[en] This paper examines the relationship between petroleum futures trading, market information and spot prices. It tests the hypothesis that there is increased spot market information with futures trading of various petroleum derivatives for weekly data during the period January 1970 to July 1985 at the new York Mercantile Exchange. Increased market information with futures trading is indicated by the insignificance of coefficients of past prices in spot price regressions in periods with futures trading. However, the estimates of the coefficient of variation indicate that price volatility tends to increase with futures trading. Thus, traders seem better informed with futures trading although the advantages of increased market information might potentially be undermined by increased price volatility as in the case of regular gasoline. (author)

No abstract available

[en] Published in summary form only

[en] The domestic taxation of petroleum products is an important source of revenue in most countries. However, there is a wide variation of tax rates on petroleum products across countries, which cannot be explained by economic theory alone. This paper surveys different considerations advanced for taxing petroleum and presents petroleum tax rate data in 120countries. (author)

[en] A description is given of a process for preparing isotropic coke from oil residue charge. It includes blowing air into the residue until it reaches a softening temperature of around 49 to 116 deg C, the deferred coking of the residue having undergone blowing at a temperature of around 247 to 640 deg C, at a pressure between around 1.38x10⁵ and 1.72x10⁶ Pa, and the recovery of isotropic coke with a thermal expansion coefficient ratio under 1.5 approximately. The isotropic coke is used for preparing hexagonal graphite bars for nuclear reactor moderators

[en] Technology of mixture high solidifying petroleums with light viscous ones in industrial condition is described. The mixture occurs in a continuous flow without use of tanks. (author)

[en] Acquisition of Parkland Industries Ltd.'s refinery between Calgary and Edmonton by Alberta's Blood Indian tribe and parlaying its aboriginal status into a massive tax advantage, is currently being negotiated. If the proposed deal materializes the tribe will reap a tax windfall worth about $ 32 million annually. The proposal calls for the refinery to change hands for $50 million, plus $ 20 to 25 million in plant improvements to boost gasoline production to 325 million litres annually from the current 290 million. The Parkland Refinery is the smallest, but the most efficient in Canada because it processes clean 'condensates', a gasoline-like by-product of natural gas, rather than oil. The idea to purchase the refinery resulted from a land-claim settlement three years ago that have given the tribe the right to pick up 444 acres of property anywhere in Alberta and place it under reserve status, plus money to make the purchase. The federal and provincial governments are well aware of the pending deal, but the tax exemption portion of the deal is subject to further legal interpretation and ruling

[en] Experiences gained during the 'Cape Mohican' incident in October 1996, in San Francisco Bay, were recounted and proposed as a potential example of day-to-day monitoring, evaluation and reporting of shoreline cleanup effort. During this cleanup a set of communications procedures, progress reports and maps were developed which should be equally useful in other similar situations. The cartographic representations were specially highlighted as they focused on ways to provide a clear picture of the short term modifications in oiling conditions of the affected shoreline. The most important lesson learned from this oil spill was the importance of having personnel and equipment sufficiently matched to the task in order to evaluate oil conditions, produce cleanup recommendations, execute and communicate the status of the cleanup effort as fast, and as efficiently and effectively as possible. It was clearly demonstrated that unless the decision process is streamlined and supported with the best, most up-to-date information, the efforts of the cleanup team would be seriously undermined. 8 refs., 2 tabs., 6 figs

[en] The technique for the instrumental neutron-activation analysis of trace elements in oils, their components and fractions was developed; it allowed to analyse a number of oils of different Western Siberia deposits with regard to the content of 23 elements in them. It is found out that basic information on the composition of micro-mixtures in oil can be obtained 10-15 days after radiation. Analytical results make it possible to distinguish oils both by the area of their origin and by a number of elements such as vanadium, nickel, cobalt, chrome, iron within the same deposit, variances in the content of the elements lying beyond the errors of measurements. The technique described allows to obtain information on the qualitative composition and distribution of the elements in oil components as well as in products and by-products of oil processing which makes possible to select more efficiently the technology of oil processing, to analyse and control the quality of oil products and to evaluate oil as a source of production of rare metals

[en] Spherically expanding flames have been employed to determine the laminar flame speeds of liquefied petroleum gas-air mixtures, diluted or not by the combustion exhaust gas, over equivalence ratios from 0.7 to 1.4. The effect of the stretch imposed at the flame front has been explored experimentally, and Markstein lengths are estimated to characterize the flame stretch. After omitting the stretch effect, one has obtained the unstretched laminar burning velocities of liquefied petroleum gas-air flames with or without diluent. Explicit formulas have been obtained to express the laminar burning velocity dependencies on the equivalence ratio and diluent rate