Some couldn't even manage to file the winterization report by the deadline. A sure sign that at least some risks likely remain. Keep your eye on those deadbeats.
We talked to our son in Houston tonight and while they're OK at the moment, it was already 27˚ and they were expecting it to go down to 24˚ before morning and they were expecting the wind chill to go even lower.
I think that we just got lucky. There was an incident in January of this year where a bunch of wells froze and it hadn't even gotten that cold. I don't know. Governor numb nuts said in a conference that the gas producers could inject menthonol I believe to prevent water from freezing. Maybe, they did that. If we could have some load shed without anyone dying, I almost would be for that to potentially get rid of our bought off governor. Our governor is so bad.
If anyone wants an idea of how corrupt Texas's state government is, read up on our attorney general Ken Paxton. The man basically just blocks any investigation into himself because he is the attorney general. Gov. Abbott nor any other republican stands up against this blatant corruption.
There is such a simple way to enforce this, impose a surtax on non-winterized facilities.
They don't have to do it, they are not kept out of the market, they just make less money.
This isn't market distortion; it is trying to compensate for these actors bringing and inferior (unreliable) product to market and claiming that is equivalent to all others.
This what the gas hydrates look like. Snow cones and slushies.
The gas molecules get caught up in water molecule cages.
Lots of onshore gathering systems are operating at around 100-200 psig, or less in an older field, typically with gas gravities near 0.65, so the danger zone is usually around about 40F. By the time the temp gets down to 32F, if the well heaters are not fired up, they're freezing solid.
During fire fighting school we had to practice against propane fires (California emissions rules). It was interesting that after the exercise was done the ground was covered in burning ice cubes.
Good stuff 1503-44, a lovely nasty photo. Ambient temp compounds with the temperature drop from pressure drop at valves and any other restrictions. Restarting up of wells and less-often-used facilities in crisis-avoidance mode, water in old lines etc, is all prime time for these conditions to exist.
![[ponder]](/data/assets/smilies/ponder.gif "[ponder] [ponder]")