44 The Lifeblood of the Nation

A new tower arose in Neverwinter. This was not an ordinary tower. It had no stairs, no rooms, no people. The purpose of this tower was not residential or commercial, but rather it was industrial. This tower was part of the first oil refinery in Neverwinter.

Roland watched as the new oil refinery began operation. Up until this point, oil had not been used much at all. Coal was the main fuel powering the industry of Neverwinter. However, some time in the development of a nation, that changes. Back on Earth, oil had become a critical resource that determined the survival of nations. Roland felt that the beginning of the production of oil was an important milestone for the nation.

Roland had plenty of access to crude oil ever since he had taken over the deserts in the south. He had vast quantities of oil sitting in barrels, but it had not been used. The reason is because only having crude oil wasn't very useful. At most it could be used for low quality incendiary weapons like the ones his sister Garcia had used. In order to be used for more advanced purposes, it would have to be refined.

The oil that comes out of the ground is a mixture of many different hydrocarbons. The different parts of the oil have different boiling points and different energy outputs. It becomes necessary to separate out the various parts of the crude oil into substances like gasoline and kerosene before using it. That is what the oil refinery is meant to do.

The process the refinery used was simple, the different components of oil had different boiling points. The oil was heated up until it evaporated. As it rose up the tower, it would cool down and condense. The substances with higher boiling points would condense near the bottom and the ones with lower boiling points would condense near the top. The condensed oil were collected at different points in the tower and put into different containers. There were many different kinds of oil, but at this point in time Roland didn't have uses for many of them. So, those parts were taken out and used to fuel the heaters which heated the oil in the distillation tower. That way, the oil wouldn't be wasted.

While it may seem simple, there were many other components are required into the oil refining process. The oil contains other impurities such as salts. These have to be removed, otherwise it could cause damage to the refinery or to engines when the oil is used. So, before the oil enters the refinery it is first put through the desalter. In there, water would be added to the oil and it would dilute the salt in the oil. Since water separates from oil, the water can be removed and the oil can be taken to the next stage, now with the salts taken out. Only then would it be sent into the heater and then up the tower.

The entire structure has to be carefully made. It must be sealed well or else the gaseous oil might escape through the cracks. There also has to be a degree of temperature control so that the temperature at each level remains somewhat consistent so that the correct types of hydrocarbons would condense at each level.

The construction of the refinery was not an easy task and it took many months before it was finally completed. Roland was glad to say that the design was not entirely his work. The various workers in the ministries of construction and industry put forth great work in designing many of the safety features and other equipment involved in the process. After their work in multiple industrial projects, they had become quite competent at their job and were able to apply their skills to the project. Many of the designs, from the heating of the oil to the separation to the storage of the final product was all done by them. It is clear that education was bringing benefits. Roland no longer had to personally design everything, now he could give a general direction and others could do the designing once they were inspired by him. Thanks to them, the project had gone very smoothly.

The completion of the oil refinery was a big step forward and Roland personally attended it. It was a development which would remain relevant for a long long time. It would open the gateways to all kinds of new devices and technologies. The creation of the oil refinery was a defining moment in Neverwinter's history.

Roland gazed over the new structure with a proud look on his face. Soon they would be able to build cars that would revolutionize transportation. Cars were present everywhere back on Earth. However, there was something even more ubiquitous than cars - plastic. Plastics are often made from crude oil. The organic molecules were put through chemical reactions to make long polymer chains. Plastics are durable and flexible. They are long lasting and have many uses. The production of plastics would revolutionize material science.

There were also military applications. For example, there would be new weaponry they could make such as fuel air explosives. Those bombs create massive blasts which could devastate structures. It would also cause the internal organs of living creatures to rupture. Back on Earth, the most powerful non-nuclear bomb was a fuel air explosive. Although, that particular bomb is something much beyond Roland's capability to make.

Roland now had the fuel to power tanks. Tanks would be a powerful addition to Roland's army which could lead the charge, now replacing the obsolete cavalry. They would break through enemy fortifications and shatter the enemy army. Medieval cavalry was known for being a huge drain on resources because of the vast amounts of food they consumed. Tanks would be the same, only now they would be guzzling vast amounts of oil.

Roland had been working on various tank designs. Now that he finally had oil, it was about time to start building one.