Standard Oil Company Research Articles

Use of an inverted file structure for interactive retrieval of computer program abstracts

Standard Oil Company of California's Program Abstracts System will interactively search for, and list by title and mnemonic, all Company computer programs belonging to a particular category or technical application area in the filed of petroleum exploration and production. If one or more titles are of interest, the user can request a display of those abstracts. Retrieval is by search of an inverted index made up of a fixed set of terms covering application areas, programming languages, processing mode, and machine designations.

Submarine Current Measurements, Northwest Gulf of Mexico: ABSTRACT

In February 1966, Exxon Corporation undertook a geophysical and geologic survey of the continental slope of the Gulf of Mexico from Texas to Florida. They were joined in May by Standard Oil Company of California and in August by Gulf and Mobil Oil Companies. As part of this survey the Caldrill 1 was to drill 42 coreholes at 36 sites. Submarine current measurements were to be recorded while the vessel was on station. Because of technical difficulties, submarine-current records were obtained at only 6 northwestern sites. Vertical current profiles at 5 of the 6 stations show two prevailing directions which may represent distinct water masses. The upper current flows generally east or northeast, increasing from about 0.2 knots in the west to about 0.4 knots in the east. Below this system is a current that flows west or northwest at similar rates. The interface between these water masses deepens End_Page 1834------------------------------ westward, from about 400 to about 600 m. The deeper mass may be related to the Yucatan Current. At 5 sites the meter was maintained for up to 9 hours a short distance off the sea floor to determine the sustaining nature of the currents. Records obtained at 3 locations are consistent in both velocity and direction with the short-term measurements. These few scattered measurements would not seem to warrant broad conclusions regarding the movement and structure of the water masses over the upper continental slope. However, the data clearly document certain water movements in the spring of 1966. Most of these data are internally consistent, and the velocities are sufficient at times to transport fine to medium sand. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1835------------

Standard Oil and the Financing of the Mexican Revolution

The alleged involvement of the Standard Oil Company in the Mexican Revolution has long been fiercely debated by historians. Contemporary accusations of financial aid to the Revolutionaries during the early phases of the civil war that engulfed Mexico sparked the controversy. While charges and countercharges of every nature were commonplace during the propaganda duel that paralleled the military confrontation, the allegations against the company were too numerous and diverse to be dismissed lightly.1 Although viewing accusations uttered in the heat of combat with caution, historians have continued to investigate. If the evidence available has ap peared inconclusive, it has been apparent that the company had a substantial investment in Mexican oil production, and constituted a logical source of financial support for the rebels. That the Revolutionaries obviously had ample pecuniary resources at their disposal has increased the suspicion of scholars, since the availability of such large amounts of capital seemed diffi cult to explain. Probing the economy of a revolution is necessarily a formidable task, as roving rebel bands seldom maintain careful ledgers, and frequently fail to make the most effective use of available resources. Examining the finances of a rebellion involves such complex matters as estimating the potential return from the sale of expropriated real property, livestock, and house hold goods, and the amount of liquid capital available for confiscation in insurgent controlled sectors. Even a meticulous computation of available assets could prove misleading since the seizure and disposition of goods in the combat zone are frequently determined by personal caprice rather than monetary considerations. After its initial stages, however, the Mexican Revo lution became a well organized movement in the northern region of the country, and could efficiently utilize the resources at its disposal. Yet even in this circumstance, it seems unlikely that its leaders could possibly have secured sufficient capital exclusively by internal expropriation, in view of the limited liquid wealth available in this area. It is this factor that has caused historians to continue investigations of the possibility of external financing. Despite Revolutionary contentions that the cost of the rebellion was modest,

Noise Control of a Flare Stack

As part of its noise abatement program, the Standard Oil Company of California has undertaken to reduce the noise radiated from the flare stacks serving the new process plants at the El Segundo Refinery. These flares, used to burn excess refinery hydrocarbon gases, have to operate smokelessly. To accomplish this, high-pressure steam jets are used to discharge a turbulent steam-air mixture into the combustion zone. This system, although muffled, proved to be an intolerable source of noise in the adjacent community. An examination of the noise spectrum indicated that the mixing between the steam ejected from the 34-in.-diam primary nozzle and the ambient air was a major source of noise. A series of exploratory model scale tests were conducted in an effort to reduce the noise. By replacing a single 34-in.-diam nozzle with a multiple nozzle, the radiated noise was reduced by 16 dB. The multiple nozzle configuration and the experimental program leading to its design are described.

