Louis Bond Cherry: Electrical Production of Gasoline --
articles & patents

![](0logo.gif)  
**[rexresearch.com](../index.htm)**

---

**Louis B. CHERRY**

**Electrical Production of Gasoline**

---

***Electrical Experimenter*
(April 1918), Vol. 5, # 12, p. 822**



**The Electrical Production of Synthetic
Gasoline**

The world needs gasoline --- thousands of internal combustion
engines are daily consuming untold gallons of the valuable fuel
and have sent the price skyward at a rate that would give the
average motorist heart failure. And just at the time that the
situation promised to become acute an inventor comes forward
with an electrical method of producing ir from kerosene, solar
oil and low-grade distillates.

Briefly the process is as follows: Take some kerosene, vaporize
it, mix in a little natural gas and shoot a bolt of electricity
through it. Wash it with acid, soda ash and water, then distill
and you have pure, water white gasoline that will clean kid
gloves or drive a motor car. Simple, isnt it?

But it took two years of experimental work to bring the process
to its present practical condition. One of the illustrations
herewith show Mr Louis B Cheery, the inventor of the process,
and the first plant that proved his ideas practical.

In order to understand the working of the Cherry process for
producing gasoline it would not be out of place to describe
briefly the usual process of distillation of crude oil. Then a
better idea will be gained of how the new process can be readily
adopted to the present refineries.

The oil as it comes from the well is black in color, having a
disagreeable odor and quite thick. In this form it is known as
crude oil and, depending on the part of the country from which
it comes, will have very little gasoline, or possibly as high as
15 to 30 percent of gasoline, in it.

The oil is pumped into a large still which may hold from 5 to
1500 barrels. This still is usually of cylindrical form and is
mounted on brickwork similar to a horizontal steam boiler. Fire
is placed under the still and the temperature of the oil
gradually raised. When it reaches a temperature of 90 to 100
degrees F, gases will pass over into a condenser which consists
of a large coiled pipe immersed in a tank of water. These vapors
condense and thus is obtained high-proof gasoline or petroleum
ether.

The temperature is further raised until all the gasoline vapor
passes over. The end point or the maximum temperature at which
gases are allowed to pass over is 400 F. This fraction or cut is
known as crude benzene by the refiners and is then treated with
sulfuric acid, soda ash, washed with water and redistilled. This
results in commercial gasoline used for motor cars.

The above process takes out all the gasoline, further heating
causes kerosene, solar oil and heavy lubricating oils to pass
over and condense in turn. This operation is known as fractional
distillation, the residue remaining in the still after a high
temperature is reached being coal tar, which is the source of
our dyes and other products.

Now turning to the Cherry process. It is a well-k known fact
that all crude oil products from gasoline to paraffin wax are
hydrocarbons --- that is, they consist of varying mixtures of
hydrogen and carbon. It is apparent that were some means found
for controlling the relative proportions of the hydrogen and
carbon it would be possible to produce any of the various
products at will; that is, obtain all paraffin or all gasoline,
as desired. By studying the constituents of the various
hydrocarbons, Mr Cherry noted that if natural gas could be
combined chemically in proper proportions with the various
distillates, he would then have gasoline. Acting on this he
discovered that a high-tension electric current would affect the
necessary reaction and produce gasoline.

In practice, the still used is similar to that employed in
refining crude oil, but has a perforated pipe at the bottom. The
kerosene or other low-grade oil is placed in this still and
while being heated natural gas is forced into the perforated
pipe and escaping up through the liquid is heated to the same
temperature and thoroughly mixed with the oil vapor. This vapor
then passes into a series of electrically heated pipes that have
a central electrode, this electrode as well as the pipes being
connected to a source of high-tension current [100,000 V ] of
extremely high frequency.

The gases are subjected to this silent discharge as they flow
though the pipes and their chemical structure is so altered that
the resulting condensate is a crude benzene. For the proper
results it is necessary that the temperature of the gases, their
rate of flow, as well as the voltage and frequency of the
current be properly adjusted. On treated the benzene so obtained
a liquid results that cannot be detected from gasoline --- in
fact, it is gasoline!

To produce 60,000 gallons of gasoline by the above process
daily, an electrical equipment rated at 75 KW is required. The
illustrations give a good idea of the apparatus employed in a
plant of the above size. The general view of the high-tension
gallery shows the transformer in the background, with the
condenser used in the closed oscillator circuit at the left.
Another illustration shows the rotary spark gap having two large
rotating disks fitted with plugs to obtain a high rate of
discharge through the closed circuit, the primary of the
oscillatory transformer being shown at the left.

The treating chambers are shown in another illustration in
which the mixed vapors are treated. The large porcelain
insulators can be clearly seen that insulate the central
electrodes. The pipes are also wound with electric heating
coiuls to obtain the proper temperature.

