The costs of three important chemicals used in crude-oil refining changed very little during the period, 1998-2000, while the costs of two others varied significantly.
The three stable chemicals were sulfuric acid, with Nelson-Farrar index ending with 353.0; hydrofluoric acid, with an index constant of 414.9; and sodium hydroxide, with an index average of 529.6.
Platinum varied from 383.8 in the first quarter of 1998, to 584.6 in the last quarter of 2000. However, the average for the year 1998 was 366.8 while 556.7 was the average for 2000.
The chemical with dropping costs was sodium carbonate.
Over the 1998-2000 time span, sodium carbonate showed a maximum index value of 376.3 and a minimum index of 315.0.
The Nelson-Farrar overall inorganic chemical index showed a slight decrease throughout the period, varying from 483.8 in the first quarter of 1998 to 430.2 in the second quarter of 2000.
Click here to view Itemized refining cost indexes (1)
This survey is in PDF format and will open in a new window
Click here to view Itemized refining cost indexes (2)
This survey is in PDF format and will open in a new window