The Structure of the California Petroleum Industry, 1895-1911

Research Article| May 01 1970 The Structure of the California Petroleum Industry, 1895-1911 Ralph Andreano Ralph Andreano Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Pacific Historical Review (1970) 39 (2): 171–192. https://doi.org/10.2307/3637435 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Ralph Andreano; The Structure of the California Petroleum Industry, 1895-1911. Pacific Historical Review 1 May 1970; 39 (2): 171–192. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/3637435 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentPacific Historical Review Search This content is only available via PDF. Copyright 1970 The Pacific Coast Branch, American Historical Association Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Trade Regulation: Price Discrimination: Liability for "Fourth Level" Injury Falls within the Scope of Section 2(a) of the Clayton Act, as Amended by the Robinson-Patman Act: Perkins v. Standard Oil Company of California

Trade Regulation: Price Discrimination: Liability for "Fourth Level" Injury Falls within the Scope of Section 2(a) of the Clayton Act, as Amended by the Robinson-Patman Act: Perkins v. Standard Oil Company of California

Discussion of Toward an Empirical Measure of Materiality

As many of you will recall, several years ago General Motors Corporation and Standard Oil Company (New Jersey) each sold their 50% holding in Ethyl Corporation at a gain of about $75 million. General Motors accounted for the gain as part of income while Standard Oil credited the gain directly to net worth. Each chairman of the board was called on at their respective stockholders' meetings to explain their accounting for the gain. Each chairman attempted to justify his respective treatment in terms of being consistent with company policy or that it would give a ''more realistic income picture etc. Shortly after this incident, I recall talking to Dean Sidney Davidson and he commented that the respective chairmen should simply have responded to their shareholders that the treatment of the gain was not important since it was not a material amount! After all, for Standard Oil, which had the smallest net income after taxes of the two companies, the gain was only about 9% of that net income figure. Now, Rose et al. have shown that the change in intensity of stimulus needed before it can be detected is not only a constant but is about 6.5%. I'm certain that there are reasons for this research other than to prove that Dean Davidson was right in his 1962 statement but it would be a nice side benefit if the researchers could manage to achieve results slightly closer to 9%! My comments are primarily aimed at evaluating the researchers' approach to the problem of materiality. It is premature to evaluate the specific research findings since we are presented with the results of only one set of experiments; much more can and should be done. Efforts of this

Settlement of U.S. Anti-Trust Action in Connection with Proposed Merger of Standard oil Company of OHIO and BP Oil Corporation

Settlement of U.S. Anti-Trust Action in Connection with Proposed Merger of Standard oil Company of OHIO and BP Oil Corporation

Computer-Controlled Petroleum Production Systems

Use of computer control in the operation of production facilities has expanded rapidly in the past few years. Standard Oil Company of California completed its lastest such project, the automation of platforms Hope and Heidi in the Santa Barbara Channel, in mid 1967. The equipment, which uses an 8K computer control program together with a supervisory control system, permits unattended operation of the remote facilities. This paper discusses the project design details, startup, and operating history, emphasizing both hardware and software aspects of the system. Two unique operating routines, computed well-test sequences, and leak detection to test manifolds, are discussed in detail. Based on the Hope-Heidi experience and background from previous projects of a similar nature, the authors discuss their philosophy of automation. The needs for user and vendor coordination of their system responsibilities and thorough documentation are defined. Emphasis is placed on the advisability of forming a user hardware-software team to handle system engineering and programming "in-house." Particular importance is placed on the specification phase of a process-control project and the need to extract detailed technical data from the vendors in the bidding phase to ensure optimum and economic selection of a system to do a particular job. The discussion of software specifications and the concept of a user team to implement the project should prove useful to the oil producing industry. The concepts discussed are, however, applicable to the implementation of any industry's computer control program.

Science Travels the Mao Road

Arguments over research priorities and even the struggle for power within research institutes are not unique to China. What is unique is the requirement that scientists should use the writings of Mao Tse-tung not only as a guide to correct ideological thinking but also as a research tool.C. H. G. Oldham is a senior research fellow of the Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex, England. He has previously been associated as a senior research geophysicist with the Standard Oil Company of California, and has been a fellow of the Institute of Current World Affairs and a consultant to the Scientific Directorate of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris. Dr. Oldham spent four years based in Hong Kong and travelling widely in Asia studying problems of science and development. He visited China in 1964 and 1965.The following article is reprinted with permission from the August 22, 1968, issue of The Listener; it was originally based on a lecture delivered to the Royal S...

