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NELSON-FARRAR QUARTERLY COSTIMATING HOW NELSON-FARRAR INDEXES HAVE CHANGED

Jan. 6, 1992

Gerald L. Farrar Contributing Editor The costs of three important chemicals used in crude-oil refining changed very little during the period, 1987-1990, while the costs of two others cycled significantly. The three stable chemicals were hydrofluoric acid, with Nelson-Farrar index of 407.5; sulfuric acid, with index almost constant at 363.3; and sodium Sodium carbonate varied from 342.1 in the first quarter of 1987, to 418.2 in the last quarter of 1990, or a gain of 76.1 index points during the

Gerald L. Farrar
Contributing Editor

The costs of three important chemicals used in crude-oil refining changed very little during the period, 1987-1990, while the costs of two others cycled significantly.

The three stable chemicals were hydrofluoric acid, with Nelson-Farrar index of 407.5; sulfuric acid, with index almost constant at 363.3; and sodium

Sodium carbonate varied from 342.1 in the first quarter of 1987, to 418.2 in the last quarter of 1990, or a gain of 76.1 index points during the period.

The two chemicals with varying costs are platinum and sodium hydroxide. Over the 1987-1990 time span, platinum showed a minimum index value of 410.4 and a maximum index of 618.0. During this same period, the sodium hydroxide index varied from a minimum of 292.9 to a maximum of 666.2.

The Nelson-Farrar overall inorganic chemical index showed a small steady increase throughout the period, varying from 379.7 in the first quarter of 1987 to 455.2 in the last quarter of 1990.