2992.     ---------------.  [RUSSELL, R. P.]  Progress in Petroleum Research.  Engineer, vol. 183, 1947, pp. 490-492, 508-509; Jour. Inst. Petrol., vol. 33, 1947, pp. 391-409; Petroleum, vol. 10, 1947, pp. 151-154, 186-189, 194; Petrol. Times, vol. 51, 1947, pp. 706-709, 749-751.

        Abridgment of the second Cadman Memorial Lecture.  It discusses the problem of the upward trend in the world demand for liquid fuels and the development of chemical methods for increasing the supply.  Two chief processes are discussed:  Fluid catalytic cracking and hydrocarbon synthesis.  Comparative costs on the basis of a 420,000-ton-per-day synthesis plant utilizing natural gas as raw material at 3 d. per 100 cu. ft. are 3.9 d. per imperial gal. for synthetic gasoline and 5.7 d. for the same quality gasoline from a typical crude petroleum.  Because of the added plant cost required, the production cost of synthetic gasoline from coal is slightly higher than the cost from crude oil.  Taking the same size plant as above and allowing suitable credit for the gas and chemicals produced, with coal at 10 s. per ton, gasoline could be produced at 6.5 d. per imperial gal., a figure only slightly higher than that for gasoline from crude oil.  The above estimates are all based on United States costs and prices.