Review of Elk Hills Oil Field, Kern County, California: ABSTRACT

The Elk Hills oil field, generally regarded as the third largest oil field in the United States, is in southwestern Kern County, California, on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. It is on a large surface anticline that extends into the valley from the Temblor Range on the west. Most of the oil is in lenticular sandstones of Miocene and Pliocene ages, and stratigraphic conditions control the position of the oil on the structure. The Elk Hills field is also Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 1 and, for that reason, production is restricted. The field is a unitized operation of the U.S. Navy and Standard Oil Company of California. The Elk Hills filed has not been fully explored, but has recoverable reserves presently estimated at more than 1 billion bbl. End_of_Article - Last_Page 563------------

Railroad Gap Area--New Reserves in Old Province: ABSTRACT

The Railroad Gap area, consisting of the Railroad Gap field and the deeper pools at Northeast McKittrick and McKittrick Front, is on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley near McKittrick, Kern County, California. The discovery of the Railroad Gap field in February, 1964, by the Standard Oil Company of California led to the deeper-pool discoveries at Northeast McKittrick and McKittrick Front by the same operator during the ensuing 1½ years. Anticlinal closure traps most of the reserves in each field. The folds differ considerably in size, configuration, and orientation. Normal and reverse faults are common, and cause differences in oil-water interfaces within the same accumulation. Nearly all stratigraphic units from the Eocent Point of Rocks Sandstone Member to the Pleistocene Tulare Formation are productive in the area. The primary objectives and most prolific reservoir rocks are the Oligocene Oceanic and the lower Miocene Phacoides and Carneros Sands. The massive Phacoides and Oceanic Sand units differ considerably in thickness and reservoir quality from place to place. The Phacoides permeability variations are particularly surprising, because initial completions range from 100 to 9,000 BOPD at similar structural positions within the same accumulation. The Railroad Gap area was known to be anticlinal, but conclusive evidence of critical closure on the northwest could not be documented by conventional structural studies or geophysical methods. Regional isopachous studies of the middle and upper Miocene, however, indicated the existence of thickness variations of a sufficient magnitude that potential northwesterly closure could be inferred to be present in the underlying lower Miocene sediments. The isopachous contours reflect middle and late Miocene structural growth along the trend, suggesting a favorable geologic history for the area. The lower Miocene and Oligocene, from nearby well data, were known to contain excellent clastic reservoirs, thus completing the knowledge necessary to justify an exploration program. End_of_Article - Last_Page 486------------

Electrified Offshore Drilling and Production Facilities on Island Esther

The value of offshore oil reservoirs relatively close to large onshore refineries is becoming increasingly important as onshore oilfields become depleted. This paper describes the electrical supporting facilities for Standard Oil Company of California's man-made, rock-filled drilling island located one and one-half miles off the Southern California Coast in 38 feet of water. Installation of electrical equipment and submarine cable are described. Capital expenditure and costs of power consumption and electric drilling are developed. Finally, the need for an adequate preventive maintenance program due to the corrosive marine atmosphere is demonstrated, and a sample chart of routine maintenance attached.

