There’s always a risk when you take a new approach to doing or making something that your expectations won’t pan out — that something you hadn’t figured on happens and messes things up. But oh, the satisfaction that comes when the stars align exactly as you foresaw. The folks who developed Project Traveler, a recently completed Houston-area plant that produces high-value, octane-boosting alkylate from ethylene, isobutane and other widely available and low-cost feedstocks, know that good feeling, as we discuss in today’s RBN blog on the project’s economics.
We first mentioned Next Wave Energy Partners’ ethylene-to-alkylate project in Pasadena, TX, (see photo below) four years ago, in Drive My Car. As we said then, gasoline is a blend of many hydrocarbon components that in combination meet certain specifications and it’s up to refineries and gasoline blenders to come up with their own gasoline recipes that satisfy the requirements of specs like Reid vapor pressure (RVP), octane, and sulfur content. And, as you’re reminded with each visit to the pump, there are at least three octane-based grades of gasoline, the standard ones being 87 (regular), 91 (intermediate) and 93 (premium).
High octane, low RVP and low sulfur content are three of the most desirable qualities that refineries and gasoline blenders seek in their blendstocks, and alkylate — typically produced as part of the crude oil refining process — has perhaps the best combo of the three of any major gasoline component: octane of 90 to 95, RVP of 4 to 5 pounds per square inch at atmospheric pressure (psia), and sulfur content of only 5 to 15 parts per million (ppm). (The octane number indicates how much a fuel can be compressed before it self-ignites, which causes “knocking” — the closer to 100 the better — while the RVP measures how easily a fuel vaporizes — the lower the better.)
Next Wave’s Project Traveler in Pasadena, TX. Source: Next Wave
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About the song
“Traveller” was written by Chris Stapleton and appears as the first song on Chris Stapleton’s debut album of the same name. Released as the first single off the album, it went to #17 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and #87 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. It has been certified 2x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song won Best Country Solo Performance at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. Personnel on the record were: Chris Stapleton (lead vocals, guitars, mandolin), Dave Cobb (acoustic guitar), J.T. Cure (bass), Derek Mixon (drums, percussion), Morgane Stapleton (backing vocals), Robby Turner (pedal steel guitar), and Michael Webb (keyboards).
The album, Traveller, was recorded in early 2015 at RCA Studio A and Blackbird Studios in Nashville and produced by Dave Cobb and Chris Stapleton. Released in May 2015, it went to #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums and Top Country Albums charts. It won Album of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards, Best Country Album at the Grammy Awards, Album of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards, and Top Country Album at the Billboard Music Awards. It has been certified 6x platinum by the RIAA. Three singles were released from the LP.
Chris Stapleton is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He has written or co-written over 170 recorded songs. He attended college at Vanderbilt in Nashville and dropped out after a year when he signed a publishing deal with Sea Gayle Music in 2001. He has released five studio albums, one EP, and 21 singles. He has won 10 ACM Awards, 14 CMA Awards, and eight Grammy Awards. He continues to record and started a new U.S. tour in early March.
