UOP LLC, formerly known as Universal Oil Products, is a multi-national company developing and delivering technology to the petroleum refining, gas processing, petrochemical production, and major manufacturing industries.

The company's roots date back to 1914, when the revolutionary Dubbs thermal cracking process created the technological foundation for today's modern refining industry. In the ensuing decades, UOP engineers generated thousands of patents, leading to important advances in process technology, profitability consultation, and equipment design.^[1]

History[link]

UOP was founded in 1914 to exploit the market potential of patents held by inventors Jesse A. Dubbs and his son, Carbon Petroleum (C. P.) Dubbs. Perhaps because he was born in Pennsylvania oil country, Jesse Dubbs was enamored with the oil business. He even named his son Carbon after one of the elemental constituents of oil. Later, Carbon added the P. to make his name "euphonious," he said. People started calling him "Petroleum" for fun, and the name stuck. C. P.'s son and grandson were also named Carbon, but each had a different middle initial.^[2]

When founded in 1914 it was a privately held firm known as the National Hydrocarbon Company. J. Ogden Armour provided initial seed money and kept the firm going the first years it lost money.^[3] Most of the losses were incurred during lengthy legal battles with petroleum firms that were using technology patented by Dubbs.

In 1919 the firm's name became Universal Oil Products.

By 1931 Petroleum firms saw a possible competitive advantage to owning UOP. A consortium of firms banded together to purchase the firm. These firms were Shell Oil Company, Standard Oil Company of California, Standard Oil Company of Indiana, Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, The Texas Company, and N. V. de Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij. This worried oil firms that were not part of the group and it helped prompt the Justice Department to begin an investigation of this arrangement as a possible violation of antitrust laws.

The oil firms placed the assets of UOP into a trust to support the American Chemical Society. In 1959 UOP went public and the income from that sale still provides monies to the American Chemical Society to administer grants to universities worldwide.^[2]

In August 1988 Union Carbide Corporation and Allied Signal Inc. formed a joint venture combining UOP Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Allied Signal and the Catalyst, Adsorbents and Process Systems (CAPS) business of Union Carbide.

In 2005, Honeywell took over 100% ownership when it bought the two halves owned by Union Carbide and Allied Signal. The reported payment to Union Carbide was $835 million which means the total acquisition cost was approximately $1.6 billion.^[4]

Riverside facility[link]

The UOP Riverside research and development laboratory was conceived in 1921 by Hiram J. Halle, the chief executive officer of Universal Oil Products (now simply UOP), as a focal point where the best and brightest scientists could create new products and provide scientific support for the oil refining industry. Between 1921 and 1955, Riverside research resulted in 8,790 U.S. and foreign patents and provided the foundation on which UOP built its success.^[2]

The company benefited immensely by the addition to its research staff of Professor Vladimir Ipatieff, famous Russian scientist known internationally for his work in high-pressure catalysis. His contribution in catalytic chemistry gave UOP a position of leadership in the development of catalysis as applied to petroleum processing, the first being catalytic polymerization. Vladimir Haensel, a student of Ipatieff’s, joined UOP and developed Platforming in the 1950s. This process used very small amounts of platinum as a catalyst for the high yield of high-octane gasoline from petroleum based feeds.^[5]

The Riverside facility was recognized as a National Historic Chemical Landmark by the American Chemical Society in 1995.^[2]

Products[link]

UOP products fall into two groupings, physical products that can be seen, and technology products that provide knowledge and design. Physical products tend to be items used within a refinery or petrochemical plant to help convert chemicals into a desired product. Technology products tend to be based upon the ability to convert one chemical into another, refine crude oil, and separate chemicals from each other. For example: One area of UOP's expertise is fluid catalytic cracking that breaks long chain hydrocarbons form crude oil into shorter compounds. UOP also makes the catalyst that is used in the process.

Technologies[link]

Adsorption separation technology[link]

Distillation is the most common way to separate chemicals with different boiling points. The greater the difference in boiling points, the easier it is to do. However, when boiling points are too similar, this isn't feasible. Adsorption separation might be possible. In adsorption separation, a mixture of chemicals flows past a porous solid called the adsorbent and some chemicals tend to "hang out" longer. A valid analogy is to imagine a busy street with people walking in the same direction past great places to eat. The hungriest people will tend to stop right away. The people that were pretty full will make it far down the street. Now imagine flooding the whole town with water and everyone runs out where you can collect them according to how hungry they were. In technical terms the liquid flush is called the desorbent.

