Idle Rambling: Natural Gas Production/Flaring/Processing -- Iran Vs North Dakota -- April 24, 2016

Disclaimer: there may be some major factual errors on this page. I do not understand natural gas. If this is important to you, the links are there. 

See this post for background.

I've never "understood" natural gas but after almost ten years of blogging, I feel a bit more comfortable with natural gas.

But when I read that North Dakota set an all-time record for natural gas production (for the state), I did not have feel for 48 million m³/d (1.69 Bcf/d).

This puts it in perspective, from an article in January, 2016, just a couple of months ago, talking to Iran's natural gas production:

The country's total gas production in the year to March 2015 stood at about 553mn m³/d, of which 93mn m³/d were re-injected to oil fields and 37mn m³/d delivered to petrochemical plants.

So, in bullets, for Iran's natural gas production, in round numbers:

• total natural gas production: 550 million m³/d
• natural gas re-injected into its oil fields: 100 million m³/d
• 40 million m³/d delivered to petrochemical plants

Iran delivered about 40 million m³/d of natural gas to its petrochemical plants.

North Dakota is producing about 50 million m³/d of natural gas. 50 x 0.89 = 44 million m³/d being processed.

At least that's what I'm reading. Again, I may be missing something.

MDU has sold off its Fidelity division.

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For The Archives

Saudi To Expand Existing Oil Field

I'm not sure what to make of this. For now, simply for the archives. From Bloomberg:

Saudi Arabian Oil Co. will complete the expansion of its Shaybah oilfield by the end of May, allowing the biggest crude exporter in the world to maintain the level of its total production capacity.

Shaybah’s production capacity will rise to 1 million barrels a day from 750,000 barrels. The field, in the Empty Quarter desert near the border with the United Arab Emirates, produces extra light grade crude with API gravity of 42 degrees, they said.

Shaybah’s expansion will help Saudi Aramco, as the state producer is known, to keep the company’s output capacity at 12 million barrels a day.

This would suggest that existing fields are being depleted.

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US Troops To Syria To Take On The JV Team

Understanding how much President Obama did NOT want to send more troops to Syria, especially as his time in office is coming to an end, this story speaks volumes how badly things must be going. It is being reported everywhere (this link to FoxNews) that the president will send 250 more troops to Syria. This increases the number to 300. Many, many story lines here, not least of what the meager amount of troops suggests.

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The Literature Page

Wow, talk about a blind spot. In today's Dallas Morning News, there is a huge front page story in the "Points" section featuring Andrew Bacevich who will be at the Dallas Book Festival this next Saturday. Bacevich is the author of the new book America's Way for the Greater Middle East.

The "headline" to the story: "Why American fails to win wars." The answer: "Our military system is out of sync with military ambitions. Bacevich lays blame on the creation of an all-volunteer force."

Wow, talk about a blind spot.

If I remember correctly, the US "won" WWII, stalemated in Korea, and lost "big" in Vietnam. All before the all-volunteer force.

We toppled Saddam with shock and awe with an all-volunteer force.

And, no, I won't be buying (or reading) his new book.

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A Note to the Granddaughters

Yesterday afternoon/evening we had Sophia, granddaughter #3, age two this summer, over to the new apartment. As usual, she was good as gold, as they say.

We were reading in one of the bedrooms and had not heard a peep out of Sophia for quite some time (three minutes), so I thought it best to go check on her. The last time I saw her she was sweeping the kitchen using the broom and dustpan she had found by the refrigerator.

Just as I walked into the newly-painted dining room, I noted that Sophia had found the Christmas eggnog mugs where we keep about ten pencils, lots of pens, a pair of scissors, and other paraphernalia. From all those items, and the mug was crammed full of stuff, she managed to find the one black Sharpie. She had just gotten the top off and was about to write on a stack of Post-It notes.

It boggles the mind how a two-year-old can immediately spot a Sharpie among 53 other items which pretty much all look alike, crammed together in a small mug in a room full of other interesting items to explore.

But there you have it.