TARANAKI PETROLEUM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 174, 2 November 1910, Page 8

TARANAKI PETROLEUM.

AN INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS. RICH IN BYPRODUCTS. Some few months ago, Mr. I. R. Cruiekshank (local manager of Messrs. R. Collett and Co.) with the permission of the Taranaki Petroleum Company, arranged to forward samples of Taranaki crude petroleum to a leading 'oil refinery in South Wales, Great Britain, for analysis. A full report (together with samples of the refined oil) has now come to hand, and the report is specially interesting at this juncture, as it appears to prove conclusively that, as compared with American crude petroleum, our Taranaki oil is specially rich in valuable by-products. REPORT AND ANALYSIS.

"The crude oil is dark green in color, and is solid at ordinary temperatures. Specific gravity at 15 deg C., .84S. On distillation, it began running ai about 100 deg C, and the following fractions were collected: Sample 1, Jieated to 100 to 150 deg. C, 8 per'cent; specific gravity, .780. Sample 2, heated to 150 to 300 deg. C, 43 per cent; specific gravity, .843. 150 deg. to 300 deg. C. are the points between which ordinary burning oil is collected from crude American oil.

Another distillation gave:—'Sample 3, heated to 100 to 191 deg. C, 19 per cent; specific gravity, .800; flash point, 55 deg. F. Sample 4, heated to 191 to 300 deg. C, 31 per cent; specific gravity, .852. A specific gravity of .800 is the gravity of ordinary American burning oil. Sample 5. The residuum left after distilling up to 300 deg. C. is quite thick when cold, and probably contains more burning oil, as w->\\ us lubricating oils and wax.

The corresponding figures for crude American oil are approximately:—Specific gravity at 15 deg. C, .800. Distillates: Up to 150 deg. C, 16 per cent; 150 to 303 deg. C, 50 to 55 per cent.; specific gravity, .800 to .810. The distillate, 150 deg. to 300 deg., from the sampie submitted, has a much higher gravity than this (.843), and there is not as much of it, nor is there so much of the spirit fraction (up to 150 deg. C.)." The distillation was carried out merely for the purpose of comparing Taranaki oil with American oil in regard to its value for the production of burning oils. For this purpose the American oil would appearto be superior, giving off practiI cally I*o per cent, more of this commerl cial product. But 10 per cent, goes in our favor in the matter of by-products, such as lubricating oils, etc These byproducts are worth more money than the kerosene, and it would seem all the more necessary that the local company, which is securing the oil, should proceed with the erection of the refinery, so : that the profits from these by-products ! will be earned by the shareholders. Even if the smaller percentage of burning oil in this crude petroleum makes it difficult to compete with the American product, there seems every reason to suppose that the value of the by-pro-ducts will place the local people on a good footing. The distillation report published ahoy bears out all previous I reports in the matter of the richness of , the Taranaki petroleum.