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Frozen wind turbines aren't the problem. https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/16/texas-wind-turbines-frozen/ https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/16/texas-wind-
by t0mbstone 6y ago
Frozen wind turbines aren't the problem.
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/16/texas-wind-turbines-frozen/ https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/16/texas-wind-turbines-...
- landemva 6y agoNatural gas doesnt really freeze, so something else is going on here. Misleading text in linked article: "We didn’t run out of natural gas, but we ran out of the ability to get natural gas. Pipelines in Texas don’t use cold insulation – so things were freezing."
- zamadatix 6y agohttps://www.genscape.com/blog/record-freeze-offs-result-widespread-winter-weather https://www.genscape.com/blog/record-freeze-offs-result-wide... It's not the natural gas itself that's freezing and the article never claimed it was. Things aren't misleading just because you didn't know about it - that's the point of articles in the first place.
- woeirua 6y agoNatural gas doesn't freeze, but the pipelines that supply the gas have valves and other control components that can and do freeze during severe weather. Also, the wells supplying the natural gas can suffer temporary shut-ins due to the commingled water freezing and effectively shutting in the well. That drops overall supply. Natural gas wells and pipelines in other parts of the country are designed to handle extreme weather so they don't have these problems. This is entirely a problem caused by Texas' unwillingness to regulate that wells, supply lines, and generators be able to handle extreme cold.
- pixl97 6y agoNatural gas right out of the well does freeze, and the dewatering systems freeze. Been out on a site trying to get one working in 10F weather a number of years ago.
- fulafel 6y agoYep, LNG boiling point is around -160C so Texas weather would still have to cool a fair bit before you even get to the previous phase change that comes before solid form.