PETROLEUM INDUSTRY

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30471, 19 June 1964, Page 8

PETROLEUM INDUSTRY

Development Reviewed

Petroleum was a uniquely versatile raw material. New uses of petroleum products and new products would evolve in all fields of activity from agriculture to space travel, said Dr. C. B. Davies, director of the Shell Oil Company’s Thornton Research Centre in an address on the development of the petroleum industry. Dr. Davies is visiting this country from Britain. The early years otf the modern petroleum industry were in the last quarter of the 19th century, he said, when kerosene came into use for lighting and cooking. In contrast to what happened later, there was no evidence that in these early years the industry showed much initiative in encouraging invention or development of devices or processes.

However, while the petroleum industry could take no credit for the introduction of the car, it subsequently worked with the car' manufacturers, and by providing petrols and lubricants of eVerincreasing quality, had made possible the rapid advances which had taken place in performance, comfort, reliability and economy.

When other petroleum-con-suming devices such as the diesel engine and the aircraft engine were considered, it was clear the petroleum industry had shown decisive and early initiative in helping to develop these inventions to the standing they enjoyed today in road, rail, marine and air transport.

The industry now collaborated with those developing new engines, machines,. products and processes, and with the users of these items. A partnership was thereby created in which each contributor did the technical work he was best qualified to do.

This ensured a far higher rate of progress than would be achieved without an interplay of the. different technological resources and skills. Keeping up the vigorous technical and commercial progress of the petroleum industry depended on the continuing participation in the development work of the industry’s customers, Dr. Davies said.