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Sulfur, oil and gas by-product information webpage

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Re: Sulfur, oil and gas by-product information webpage

Unread postby rockdoc123 » Mon 15 May 2017, 09:32:54

The sulphur story in Western Canada is an interesting case of supply and demand. I remember somewhere back in the eighties where we were purposefully looking for high sulphur natural gas due to what was perceived as a world shortage of sulphur mainly used in fertilizer. Certain parts of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin have very high sulphur content in Devonian through Mississippian carbonate reservoirs. Caroline the field that Shell discovered and Rockman mentioned has H2S content as high as 30% if my memory serves. There were a few discoveries in the foothills (eg. Panther River) with extremely high H2S content (up to 70%) and there are anecdotal accounts of solid pieces of sulphur coming up the drill pipe during testing. Needless to say the oil and gas companies were quite successful in finding large amounts of sulphur rich gas and then sulphur prices collapsed due to over supply. I remember flying over various gas plants in the Foothills area back then and being amazed at the size of the sulphur blocks being built (basically the high sulphur gas once found keeps producing and you need to do something with the sulphur). Getting the sulphur to market back then was done exclusively by rail and it wouldn't be unusual to watch a very, very long train pass by with nothing but cars filled with sulphur. Piping it certainly makes sense but given similar experience with waxy crudes where a dual pipe system was employed to heat the oil I wonder at the high maintenance required and the risk for failure.
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Re: Sulfur, oil and gas by-product information webpage

Unread postby ROCKMAN » Mon 15 May 2017, 09:50:03

Doc - Similar memories. In that same time frame I had to drill a replacement well for Mobil Oil in a very sour Smackover field in Mississippi. Two vivid recollections. First, the sulfur revenue from the field was higher then the NG sales. Second, waking up at 2 am to the poison gas alarm, trying to see the wind socks in the dark so I knew which way to run and then deciding getting away from the rig as fast as possible was more important then figuring out where upwind was. LOL. Turned out to be a false alarm: rig bumped the mud logger trailer and set the alarm off.

But made for a good story when I got back to Nawlins.
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Re: Sulfur, oil and gas by-product information webpage

Unread postby Subjectivist » Mon 15 May 2017, 15:10:08

But what kind of pipe do they use that doesn't corrode away to useless in a hort time frame?
II Chronicles 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
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