Posted on 01/02/2014 4:28:41 PM PST by rickmichaels
A top transportation safety regulator warned on Thursday that the type of crude oil that exploded rail cars in Lac-Mégantic, Que., last year is more flammable that other forms of oil and needs more careful treatment.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation, warned Thursday in a safety alert that "recent derailments and resulting fires indicate that the type of crude oil being transported from the Bakken region may be more flammable than traditional heavy crude oil."
(Excerpt) Read more at cbc.ca ...
MASTERS IN Harmonic Motion
I like that... head gas....
Flammable means inflammable? What a country!
Due to a lack of tankers to transport unrefined crude from the East Indies to refineries in Japan, the Japanese Navy towards the end of the Pacific War put the stuff straight into their ships. It worked, but the crude was extremely volatile and some ships were lost from catastrophic explosions when fuel tanks were damaged and leaked vapors.
more flammable than traditional heavy crude oil
Bakken Crude is not a heavy oil. It is a light oil, with more light, easier to ignite components. Essentially all lighter oils are more flammable than heavy oils.
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Bakken crude oil gravity ranges from 36 to 44 degrees API.
http://www.ndoil.org/?id=78&offset=5&advancedmode=1&category=Bakken%20Basics
The quality of this oil is excellent, almost identical to WTI. The benchmark crude oil is West Texas Intermediate, which is 40 degrees API sweet crude. It is the benchmark because it requires the least amount of processing in a modern refinery to make the most valuable products, unleaded gasoline and diesel fuel.
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If the crude has a lower flashpoint than "normal", that would lead me to believe that the oil is rich in lighter more volatile fractions. That means it will be a great feed stock for fuel plant. Sounds like good stuff, but treat it with respect.
I figure if you hit anything with a train it is gonna explode!
Does this mean its a higher rade crude oil with better yields?
Is this a little like what they haul around the city in tanker trucks?
“Is this a little like what they haul around the city in tanker trucks?”
No that is far more volatile.
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