How One Refinery Is Handling
Its Waste Treatment Problem
R. D. Umbach, Chief Chemist
Phillips Petroleum Company
Okmulgee, Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Oil Refiners are making notable progress in the
improvement of the quality of their waste water. Over the past few
years it has been observed that various refineries are approaching their
waste water disposal by different methods and by variations of these
methods. There is a great deal of know-how yet to be learned in
the field of refinery waste water treatment. This discussion will, therefore, be a progress report on what the Phillips Petroleum Company
is doing at its Okmulgee Refinery in the way of improving the refinery
waste water.
Phillips began its operation of the refinery on the banks of Okmulgee
Creek just north of the city of Okmulgee, Oklahoma some 30 years
ago. Waste water has been a problem since the beginning of this
operation. Okmulgee Creek is normally dry above the refinery except
in the wet season. It follows, then, that water normally flowing in
the creek below the refinery is from the refinery or other city industry.
The creek winds its way through the city and finally runs into the
Deep Fork River some five miles down stream from the refinery.
The refinery is located in a U-bend of the creek and is, therefore,
bound on three sides by the creek. In the thirties Phillips recognized
the need of keeping its waste water as clean as possible. Conseqeuntly,
five oil traps were built to skim any oil from the waste water. Modifications of some of these traps are still in operation. Those were the
days of the Crude Stills, Dubbs and Lubricating Oil operations.
Caustics and clays and acid sludges were ponded, process waters were
put through the separators.
Then came the war years. Emphasis was placed on production and
all manpower available was used for this purpose. About this same
time, the catalytic cracker made an appearance in the refining industry.
Process waters took a drastic change and the newer contaminants were
no longer subject to satisfactory collection by oil water separators.
However, our own catalytic cracker was placed in operation in  1952
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