I get to see some cool stuff

[plumber_greg]

Today, we got a call about a water pump down for a gas well. I thought the lady didn't know what she was talkin' about.
Sara and I went to her house. Seems the farm has a private natural gas well, put in the 1920's. She said her father was trying to dig a water well and hit a natural gas pocket instead. He piped it up and it runs the whole farm, she said it wasn't enough to sell to a gas company.
The reason we were there is water gets in the pocket of gas and mixes, so it must be pumped off. Maybe you guys in oil country see private wells, but in 30 years it's the first one I've seen. We're gonna' do a lot of work to the water well and the gas lines, as it's all 90 years old and looks like it. Hope Sara doesn't need one of her cigarretts while the top of the gas well is off. Are things like this common in other parts of the country? gs

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Seems like when we lived in Kansas, we had a natural gas LINE going thru our property & we got it free.

 

[TexasBred]

Today, we got a call about a water pump down for a gas well. I thought the lady didn't know what she was talkin' about.
Sara and I went to her house. Seems the farm has a private natural gas well, put in the 1920's. She said her father was trying to dig a water well and hit a natural gas pocket instead. He piped it up and it runs the whole farm, she said it wasn't enough to sell to a gas company.
The reason we were there is water gets in the pocket of gas and mixes, so it must be pumped off. Maybe you guys in oil country see private wells, but in 30 years it's the first one I've seen. We're gonna' do a lot of work to the water well and the gas lines, as it's all 90 years old and looks like it. Hope Sara doesn't need one of her cigarretts while the top of the gas well is off. Are things like this common in other parts of the country? gs

Gregg first thing I'd advise you and them to do is to find a way to add that stinking odor to the stuff so you can at least smell it. I know of a complete school that exploded back in the 20's or 30's using gas from their own well. They never knew what happened and literally wiped out a whole generation of kids...hundreds !!!!! Heck I don't even know if it's legal.

http://www.newlondonschool.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKt01p3DJRw

 

[plumber_greg]

TB, I don't really know if it's legal either. I know that she said the DNR of MO. would like them to cap it, but they don't have to. Maybe a grandfather clause is in effect.
They have a bleed off valve to let gas off the well head. It was pretty noisy when she opened it for me. There are several pressure gages in the pit, one on the gas well itself, but they are unreadable. There are two wellheads, one for water and one for gas, about 1' apart. They have to be connected to pump water off the gas and are both sealed. Gotta' open both up to do the work, wonder what you think may happen,
Probably shouldn't even do the work, but I'm a glutton for punishment. She said everytime someone looked at it, they ran away. I figure if an oldtimer with no equipment could work on it, all I gotta' do is bring $100.000 worth of equipment and I can do it too.
Gonna' do some research cuz' I have it scheduled for Monday to start. Guess if you'all hear a boom in MO. and I don't turn up on the board again, you'll know what happened. gs

 

[slick4591]

That thing would turn my shorts a different color.

 

[Aaron]

Can't hit the casing with anything that might cause a spark. Couldn't pay me enough to do it. If it goes boom, they'll have a heck of time collecting the ashes, let alone a body. I would advise you look into county bylaws and find out if a restriction zone or evacuation plan has to be submitted. This is some serious $#!# your dealing with, not a simple plumbing job.

 

[upfrombottom]

Sounds like a good time to hire some sacrificial help. I'll send some up your way if you want, you may have to buy new tools every morning though.

 

[jedstivers]

There are some wells like that in Ohio or Indiana or some such northern state. Might check with someone in that area.

 

[jedstivers]

Did o google search and had all sorts of hits. Try private natural gas wells.

 

[TexasBred]

Greg....just don't forget this $hat is odorless. :help:

 

[plumber_greg]

Thanks, Jed. The old pipe going to the buildings is steel with no unions, so I gotta' cut it to get started. Surley can't generate enough heat with a hacksaw to blow it up?
Got to thinking, the reason there is an old pump jack to pump the water may be because an electric submersible in the well isn't a good idea. The pumpjack has an electric motor someone replaced the windmill with in the pit, but a sub may be different.
Remember one time the gas company mismarked a 3" gas line and we tore it out. The fire department was a lot more concerened with evacuation and shutting off pliot lites than the gas company was. The gas workers were mad at them cuz' they thought they overreacted. gs

 

[plumber_greg]

