Interesting People mailing list archives
Brand A vs. Brand B (was: "more on -- Price of Gasoline")
From: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2003 19:52:07 -0400
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2003 15:32:27 -0700 From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com> Subject: Re: Brand A vs. Brand B (was: "more on -- Price of Gasoline") To: dave () farber net > >Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2003 14:23:38 -0700 > >From: Rodney Joffe <rjoffe () centergate com> > >... > >If all the gasoline comes in via the two pipelines, and there are no > >local refineries, how can there be any qualitative difference between > >the various gasoline brands (unless they use "time slices" or "flow > >slices" in the pipeline). This is actually a very interesting topic. By and large, the pipeline system treats any given class of petro product as utterly fungible. A company can pump in a given amount at one location, and pump out another amount at a different location at the same time. At the pipeline level, for example, all 89 octane unleaded is usually considered to be the same stuff. Different *classes* of product (e.g. different octanes, different basic products, etc.) usually go via time slice, with the material that "mixes" between the main flows used by industries who aren't particularly picky. Once the basic gasoline gets to a terminal, the "identity" of the product is established by mixing in the various additives at that point. Then the trucks fill up and off they go. Of course, there is considerable argument about whether the additive mix of brand A vs. brand B gasoline really makes any difference, but in any case this is pretty much how it works. --Lauren-- Lauren Weinstein lauren () pfir org or lauren () vortex com or lauren () privacyforum org http://www.pfir.org/lauren Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 Co-Founder, PFIR - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org Co-Founder, Fact Squad - http://www.factsquad.org Co-Founder, URIICA - Union for Representative International Internet Cooperation and Analysis - http://www.uriica.org Moderator, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
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- Brand A vs. Brand B (was: "more on -- Price of Gasoline") Dave Farber (Aug 25)