Brita Åsbrink-arkiv - Sida 2 av 5

The Nobel brothers revolutionise Russian oil management

The Nobel brothers revolutionise Russian oil management

When Robert Nobel realised the possibilities of oil extraction in Baku on the Caspian Sea, oil management was very primitive. The oil was scooped out of the wells by hand and transported in wooden barrels on carts pulled by donkeys. The Nobel brothers started to build pumps, pipelines, depots and railway tracks. Ludvig Nobel himself constructed the world's first modern tanker. The effect of this was a total industrial transformation of the oil industry.

Nobel spies on his competitor, Rockefeller

Nobel spies on his competitor, Rockefeller

When Robert Nobel realised the possibilities of oil extraction in Baku on the Caspian Sea, oil management was very primitive. The oil was scooped out of the wells by hand and transported in wooden barrels on carts pulled by donkeys. So, in 1879, Robert Nobel sends his colleague, Törnqvist, to the USA to obtain information about modern pipelaying at his competitor, Rockefeller's, plants in Pennsylvania.

Ludvig Nobel builds the world’s first modern tanker

Ludvig Nobel builds the world’s first modern tanker

The transport of oil on the waterways from Baku to the market in Europe required fresh ideas. With his experiences of building tankers for the Russian navy, Ludvig Nobel became the first person to design and order a tanker built of steel. In 1877, an order was placed at Motala works' shipyards in Norrköping. The vessel was named Zoroaster, after the Iranian philosopher, Zarathustra, whose theses were very popular among Europeans of the time.

By tanker, barge and railway wagon to customers

By tanker, barge and railway wagon to customers

It is one thing to bring oil to the surface, and quite another to transport it to customers. Around 1880, the Branobel company had to create its own transport system from Baku on the southern border of the Russian Empire. The town of Tsaritsyn, later renamed Stalingrad, became an important hub in the distribution network.

The engineering works and the oil company

The engineering works and the oil company

In 1876, a new phase begins in the history of the Nobel engineering works once Ludvig and his eldest son, Emanuel, had visited their brother Robert Nobel in Baku. After this, a lot of the manufacturing in the engineering works in St Petersburg is adapted to the great need for development of the Nobels' oil industry in Baku.

The War over the oil market

The War over the oil market

In the middle of the 1880s, the battle for power over the world's oil markets between first and foremost, Branobel, the American Standard Oil and the French family the Rothschilds' company, BNITO, gets tougher. Agreements and treachery, bribes, industrial espionage, price wars, gossip and slander – every means available was used in the war over the oil market.

Harvest times for the Nobel brothers’ oil adventure

Harvest times for the Nobel brothers’ oil adventure

At the turn of the 20th century, Branobel is stronger and more successful than ever and the company is producing ten percent of the world's oil in Baku and its surroundings. Emanuel Nobel buys his uncle, Alfred's, shares in the company and the money goes into the newly-formed Nobel Foundation. In 1901, the first Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm and Oslo.

Developing the Diesel engine

Developing the Diesel engine

Visiting German engineering exhibitions, a Swedish employee of the Nobel Company in Russia, Anton Carlsund, saw an early version of the engine that Rudolf Diesel had invented. Via Carlsund, Nobel owned companies in Russia and Sweden took an active part in refining the diesel engine into a practically functioning power source.

M/s Vandal – a historical ship

M/s Vandal – a historical ship

The running of ships by steam engines was expensive. If it were possible to use diesel engines, a shipping company could save about 60, possibly 80 per cent. However, a diesel engine was heavy and a ship must be able to manoeuver: to stop, reverse and immediately start again. Wilhelm Hagelin got support from Emanuel Nobel, advising that they should try it.

The diesel engine – a leap forward in fuel economy

The diesel engine – a leap forward in fuel economy

The methods to produce mechanical power were rapidly developed in the late 19th century. The steam engine had dominated the market, but different types of combustion engines were now made available as stationary or mobile power sources. One of the developers was the German engineer Rudolf Diesel.