The second notable achievement of the past 25 years has been the catalytic revolution. This pilot plant work was greatly facilitated by the parallel development of modern instruments and automatic controls. Studies with small quantities of material provided reliable data for the design of large scale units which could be counted upon to operate successfully. Part of the general increase in technology arose from improved techniques in pilot plant operation and interpretation. Knowledge of the detailed composition of petroleum, so conspicuous by its absence 25 years ago, has also been supplied, mainly by the A P I cooperative research projects. ![]() It was only after physical chemists had compiled data on the behavior of naturally occurring hydrocarbon mixtures-as well as on pure hydrocarbons-that chemical engineers could develop formulas for predicting the performance of fractionation towers and other equipment. The petroleum scientists of 25 years ago made good use of the tools they had at hand, but they simply did not possess the extensive thermodynamic information and other fundamental knowledge now available. ![]() The first is the great increase in technical knowledge that has arisen from so much research. ![]() Principal Developments The past quarter-century has seen two outstanding developments in petroleum technology.
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