Well, between the weather and delay in parts, I got it done today. So proud, looked good. Was gonna' take some pictures of it to post, even had a pic of why Sara should wear underwear.
Turned it on and IT DIDN"T WORK!!!!!! Rained us out with a severe thunderstorm warning, man was I glad to go home.
Spent, so far, between $15,000 and $16,000 and it DIDN"T WORK!!!!!
I think I know what's wrong, gonna' go back in the morn. What a disapointment. My 2" force pump was susposed to be pumping water, but NOTHING!!!!!
Guess I'll see what happens tomorrow. gs

 

[Caustic Burno]

Greg be very careful beside the explosion hazard there could be an H2S hazard in low concentrations smells like rotten eggs. In higher concentrations it has no smell you only get one breath and you are graveyard dead. Being this is from a pipe out of the ground with no seperation unit the gas could easily contain H2S methane, ethane, propane along with some other hazardous hydrocarbons including Benzene, the mixture could be heavier than air creating an explosive enviroment. And yes you can cause an explosion with a hacksaw if the well has any hydrogen and it does. Hydrogen lower explosive limit is 4 % to an upper explosive limit 76% the widest range of all the naturally occuring hydrocarbons in the ground. It can ignite by just coming into contact with air.

I wouldn't operate any type equipment around it that wasn't MHSA compliant.
Do you have any NIOSH rated air testing equipment.
The short term exposure limit on benzene is 1 ppm.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Greg I have went in and pulled out more than one dead man that didn't think or follow safety guidelines when messing with hydrocarbons. Gas is the most dangerous hydrocarbon you can mess with three things can happen and two are not good flash fire, explosion, or disapate. Greg you could create an explosion by simply opening the line and letting air get into the system when you pressure it back up. One of the worst explosions in US history was 26 miles of natural gas piplene due to the introduction of air.

I was wrong it blew up for 40 miles.
1939 On December 12, a pipeline being tested ruptured for 40 miles, near Wichita Falls, Texas

 

[jedstivers]

Greg I have went in and pulled out more than one dead man that didn't think or follow safety guidelines when messing with hydrocarbons. Gas is the most dangerous hydrocarbon you can mess with three things can happen and two are not good flash fire, explosion, or disapate. Greg you could create an explosion by simply opening the line and letting air get into the system when you pressure it back up. One of the worst explosions in US history was 26 miles of natural gas piplene due to the introduction of air.

I was wrong it blew up for 40 miles.
1939 On December 12, a pipeline being tested ruptured for 40 miles, near Wichita Falls, Texas

Anything on the net about that? I like to learn how things like that happen/work. Thanks

 

[jedstivers]

Well, between the weather and delay in parts, I got it done today. So proud, looked good. Was gonna' take some pictures of it to post, even had a pic of why Sara should wear underwear.
Turned it on and IT DIDN"T WORK!!!!!! Rained us out with a severe thunderstorm warning, man was I glad to go home.
Spent, so far, between $15,000 and $16,000 and it DIDN"T WORK!!!!!
I think I know what's wrong, gonna' go back in the morn. What a disapointment. My 2" force pump was susposed to be pumping water, but NOTHING!!!!!
Guess I'll see what happens tomorrow. gs

Greg, why don't you post some pics an let us judge about the use or not of underwear?

 

[Caustic Burno]

Greg I have went in and pulled out more than one dead man that didn't think or follow safety guidelines when messing with hydrocarbons. Gas is the most dangerous hydrocarbon you can mess with three things can happen and two are not good flash fire, explosion, or disapate. Greg you could create an explosion by simply opening the line and letting air get into the system when you pressure it back up. One of the worst explosions in US history was 26 miles of natural gas piplene due to the introduction of air.

I was wrong it blew up for 40 miles.
1939 On December 12, a pipeline being tested ruptured for 40 miles, near Wichita Falls, Texas

Anything on the net about that? I like to learn how things like that happen/work. Thanks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pipeline_accidents

Jed this was all I found in a quick search. I remebered it from some of my API safety literature, safe handling of lt ends, back when I taught on the subject. I know of several others due to lt ends, that were in the day before the internet that are nowhere to be found except in printed literature.

 

[plumber_greg]

Still ain't got it fixed. It has a 6" steel casing with a 2" pipe in the middle for the force pump. The 2" pipe has a hole in it, won't pump water to the top.
Gotta' open the gas well top. Luckly, I ran into an old driller that had done stuff like that. He said that since the well has only 30-40 psi, that I will have no trouble unscrewing the top. He said that there is enough water holding the gas back that very little or no gas will escape. Not a big deal to him, before I could ask a question he answered it.
It's been quite an experence, I like things like this, it keeps my job interesting. Sure am gettin' old tho', wish I could find a young family to turn everything over to. When I get done, gonna' post pics. Thanks CB, Jed, TB and everyone else. gs