This type of separation was first commonly used in the laboratory to separate small test samples. UOP pioneered a method of separating large volumes of chemicals. They call the counter-current embodiment of it the Sorbex family of processes.^[6] These are the major ones designed by UOP:

Parex: separation of para-xylene from mixed C8 aromatic isomers
MX Sorbex: meta-xylene from mixed C8 aromatic isomers
Molex: linear paraffins from branched and cyclic hydrocarbons
Olex: olefins from paraffins
Cresex: para-cresol or meta-cresol from other cresol isomers
Cymex: para-cymene or meta-cymene from other cymene isomers
Sarex: fructose from mixed sugars

Renewable fuels technology[link]

In 2008, UOP revealed its Ecofining process which takes vegetable oils, or lipids, and converts them into replacements for diesel and jet fuels. The resultant fuels from this refining process are indistinguishable from existing fossil-based petro-diesels and jet fuels.^[7]

Catalytic converter[link]

Most of UOP's work is not known to the general public since most applications are within refineries and petrochemical plants. However, one technology UOP helped developed is familiar to automobile owners. During the 1970s, UOP worked on pioneering a combination muffler catalytic converter. To help publicize their work they sponsored CanAm and Formula One teams. The race cars used were developed by Shadow Racing Cars. Many race fans were drawn to the team's innovative designs and underdog status.

See also[link]

• Catalytic reforming
• Penex

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site

Peter Revson

Born	(1939-02-27)February 27, 1939
Died	March 22, 1974(1974-03-22) (aged 35)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	American
Active years	1964, 1971 – 1974
Teams	non-works Lotus, Tyrrell, McLaren, Shadow
Races	33 (30 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	2
Podiums	8
Career points	61
Pole positions	1
Fastest laps	0
First race	1964 Monaco Grand Prix
First win	1973 British Grand Prix
Last win	1973 Canadian Grand Prix
Last race	1974 South African Grand Prix

Peter Jeffrey Revson (February 27, 1939 – March 22, 1974) was an American race car driver who had successes in Formula One and the Indianapolis 500.

Background[link]

Peter Revson was born in New York City, the son of Julie (née Phelps) and Martin Revson.^[1]

The nephew of Revlon Cosmetics industry magnate Charles Revson, he was an heir to his father Martin's fortune (reportedly worth over $1 billion). He was a young, handsome bachelor who was described as a "free spirit" that passed up an easy life for one of speed and danger. Off the track, he led his life at the same accelerated pace. Revson piloted a 32-foot (9.8 m) ChrisCraft and courted some of the most beautiful women in the world, including fashion model and 1973 Miss World, Marjorie Wallace. He had met Wallace at the Indianapolis 500; she was an Indianapolis native who was referred to as the "Hoosier Hotshot."

Racing career[link]

The McLaren Revson drove in the 1972 Indianapolis 500

Revson began racing in 1960 while at the University of Hawaii. He previously attended both Columbia University and Cornell University. Revson finished second in a local club event, driving a Plus Four Morgan. He proceeded in his racing career, becoming experienced in Formula cars, Trans-Am sedans, Can-Am Group 7 racers, GT's, and Indianapolis racers.

1963-1974 Formula, TransAm, Can-Am and Indianapolis[link]

In 1963 Revson raced professionally while barnstorming Europe, driving a Formula Junior which was towed behind a beaten up British bread van. ^[2] In 1968 he was part of the new Javelin racing program established by American Motors (AMC).^[3] At the first Trans-Am Series attempt, the 12 Hours of Sebring, Revson and Skip Scott drove to a 12th overall and took 5th in their class.^[4][5]

In the 1969 Indianapolis 500 Revson was the top rookie finisher, placing fifth in the event. He drove a Brabham-Repco which experienced carburetor problems. During a post-race election, he was selected as runner-up for rookie of the year. For the year Revson achieved seven top five finishes in the TransAm series, driving a Mustang (car).^[2]

In 1970 he teamed with Steve McQueen to place second in the 12 Hours of Sebring. The same year Revson drove with Mark Donohue in the Penske Racing AMC factory-team Javelins, in the SCCA Trans Am.^[4] He piloted an L&M Lola Cars special and became a top contender in the Can-Am racing series.^[2] Revson joined McLaren in 1971, becoming the first American to win the Can-Am Championship. That same season he finished second in the Indianapolis 500 after posting the fastest qualifying time.

He competed in the Indy 500 each year from 1969–1973. In 1972, Revson was named to the McLaren Formula One team. He remained with the team for two years, winning the 1973 British Grand Prix and the 1973 Canadian Grand Prix. He moved to Shadow in 1974. He is the last American born driver to win a Formula One race (Mario Andretti, who won in later years, is a naturalized American). His British Grand Prix victory made him the 50th World Championship Grand Prix winner.

Death[link]

During a practice run for the 1974 South African Grand Prix in Kyalami, he was killed as a result of suspension failure on his Shadow Ford DN3. He was the second Revson to lose his life racing; his brother Douglas was killed in a crash in Denmark in 1967. Peter and Douglas Revson are interred together in a crypt at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.

Revson was replaced by Tom Pryce, who died three years later at the same Grand Prix.

Awards[link]

He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1996 in the sports car category.^[4]

Racing record[link]

Complete World Championship Formula One results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Indy 500 results[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Peter Revson Photos
• Bruce McLaren Trust website with articles featuring Revson
• Peter Revson at Findagrave.com
• Video Tribute to Peter Revson