Middle East Oil Fields, Crude Oil from There and Its Refining

Abstract

Before the late War a considerable amount of the Middle East crude oil, namely Bahrein, Saudi Arabia or Iran crude, had been imported for refining in this country.The property of the Middle East crude oil is characterized by some, differences from that of the other area's oil. As a rule, that crude oil is of inter-mediate base and rich in sulphur, gasoline fraction has low octane number, kerosene fraction is good for lump use, gas-oil fraction is of high cetane number, lubricating-oil of high viscosity index is obtained from residual oil, and the cracked gases of naphtha and kerosene are to be used for the purpose of alkylation, polymerization and petrochemicals making.The Kuwait crude oil, as the crude oil of the first commercial import after the War, was delivered to the Kawasaki Refinery of Showa Oil Co.on Jan.15, 1950.The results of the laboratory test and actual topping operation (4, 000 bbl/D) with that crude were showed. Finally, judging from the current world situation of demand and supply of crude oils, the author presumes that the Middle East oil fields will be the very source from which Japan can be provided with crude oil for the forthcoming several rears.