ABSTRACT
Petroleum refining has continuously evolved over the decades in response to changing performance demands, government regulatory requirements, and customer needs for different and improved products.
The original demands from the early refineries in the 1860s and 1870s were to maximize the production of kerosene as a cheaper and more efficient source of light than provided by whale oil [1]. The next important product was paraffin wax for the production of candles. Lubricating oils did not have a place in the early refineries and were often considered to be an unwelcome by-product of the production of wax. Despite the opportunity to use lubricating oils as a replacement for lard oil and sperm oil for heavy machinery, the industry did not welcome lubricating oils with the same enthusiasm as they did kerosene.