The Gilbert and Barker Manufacturing Company: An Industrial Relocation

The Gilbert and Barker Manufacturing Company: An Industrial Relocation Douglas M. Orr, jr.* On December 7, 1965, The Gilbert and Barker Manufacturing Company (Gilbarco) announced it would move its entire facility from West Springfield , Massachusetts, to Greensboro, North Carolina. Gilbarco's relocation was somewhat unique because it involved all of the company's domestic operations rather than a single plant or division of a larger entity. This paper traces the events leading to Gilbarco's relocation decision and examines the underlying motivations and problems that confronted company officials. (1) While students of location theory have continually developed a more refined framework for locational analysis, some of the practical realities that influence specific locational decisions are not always given sufficient recognition . The case study approach to an individual company's relocation helps call attention to the myriad of political, social, and emotional exigencies that almost defy inclusion in the theoretical constructs of the academician. The factors that influenced Gilbarco's decision to move to Greensboro should be of special interest to those who have called for programs designed to attract higher quality types of industry to the South. Gilbarco is a firm employing skilled workers with comparatively high wages. While one firm's relocation is not indicative of a trend, it is the kind of development the South needs in order to break from its past reliance on low-wage and low-labor-skill industrial sectors. THE GILBERT AND BARKER MANUFACTURING COMPANY. The Gilbert and Barker Manufacturing Company (S.I.C. 3586) was established in 1865 by John F. Barker and Charles N. Gilbert to make gas machines for kerosene and whale-oil lamps. In 1910 the company introduced its first gasoline pump for dispensing gasoline at service stations, and today they account for the greater part of the Gilbarco's sales. A line of related equipment is also produced. Gilbarco is a fully owned subsidiary of Standard Oil Company of New Jersey. In addition to its local headquarters and manufacturing facilities, it has a nation-wide domestic marketing organization as well as subsidiaries and licensees who make and sell Gilbarco equipment in Canada, Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa, and Australia. Including its subsidiaries and licensees, Gilbarco is the largest gasoline pump manufacturer in the world. It is the third-leading producer in the United States, with all domestic production taking place at the new Greensboro plant. (2) The Gilbarco firm, with 750 employees, was one of the older and more important manufacturers in the Springfield area. It was the largest manufacturer in West Springfield and also provided that city with its largest tax source. ?Mr. Orr is a doctoral candidate in geography at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The paper was accepted for publication in July 1967. 14The Southeastern Geographer HISTORY OF THE GILBARCO RELOCATION. In November 1963 the management of Gilbarco decided that a new facility would have to be constructed for the company's entire domestic operations. The physical plant in which the company was housed was a 60-year-old multi-story structure to which several additions had been made through the years (Fig. 1). The main highway to the front of the plant was a highly congested thoroughfare, and transportation to and from the plant often necessitated passing through the most crowded areas of West Springfield. The plant itself was split by a city street across which parts sometimes moved six times before final shipment. It was necessary for Gilbarco to decide if it should rebuild in the West Springfield area or locate in some other part of the country. The company employed The Fantus Company, the largest plant location consultant in the nation, to make a survey of potential sites and recommend possible areas for Gilbarco's relocation. Coincidentally, Fantus was also making a study for the Greensboro, N. C, Chamber of Commerce concerning advantages to industry in locating at Greensboro. At this time, the employees of Gilbarco and the people of West Springfield were aware that Gilbarco was planning construction of a new plant, but the general opinion was that the new facility would be located in the West Springfield area. However, the Gilbarco management had already become relatively certain that relocation...

Analysis by Gas Chromatography and Apparatus Therefor Louis E. Green, Jr. and John C. Winter (to Standard Oil Company, Chicago, III.) U.S. Pat. 3,169,389 (Feb. 16, 1965)

Analysis by Gas Chromatography and Apparatus Therefor Louis E. Green, Jr. and John C. Winter (to Standard Oil Company, Chicago, III.) U.S. Pat. 3,169,389 (Feb. 16, 1965)

On ALGOL I/O conventions

article Free AccessOn ALGOL I/O conventions Author: W. A. Zaremba Standard Oil Company of California, San Fransciso Standard Oil Company of California, San FranscisoView Profile Authors Info & Claims Communications of the ACMVolume 8Issue 3March 1965 pp 167–169https://doi.org/10.1145/363791.363807Published:01 March 1965Publication History 0citation163DownloadsMetricsTotal Citations0Total Downloads163Last 12 Months6Last 6 weeks1 Get Citation AlertsNew Citation Alert added!This alert has been successfully added and will be sent to:You will be notified whenever a record that you have chosen has been cited.To manage your alert preferences, click on the button below.Manage my AlertsNew Citation Alert!Please log in to your account Save to BinderSave to BinderCreate a New BinderNameCancelCreateExport CitationPublisher SiteeReaderPDF

Gravitational studies in Oregon

Members of the Geophysical Research Group at Oregon State University have made 225 gravity measurements at key locations in an effort to establish six gravity lines extending eastward from the Oregon coast to beyond the Cascade Mountains. George P. Woollard provided an additional 1785 measurements, and Standard Oil Company of California provided 2900 measurements. The six gravity lines are nearly completed, but some individual stations and ties betwreen stations remain to be checked.A network of 31 gravity base stations has been joined together in Oregon. The base stations are used as gravity control points in the state.

Review of Coastal Stratigraphy of Oregon and Washington with Comments on 1965 Activity: ABSTRACT

Three structural downwarps along the Oregon coast and at least one on the Washington coast provide data on seaward basin development and stratigraphic units. When these units are projected offshore from both States, a tentative framework of a regional north-south basis can be postulated. The offshore basin may be 350 miles long and at least 50 miles wide and should contain marine sedimentary rocks from middle Eocene through Pliocene. The aggregate thickness of these rocks probably is in excess of 20,000 feet. Attention was first drawn to the oil and gas possibilities off Oregon and Washington in 1960 when Shell Oil Company made application for all of the State of Oregon's tidal and submerged lands. The Shell application, though unsuccessful, provided the interest for initiation of offshore studies by other companies. Since 1960, 13 major oil companies have conducted offshore geological and geophysical studies off both states. Eleven of these companies paid over $35 million in lease bonuses for federal OCS tracts off both states. Six blocks adjacent to Oregon brought $27,768,772.24 for 425,433 acres, and 5 blocks next to Washington brought $7,764,928.40 for 155,420 acres. Union Oil Company of California paid $376.00 per acre for an Oregon tract for the highest bid of the sale. It is anticipated that during the summer of 1965, 3-6 deep exploratory tests will be drilled off Oregon and Washington. Standard Oil Company and Union Oil Company, in a joint operation, and Shell Oil Company have announced plans for offshore Oregon tests and Pan American, as operator for Superior and Atlantic, is expected to drill off Washington. The coming summer will be one of the most important yet for oil and gas exploration in Oregon and Washington. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1083------------