The entire operation taking place at atmospheric pressure, it
is a simple matter to fit the ordinary crude oil still with the
necessary treating chambers and electrical equipment. Tests tend
to prove that the cost of treating one gallon of kerosene does
not exceed one cent, while the value of the process will be
better appreciated when it is stated that it is practical to
convert nearly all the volatile oils into gasoline without undue
precipitation of carbon or the production of fixed gases.

At a recent test it was possible to change 76.68 per cent of
the kerosene used into pure gasoline, but the plant under
construction is expected to raise the percentage to 98 or 100.
Mr Cherry has offered to furnish the government all the gasoline
it requires for a flat rate of 10 cents per gallon, and to say
the least this offer has caused quite a commotion among those
interested in gasoline production.

Is this but another step along the road to the production of
gold from the baser metals? According to the more recent
theories of the electrical nature of matter it should be
possible to affect such a change by electrical means. Al matter
being made up of electrical charges, it merely remains for some
one to find a way of controlling the grouping of these charges
and they can instantly produce anything from the material at
hand.

The kerosene vapor with which has been mixed natural gas,
enters at A and passes into pipe B. The latter is of iron
covered with a layer of electrical insulation, such as mica,
shown at F, over which is wound the resistance wires G, for
heating the chamber. These wires are in turn covered by a thick
layer of heat insulating material to retain the heat and keep
the temperature constant.

The electrode D is mounted centrally in the chamber, being
supported and insulate by the porcelain E. At J is shown the
terminals of the heating winding.

The sectional view also shows the wiring to produce the high
tension high frequency currents required to treat the vapors. AN
alternating current supply is connected to the primary of the
step-up transformer T, through a choke coil CC. A condenser C is
shunted across the secondary of the transformer, while a rotary
spark gap R serves to discharge the condenser periodically
through the primary of the oscillation transformer OT. In this
manner high frequency currents are induced in the secondary of
the oscillation transformer, which flow to the rods D,
connection beig made from the other terminal to the pipes as
shown at I.

The heating coils are connected to the current supply through
an adjustable resistance not shown in the drawing.

![](cherry1.jpg)

![](cherry2.jpg)

---



**US PATENTS**

**Art of Treating Hydrocarbons**   
**US 1856828**   
**1932-05-03  
[ [PDF](US1856828A.pdf) ]**

![](1856-1.jpg)

---

**Plant for the Treatment of Hydrocarbons**   
**US 1779356**   
**1930-10-21****[ [PDF](US1779356A.pdf) ]**

![](1779-1.jpg)

---

**Art of Treating Hydrocarbons and Oils**   
**US 1588308**   
**1926-06-08****[ [PDF](US1588308A.pdf) ]**

![](1588-1-4.jpg)

![](1588-235.jpg)

---

**Electrical Apparatus for the Electrochemical Treatment of
Liquid Hydrocarbon and other Compounds**   
**US 1327023**   
**1920-01-06****[ [PDF](US1327023A.pdf) ]**

![](1327-1.jpg)

![](1327-2.jpg)

![](1327-3.jpg)

---



**FOREIGN PATENTS**

**Procede pour la fabrication de gazoline au moyen de petrole
et appareil pour sa mise en oeuvre**   
**CH 79656**   
**1919-01-02**

**Improvements in and relating to the Treatment of
Hydrocarbons for the Production of other Hydrocarbons of
Different Specific Gravity and Boiling Point.**   
**GB 104330**   
**1917-08-30**

**Hydrocarbon Processing**   
**CA 270534**   
**1927-05-10**

**Oil Electrochemical Treatment**   
**CA 263578**   
**1926-08-17**

**Plant for the Electrochemical Treatment of Hydrocarbons**
  
**CA 252483**   
**1925-08-11**

**Electrical Apparatus for the Elctrochemcial Treatment fo
Vapours**   
**CA 216334**   
**1922-03-07**

**Apparatus for Forcing or Pumping Liquids**   
**CA 198181**   
**1920-03-16**

**Elektrisk Apparat til Elektrokemisk Behandling af Damp.**
  
**DK 29861C**   
**1922-07-03**

**Installation pour le Traitement Electro-chimique de Fluides
Gazeux**   
**CH 100474**   
**1923-08-01**

**Satt och apparat for elektrokemisk behandling av kolvaten**
  
**FI 9840**   
**1923-10-05**

**Forfaringssatt for syntetisk framstallning av
kolvateforeningar**   
**FI 6662**   
**1917-05-31**

**Appareil electrique pour le traitement electro-chimique des
vapeurs et des gaz**   
**FR 524480**   
**1921-09-03**

**Fremgangsmaade til Fremstilling af Kulbrinteforbindelser.**
  
**DK 22676C**   
**1917-12-17**

---