The Shukhov cracking process is a
thermal cracking
In petrochemistry, petroleum geology and organic chemistry, cracking is the process whereby complex organic molecules such as kerogens or long-chain hydrocarbons are broken down into simpler molecules such as light hydrocarbons, by the breaking of ...
process invented by
Vladimir Shukhov
Vladimir Grigoryevich Shukhov (russian: link=no, Влади́мир Григо́рьевич Шу́хов; – 2 February 1939) was a Russian Empire and Soviet engineer-polymath, scientist and architect renowned for his pioneering works on new ...
and Sergei Gavrilov. Shukhov designed and built the first thermal
cracking device for the
petrochemical industry
The petrochemical industry is concerned with the production and trade of petrochemicals. A major part is constituted by the plastics (polymer) industry. It directly interfaces with the petroleum industry, especially the downstream sector.
Comp ...
. His patent (Shukhov cracking process – patent of
Russian empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
No. 12926 from November 27, 1891) on cracking was used to invalidate
Standard Oil
Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...
's patents (
Burton process The Burton process is a thermal cracking process invented by William Merriam Burton and Robert E. Humphreys, each of whom held a PhD in chemistry from Johns Hopkins University. The process they developed is often called the Burton process. More fai ...
– Patent of United States No. 1,049,667 on January 7, 1913) on
oil refineries
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, liquefie ...
. In 1937 the Shukhov cracking process was superseded by
catalytic cracking. It is still in use today to produce
diesel
Diesel may refer to:
* Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression
* Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines
* Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...
.
See also
*
Cracking (chemistry)
In petrochemistry, petroleum geology and organic chemistry, cracking is the process whereby complex organic molecules such as kerogens or long-chain hydrocarbons are broken down into simpler molecules such as light hydrocarbons, by the breaking o ...
*
Timeline of historic inventions
The timeline of historic inventions is a chronological list of particularly important or significant technological inventions and their inventors, where known.
Paleolithic
The dates listed in this section refer to the earliest evidence of an i ...
*
Burton process The Burton process is a thermal cracking process invented by William Merriam Burton and Robert E. Humphreys, each of whom held a PhD in chemistry from Johns Hopkins University. The process they developed is often called the Burton process. More fai ...
References
Information on cracking in oil refining* "Vladimir G. Suchov 1853-1939. Die Kunst der sparsamen Konstruktion.",
und andere, 192 S., Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart, 1990, .
Chemical processes
Oil refining
Vladimir Shukhov
History of the petroleum industry
Russian inventions
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