Asphalto Field: ABSTRACT

The Asphalto field is in Kern County on the western side of the San Joaquin Valley. It lies about 2 mi. east End_Page 1089------------------------------ of McKittrick, and approximately half-way between the old McKittrick field toward the west and the Elk Hills 24 Z pool toward the east. The discovery well, the E. A. Bender Oil Co. No. 18, in Sec. 23, T. 30 S., R. 22, E., M.D.B.&M., was spudded November 17, 1962, on an 80-acre farm-out from the Standard Oil Company of California and was completed for an initial production of 312 BD of 37° gravity oil from the interval 5,612-5,672 feet. Since then, over 60 wells have been completed in the field for average production in excess of 13,000 BOPD from about 600 acres. Cumulative production to December 31, 1964, is about 8,000,000 barrels of oil and 10,000,000 Mcf of gas. Peak production was over 17,000 BD in September, 1963. The trap for the accumulation is formed by the shale-out of the upper Miocene Asphalto-Stevens Sands on the southeastern plunge of the McKittrick Front structure. Clues to the possible presence of the reservoir were given by the trend of the sandstones in the Elk Hills 24-Z pool, and by the presence of thin laminae of oil-stained sandstones in the equivalent shale intervals of 3 wells straddling the area and about 1½ mi. apart. Three sandstones are present and have been named respectively the Asphalto I, Asphalto II, and Asphalto III Sands. Only the uppermost Asphalto I Sand is productive in the discovery well, the lower sandstones being wet. However, subsequent wells have found all three sandstones productive at various locations, but toward the south and east, they merge into one thick sandstone body making their separation difficult. Structurally, the field forms an elongated structural saddle at N point with some shallow closure of its own. Local unconformities and successive overlap immeasurably complicate attempts to unravel the structure and stratigraphy in any great detail. Generally, N-point structure is valid for the sandstones, but differs from lower horizons in detail. The Olig structure above is greatly different. The discovery of the Asphalto field has given new impetus to exploration in the southern San Joaquin Valley and is certainly a classic example of a major discovery in a highly explored area. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1090------------

Experience with Mechanized Well Data System: ABSTRACT

Interest in electronic data processing as a supplementary exploration tool is growing throughout the oil industry. The volume of well data is increasing exponentially. Before any data retrieval or processing can be done, the most important data items must be converted to a machine form. Converting the current data is a small problem. Converting the useful backlog data is a large and costly problem. Many companies are approaching this problem through individual and group efforts. The Standard Oil Company of California has developed a mechanized well data system for the storage, updating, correcting and retrieval of useful well data and information. A team of geologists surveyed the Corporation's exploration offices to define the most used well data and the major problems related to manual retrieval. An area in California was chosen for a test which involved data conversion and the development of computer programs to utilize magnetic tape files and the IBM 1401 computer. The system was designed to include all wells, a high percentage of data types, a low percentage of errors, minimum coding, readable output, provisions for expansion, update and correction procedures, and simple query construction. The system was developed in two phases. Phase I included the well biography and an index to data. Phase II included selected numerical and tabular well data as well as interpretative data. Experienced technical assistants under the supe vision of a geologist transcribed the data from complete well files. The average per well costs for conversion to magnetic tape ranged from $5 to $15 depending on the amount of information included. To search the magnetic tape file, a computer query is formulated from a geologist's specific question. The computer search results in readable, uncoded lists. The cost to answer typical geological requests varies from $3 to $10 per thousand wells depending on the complexity of the question. The savings of professional search time and the volume of pertinent data made available is gratifying. But problems still exist--data conversion costs are high, more suitable machines are needed, true value of such systems are difficult to assess. Computer systems have many potential exploration applications which will have to be originated by enlightened, experienced, competitive, and imaginative oil finders at all levels. The storage-and-retrieval of basic well data is the logical starting point. End_of_Article - Last_Page 112------------