Pennsylvania grade crude = superior base stock?

medic · Sep 2, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by novadude:

Having lived in Warren, PA for 6 years, I know all about Bradford. Lots of oil history in that region.

This opens us up to United refineries in Warren - I don't know much about this place except that it provides Gasoline to a large number of brand name stations - ie:Mobil/Exxon, Sun Oil Co (Sunoco), BP, Getty, and Kwik Fill to name a few. Sunoco has a additive added during loading of the tanker to supply the stations - I'm not sure about the rest.

Anyway - do you know if they produce lubricants? What kind? etc...

medic · Sep 2, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by pscholte:
Incredibly informative thread guys...thanks...maybe they will bring the REAL Kendall GT-1 back; I'm looking forward to what medic finds out.

I'm still working on it, but it seems to be a very hush hush situation when it comes to Brand Name oil produced in Braford. I have talked to two people that may know, but they claim total ignorance other than what the web site has already told us. I doubt I'll ever find out if Brad Penn 5w30 & Kendall 5w30 comes from the same tank. It wouldn't be good business to let that info become public knowledge. I'm still trying to find otu if they are producing Kendall oil or not.

novadude · Sep 2, 2003

I know that National Refining produces "Kwik Fill" gas, "Getty" gas, and gas for the convenience store chain "Sheetz". I am not so sure about other brands of gasoline, or if any lubricant production is done at this plant.

I used to drive by the fuel racks almost daily, so I got to see alot of the trucks loading up. I cannot recall seeing other brands.

[ September 02, 2003, 08:24 PM: Message edited by: novadude ]

Rick in PA · Sep 2, 2003

I'm curious about who distributes Brad Penn motor oils. I noodled around their web site and did a quick Google search but found nothing.

Mystic · Sep 2, 2003

There were originally an estimated three billion barrels of oil in the Penn. oil fields. Approximately one billion barrels have been recovered. There are still two billion barrels in the ground, that cannot be recovered easily. Usually only about one third of the oil in a field can be recovered with normal drilling techniques. In order to get more oil out of the ground, water flooding, carbon dioxide injection, and chemical detergent injection is used. Oil in an oil field can be recovered more easily then oil shale, however. In Colorado, carbon dioxide from Little Sheep Mountain is shipped by pipe line to oil field areas. There are large oil field areas under active production in northeastern New Mexico, many wells on an Apache Indian Reservation.

Mining techniques have to be used to recover oil shale. There are at least 88 billion barrels of oil shale in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah oil shale areas, that could probably be recovered with mining techniques. Estimates about the total amount is somewhere in the area of 300 billion barrels.

The Penn. oil was considered to be of unusual quality.

medic · Sep 2, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by G-Man II:
If you dig around on the site, you'll note that they say the last time actual Pennsylvania crude (not "Pennsylvania Grade Crude") was refined at the Bradford refinery was in 1969.

Is you read what is there, they still use "100% pure Pennsylvania Grade Crude Oil". They used local crude oil from the Bradford area until 1969. Bradford is a small city of about 15,000 or less people. This covers a very small area about 2 miles south of the western New York / Penn line.

novadude · Sep 2, 2003

Having lived in Warren, PA for 6 years, I know all about Bradford. Lots of oil history in that region.

QuadDriver · Sep 2, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by novadude:
I know that National Refining produces "Kwik Fill" gas, "Getty" gas, and gas for the convenience store chain "Sheetz". I am not so sure about other brands of gasoline, or if any lubricant production is done at this plant.

I used to drive by the fuel racks almost daily, so I got to see alot of the trucks loading up. I cannot recall seeing other brands.

sheetz gas is exclusively obtained from these refineries in and around bradford and trucked exclusively by cli transport to every sheetz store. which ticks me off when I pay pump prices that I do - the do not have to buy oil on the open market.

the penn wells are still producing, but the well fields and the refineries are too small of capacity to handle todays volume needs. most of my neighbors have operating gas/oil wells on the property that pay to pump with 110v pumps at $12-13/bbl. I have a gas well on my property but dont own the mineral rights (in fact the land came from the gas company - north penn) but do get reduced rate gas. the old pennzoil refineries in oil city now just make wax and chemicals, the qs refineries are gone. wolfs head still has a local presence, but I think its owned somehow by dutch royal shell/penn/qs = however i get its products for a song.

pscholte · Sep 3, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by QuadDriver:
i get its products for a song.

Let me guess, In-A-Gadda-Da Vida?

Narcoleptic · Sep 3, 2003

Quaker State moved from Oil City, PA to Irving, TX (after 93 years). Last I heard, they were using oil from Louisiana, which is part of the reason they moved down here.

