4 ms·

i wonder how this relates to the numbers behind the peak oil predictions? but, i agree completely that simply burning off excess is amazingly shortsighted and

i wonder how this relates to the numbers behind the peak oil predictions? but, i agree completely that simply burning off excess is amazingly shortsighted and stupid. they could use the natural gas to power their own operations, right there. or just the AC for the workers. have their fleet of vehicles run on it. it's the same with refineries, driving by you always see the large torches blazing. why not use this energy for something?

saryant 14y ago
Those flares are safety releases. Refineries would be extraordinarily dangerous without them.
- Retric 14y ago
  Not really, you can pipe the same gass to holding tanks. It's just not cost effective to do so.
  - saryant 14y ago
    I'm talking about the flares you see at oil refineries, not drilling sites. Those are pressure relief valves and are essential safety equipment. The flares you see on a day-to-day basis are just pilot flames which are always kept lit in the event a flare is required during an emergency such as an over-pressurization.
    - Retric 14y ago
      The pressure relief values are essential, what happens after that point is a separate issue. The advantage of Flares is there simple, cheap, can quickly deal with a lot of gas, and render the gas inert. Holding tanks on the other hand need a lot of piping, pumping equipment, and then some system to deal with whatever miscellaneous gas ends up in there. However, if C02 start being taxed expect to see far fewer flares.
wcoenen 14y ago
> i wonder how this relates to the numbers behind the peak oil predictions? +880K barrels/day of production is a significant up-tick in US oil production, but I bet it will end up looking like some fluctuation around the prediction line of Hubberts model[1]. Fracking shale rock 2 km below the surface is just another step towards an EROI of 1:1. The fact that it is considered economically viable now just means that the easier oil sources are gone; not exactly a good sign. [1] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/US_Crude_Oil_Production_versus_Hubbert_Curve.png/572px-US_Crude_Oil_Production_versus_Hubbert_Curve.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/US...

saryant 14y ago

Those flares are safety releases. Refineries would be extraordinarily dangerous without them.

Retric 14y ago
Not really, you can pipe the same gass to holding tanks. It's just not cost effective to do so.
- saryant 14y ago
  I'm talking about the flares you see at oil refineries, not drilling sites. Those are pressure relief valves and are essential safety equipment. The flares you see on a day-to-day basis are just pilot flames which are always kept lit in the event a flare is required during an emergency such as an over-pressurization.
  - Retric 14y ago
    The pressure relief values are essential, what happens after that point is a separate issue. The advantage of Flares is there simple, cheap, can quickly deal with a lot of gas, and render the gas inert. Holding tanks on the other hand need a lot of piping, pumping equipment, and then some system to deal with whatever miscellaneous gas ends up in there. However, if C02 start being taxed expect to see far fewer flares.

wcoenen 14y ago

> i wonder how this relates to the numbers behind the peak oil predictions? +880K barrels/day of production is a significant up-tick in US oil production, but I bet it will end up looking like some fluctuation around the prediction line of Hubberts model[1]. Fracking shale rock 2 km below the surface is just another step towards an EROI of 1:1. The fact that it is considered economically viable now just means that the easier oil sources are gone; not exactly a good sign. [1] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/US_Crude_Oil_Production_versus_Hubbert_Curve.png/572px-US_Crude_Oil_Production_versus_Hubbert_Curve.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/US...