 

 search laboratory, was founded in 1925; another was 

 organized early in the 1930's for fundamental research. 

 The increase in the total personnel was twentyfold in 

 20 years. 



Paralleling this structural growth were the extended 

 activities in and accomplishments of research. With 

 the introduction of the approach of chemical engineer- 

 ing to refinery problems, studies were made of distUla- 

 tion, fuel economy, corrosion, evaporation losses, and 

 gasoline recovery. Considerable effort was also ex- 

 pended in the development of thermal cracking, both 

 in the field and in experimental equipment in the labora- 

 tory. From the intensive research on thermal cracking, 

 the large modern combination cracking unit was 

 evolved and has since been continually improved to a 

 point where it is capable of producing better than 75 

 percent of high octane gasoline from crude oil. The 

 problems of knocking characteristics and gum forma- 

 tion, arising from the application of the thermal cracking 

 process to meet the growing demands for gasoline, were 

 solved by experiments with antioxidants. The proc- 

 esses of propane dewaxing and chlorex extraction 

 resulted from intensified research on lubricating oils. 



At the present time experimental work is being carried 

 out on all phases of petroleum refining from the crude 

 distillation to the road testing of fuels in modern 

 automobile engines. In addition, considerable effort 

 is being expended in the development and improvement 

 of specialty products such as greases, candles, asphalts, 

 road oils, solvents, special lubricants, and domestic fuels. 



The activities of the research department are co- 

 ordinated with those of its closely associated develop- 

 ment and patent department, which assists in main- 

 taining teclmical contacts with competing companies 

 and other industries, provides a technical information 

 service, and manages the patent affairs of the company. 



In addition to the research and development activi- 

 ties conducted directly by the staff, the company has 

 contributed to and participated in cooperative research 

 projects conducted under the sponsorship of the 

 American Petroleum Institute, Gasoline Products 

 Company, The Polymerization Processes Corporation, 

 and The M. W. Kellogg Company. 