I saw Kendall GT-1 oil at Auto Zone in Decatur, TX last week.

pscholte · Sep 3, 2003

Narcoleptic,

Since I was an "original GT-1" user I'd be tempted if I saw it on the shelf, but it is not the unique oil it used to be (unique as in separate formulation from their other lines). I notice that Kendall has a contract with Firestone to provide the oil for Firestone's oil change service.

[ September 03, 2003, 05:12 PM: Message edited by: pscholte ]

GROUCHO MARX · Sep 3, 2003

quad,

you're right about Wolf's Head being a part of the Pennsoil family.

medic · Sep 5, 2003

Okay, new info for people interested. The Refinery in Bradford recieves crude oil via railroad from an undisclosed source.

United refineries in Warren, PA recieves crude via a pipeline running from Canada to West Seneca, NY (just south of Buffalo) where it is stored in holding tanks - visible from the Seneca St. exit on Rt NYS Rt. 400 - and then to Warren via pipe line. However, this only accounts for a small amount of their crude - the majority comes from overseas wells (middle east).

Sorry, still no word on Name Brands of motor oil produced in Bradford.

pscholte · Sep 5, 2003

This is better than reading a mystery novel.

medic · Sep 5, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by pscholte:
This is better than reading a mystery novel.

I think the mystery will remain. I have hit mostly dead ends in searching for information from the Bradford refinery. I may buy a quart of BradPenn oil eventually & send in a sample but other than that I'm done. People are starting to think I'm nuts asking all these questions about where the oil comes from, what brands is it turned into, etc....

Even some of these people have some motor oil knowledge, but they think I've completely nuts. I guess they just don't understand this oil obsession thing. Maybe Bob should start a support group for some of us with oil obsessions.

"Hi, my name is Mike & I have a problem with oil obsession. I also see Marshmallow Men Dancing on a regular basis".

radioman · Apr 20, 2004

Did anyone ever find out where to buy Brad Penn? Absent the obvious Bradford/NY area.

thanks

G-MAN · Apr 20, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
Did anyone ever find out where to buy Brad Penn? Absent the obvious Bradford/NY area.

thanks

I emailed the company and never got a response.

JohnnyG · Apr 20, 2004

The mystery gets better. United refining used to be a part or at least in partnership with Ashland Oil and Refining Company, with a main refinery at Freedom PA. I would venture to say that in those days 40's - 50's & 60's just as much Pensylvania Crude went into the production of Valvoline Oil as it did Quaker State. As for the gasoline that Sheetz sells...Sheetz uses their marketing clout to get the best volume deal on any gas available at a 3 - 4 cent discount, sort of like a Sam's Club of gas stations. There is just as much a likelyhood that the gas they sell was refined in Venezuela, as anywhere. Hence the same price increases always apply. And just to make it convenient, the finished product line from NJ/NY harbor runs right through the middle of Pennsylvania...bring on the imports!

novadude · Apr 21, 2004

quote:

United refineries in Warren, PA recieves crude via a pipeline running from Canada to West Seneca, NY (just south of Buffalo) where it is stored in holding tanks - visible from the Seneca St. exit on Rt NYS Rt. 400 - and then to Warren via pipe line. However, this only accounts for a small amount of their crude - the majority comes from overseas wells (middle east).

That is very interesting. I assume the overseas crude arrives via pipeline? I lived 1/4 mile from this place from 1995-2001, and I always wondered where the raw supply came from.

RE: Sheetz. I used to see a lot of Sheetz trucks loading at the racks at the United refinery in Warren, PA. I have also made an observation: The Sheetz Premium gasoline here in Central PA is rated at 92 octane. All the stuff in Western PA is 93 octane. I wonder if the stations carrting 92 octane Sheetz gas are getting it via pipeline from NJ/NY, and the stations carrying 93 octane stuff have it trucked in from Warren, PA?? You'd think Sheetz owned that Warren refinery for all the red trucks that would come and go from that place everyday.

I'd really love to know a lot more about the oil industry in my "homeland" (Western PA). Someone oughta write a book!

JohnnyG · Apr 21, 2004

I could write a book, but I won't. Some things are best left to the imagination. For example, you've all heard of re-refined motor oil, how many of you know that the same thing can be done to gasoline/diesel fuel? As far as crude oil for the refineries up in PA, I don't know of any crude lines coming from anywhere...possibly imports from NY Harbor, or something from the Great Lakes/Canada. But as for finished product lines, let's see..Buckeye might be a good name for one...

Pennsylvania grade crude = superior base stock?

Similar threads