XPost: can.politics, bc.politics, ab.politics   
   XPost: ont.politics, sk.politics   
   From: gregcarrsober@gmail.com   
      
   On 07/04/2014 6:21 PM, {~_~} Раиса wrote:   
   > Tell us this could never happen under the likes of the Harper government   
   > . . . . [ಠ益ಠ ]   
   > ______________________________________   
   >   
   > April 7, 2014 - The Globe and Mail   
   >   
   >   
   > Flawed tests play down crude oil's explosiveness   
   >   
   >   
   > There is suspicion that some shipments of Bakken crude may be more   
   > volatile than officials believed [Bakken crude: Montana, North Dakota,   
   > Saskatchewan and Manitoba]   
   >   
   > As Canada and the United States move to strengthen the rules for   
   > transporting crude oil by rail, there is mounting evidence that   
   > regulators are relying on tests that underestimate the risk of a fiery   
   > explosion like the one that destroyed Lac-Mégantic.   
   >   
   > The current testing regime was not designed for unrefined crude and, as   
   > a result, can play down the dangers of shipping some light crude oils,   
   > according to industry and transportation experts. A United Nations panel   
   > on hazardous materials shared similar concerns last week when it   
   > announced that it would review international standards for shipping   
   > crude oil, including how crude is tested and classified, in response to   
   > a string of recent accidents in North America.   
   >   
   > With the accuracy of the tests in question, there is suspicion that some   
   > shipments of Bakken crude may be more volatile than officials believed.   
   > It also raises the possibility that light crude oil drawn from other   
   > locations in North America is as potentially explosive as crude from the   
   > Bakken – but has not been receiving the same level of scrutiny.   
   >   
   > The devastating fire in Lac-Mégantic, Que. last July, began when a train   
   > carrying Bakken crude jumped the tracks and exploded in the centre of   
   > the small town, killing 47 people. A Globe and Mail investigation showed   
   > that oil from the Bakken formation, which straddles North Dakota,   
   > Saskatchewan and Manitoba, is more volatile and prone to exploding than   
   > conventional forms of crude.   
   >   
   > Crude oil with a high concentration of light ends – such as methane and   
   > propane – is "most at risk" of being mischaracterized in standard   
   > testing procedures, according to a recent report commissioned by   
   > Transport Canada. Those light ends are potentially dangerous because   
   > they can ignite and magnify the size of an explosion.   
   >   
   > The inaccuracies underscore how little is known about the risks of   
   > shipping crude oil by rail, a practice that has increased dramatically   
   > during the past five years and now accounts for an estimated 230,000   
   > barrels of oil a day in Canada. Oil is widely known to be flammable, but   
   > regulators did not believe until recently that it had the potential to   
   > explode and cause the kind of destruction it did in Lac-Mégantic.   
   >   
   > Flash point and boiling point tests, which are required for crude   
   > shipments in Canada and the U.S., both have difficulty measuring samples   
   > that contain significant concentrations of light ends, according to the   
   > report to Transport Canada. Another common test, known as the Reid   
   > Vapour Pressure test, has also been criticized for use on crude oil   
   > because it can allow light ends to easily vapourize at the time samples   
   > are collected from highly volatile crude.   
   >   
   > "When you try to apply [current tests] to samples that have light ends,   
   > they don't work as well," said Bob Falkiner, a director for the Canadian   
   > Crude Quality Technical Association who also works for Imperial Oil.   
   > "You get biased results reported from those test methods because of the   
   > lost light ends."   
   >   
   > A spokesperson for Transport Minister Lisa Raitt said the minister is   
   > aware of concerns about the crude-testing regime and Transport Canada is   
   > "looking at options" related to volatility tests. Speaking with The   
   > Globe after an event in Toronto last week, Ms. Raitt also welcomed the   
   > UN panel's decision to study crude shipments and testing.   
   >   
   > Producers in the Bakken are expected to stabilize crude oil before   
   > shipping it, in a process meant to remove many of the light ends from   
   > the rest of the product. Those light ends can be sold separately, but   
   > limited transportation infrastructure in the fast-growing Bakken area   
   > has led some producers to flare the products instead – which means they   
   > simply burn them on the spot. In some cases, flaring has become a "de   
   > facto stabilization process," said Bill Lywood, founder and president of   
   > Crude Quality Inc.   
   >   
   > However, several industry experts said there is a financial incentive   
   > for producers to leave some light ends in the crude – rather than   
   > burning them off or selling them separately – because they can increase   
   > the overall volume of the crude they are selling. At the same time,   
   > because of testing limitations, it can be difficult for producers,   
   > shippers and buyers to determine whether enough of the volatile light   
   > ends have been stripped away before crude oil is transported across the   
   > country.   
   >   
   > In an effort to address the problem, some companies and industry experts   
   > are advocating the use of a newer vapour pressure test that uses a   
   > sealed, pressurized cylinder to prevent light ends from escaping when a   
   > sample is taken.   
   If the pipelines are built there will be fewer railcars carrying crude.   
      
   --   
   *Read and obey the Bible*   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)