Second World War
As well as the Abadan Refinery, oil came from the Haifa oil refinery in Mandatory Palestine, a British-run territory, which was of great importance until Italy (Sicily) was invaded in July 1943, so allowing more exports from Iran again. There was also the Alwand refinery in Iraq. The Llandarcy Oil Refinery was bombed by the Luftwaffe on 10 July and 1 September in 1940, and 18 February 1941.
By July 1941 oil supplies from Iran were rapidly dwindling, so the BP head office required around 100,000 tonnes of crude oil, to be sourced from within England. Only around 25,000 tonnes was being found each year, from within England. By September 1942, Eakring in Nottinghamshire was producing the 100,000 tons, with a field at Caunton discovered in March 1943, with production from May, and another field at Nocton, in Kesteven, also discovered in 1943, with production from December. Onshore oil in the UK, in 1943, produced 115,000 tons.
From work at Sunbury, more aviation fuel could be made at Abadan from 1943, with a new patented process. From work by Merrell Fenske of Pennsylvania State University, known for the Fenske equation, Sunbury chemists developed superfractionation, for aviation fuel manufacture at Abadan, from 1943. Manufacture of 100-octane aviation fuel at Abadan went from around 70,000 tons in 1941 to over a million tons by 1945.
But it was the Baton Rouge Refinery, in Louisiana, owned by Standard Oil (Esso), that provided most high-octane aviation fuel (British Air Ministry 100 octane) for the RAF during the Battle of Britain, from July 1940. The fuel was developed at the Standard Oil Development Company in Linden, New Jersey and at the Esso Research Centre in England, by chemical engineers Bill Sweeney and Alexander Ogston, who was British. Rod Banks had made the first calculations of effect of the better fuel in the Merlin engine. The Luftwaffe Me 109 pilots such as Adolf Galland, who had 87-octane fuel, could not comprehend where such a sudden increase in power of the RAF fighter aircraft came from. 100-octane fuel allowed the Merlin engine to reach maximum horse-power on take-offs and climbs, giving the engine 30% more power, than previously possible. Additionally, the Spitfire could make the type of tight manoeuvres that would cause the Me 109 airframe to disintegrate, such as when pulling out of dives.
Staff were around 200 in 1939, but was much reduced until 1944. In 1943 an aero-engine test facility was built, with a Bristol Hercules engine. Until 1943, many head office staff had moved to the Sunbury site. Sunbury also developed the Fog Investigation and Dispersal Operation system for RAF airfields.
