How has the Second World War affected the development of petroleum refinery processes?
Right around the middle of the 19th century, the main purpose of petroleum refineries was primarily to fit the demand for kerosene production – a fuel used largely for lighting in kerosene lamps, as well as acting as a good lubricant for steam engines. By the turn of the 20th century, a demand for gasoline triumphed over kerosene with the invention of the electric light bulb, as well as the first airplane and the Model T automobile.
The refining industry changed quite drastically with the commencement of the Second World War, bringing about an increased demand for petroleum products such as gasoline to be used in aircraft and land vehicles. Catalytic processing was born in the era just before and during WWII. As shown in Table 1. of Lesson 11, the development of certain processes including alkylation (1940) and fluid catalytic cracking (1942) allowed for gasoline products with a higher octane number and to be obtained in larger yields. [1] Therefore, efforts to support the war essentially increased the efficiency of petroleum refineries as it forced them to determine the best ways to produce gasoline and other crude distillates.
In December of 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt went on to establish the Petroleum Administration for War (PAW) in an effort to organize for such a huge increase in oil demand. This provided a trusted foundation and cooperation between many American oil companies. Besides an ever-growing demand for gasoline, WWII also invoked the production of toluene for TNT in bombs, the synthesis of rubber for tires, and oil to be used as lubricant for guns and other machinery. At the time, Japan was in control of 90% of the world’s natural rubber supplies. Being able to manufacture rubber from butadiene became vital for American oil companies, two subsidiaries of Standard Oil Of New Jersey in particular. In addition to these factors, two major pipelines were created extending from Texas to the East Coast, both of which undoubtedly helped the Allied Powers achieve victory in WWII. These were the Big Inch and the Little Big Inch pipelines, the first which carried crude oil while the other carried petroleum products. The use of these pipelines eliminated the threat of German submarines attacking oil tankers. [2]
The wide array of products obtainable from crude oil accompanied by a radical escalation in demand for these products, led to an essential yet effective development of oil refining processes, as well as a victory for the United States of America and its allies.
References:
[1] F Sc 432 Class Website, Lesson 11
[2] Miller, Keith. “How Important Was Oil in World War II?” History News Network. N.p., 6 July 2002. Web. 29 July 2014.