I Tried to Buy an Actual Barrel of Crude Oil • Hacker News Board

Re: I Tried to Buy an Actual Barrel of Crude Oil

#21

Post by fnordfnordfnord » Tue, Nov 03, 2015, 2:34 PM UTC

teddyg1 wrote: post #5

I did this recently as well (though for a different purpose, chemical testing). it's even more difficult than the journalist describes. No refinery wants to stop processing or halt flow in their pipelines, and so getting WTI or Bakken oil is immensely difficult when you're not at the source. There are small mom & pop ~2-3bbl/day producers who are willing to sell their oil at a premium, however. Ventilation is a huge…

You don't need to stop anything to fill a sample bottle.

>Ventilation is a huge problem - H2S emits a very foul smell.

H2S also deadens the olfactory nerves, or something to that effect so that one does not notice if the concentration increases gradually.

Re: I Tried to Buy an Actual Barrel of Crude Oil

#22

Post by scarletham » Tue, Nov 03, 2015, 2:39 PM UTC

strictnein wrote: post #10

On a related note, the (slightly stylized) retelling of a time a commodities trader accidentally bought actual coal: http://thedailywtf.com/articles/Special-Delivery

> slightly stylized

Or "completely made up"

Re: I Tried to Buy an Actual Barrel of Crude Oil

#23

Post by david-given » Tue, Nov 03, 2015, 2:39 PM UTC

bigethan wrote: post #6

Relatedly(?) When I had a diesel car, I bought and stored a small barrel of biodiesel in the basement of our apartment (saving like $0.05 a gallon!). I was told that diesel doesn't burn except under extreme pressure, and that you could throw a match into an open cup of diesel and it would just go out. Never actually tested that out.

You can throw a match into an open cup of cold diesel and it'll go out.

But if the cup gets hot, diesel vapour will start coming off the top, which will ignite. If you're unlucky it'll produce enough heat to vapourise more diesel, etc.

Also, if you let the cold diesel touch cloth, it'll get wicked up, and the diesel-soaked cloth will ignite really easily. That will in turn generate enough heat to etc.

The same applies to paraffin (although to a rather lesser extent). It's a great fuel for camping and sailing, because it's nearly inert... but only nearly so. A puddle of paraffin in the bottom of your boat isn't a problem. A puddle of paraffin spilt on your cabin upholstery is a serious fire risk.

Re: I Tried to Buy an Actual Barrel of Crude Oil

#24

Post by sheraz » Tue, Nov 03, 2015, 2:41 PM UTC

cubano wrote: post #17

It was awesome he was eventually paid for it on the blockchain. Interesting that traders are using it for personal transactions these days.

Doubtful. More likely just part of the running joke the oil's source could not be verified -- they did not want to be tied a potential purchase of ISIS-controlled oil.

Re: I Tried to Buy an Actual Barrel of Crude Oil

#25

Post by seszett » Tue, Nov 03, 2015, 2:42 PM UTC

ptaipale wrote: post #15

comex wrote: post #4

Another notable excerpt from the linked state safety agency document ( http://www.michigan.gov/documents/cis_wsh_cet5041_90142_7.do... ): -- Two employees of a fertilizer company in Riga, Michigan, were assigned to install a new float valve in an old 35-foot deep cistern for a new 300-foot well. This cistern was covered with a concrete slab with entry through a covered manhole. The first worker entered the cistern an…

Shit kills. I guess this happens everywhere in the world, but over here (Finland), there are the occasional deaths at farms where H2S released from remains of cow manure, stored in a tank, kills people. https://www.mela.fi/sites/default/files/lietelanta.pdf "Description of event A farm-owner suffocated inside a manure tank which was lacking oxygen and contained toxic gases. Also his brother, who went in to help, died…

Here this happens with decaying green algae on the Brittany coast. It kills wild animals and every so often the people who clean up beaches and oyster farmers.

Re: I Tried to Buy an Actual Barrel of Crude Oil

#26

Post by teddyg1 » Tue, Nov 03, 2015, 2:43 PM UTC

fnordfnordfnord wrote: post #21

teddyg1 wrote: post #5

I did this recently as well (though for a different purpose, chemical testing). it's even more difficult than the journalist describes. No refinery wants to stop processing or halt flow in their pipelines, and so getting WTI or Bakken oil is immensely difficult when you're not at the source. There are small mom & pop ~2-3bbl/day producers who are willing to sell their oil at a premium, however. Ventilation is a huge…

You don't need to stop anything to fill a sample bottle. >Ventilation is a huge problem - H2S emits a very foul smell. H2S also deadens the olfactory nerves, or something to that effect so that one does not notice if the concentration increases gradually.

>You don't need to stop anything to fill a sample bottle.

Gotcha. I had trouble reaching people who were willing to do sampling, which led me to that conclusion.

>H2S also deadens the olfactory nerves

Going back to check my ventilation right now, haha. From what I know, the scent disappears only above concentrations in air of ~150-200ppm.

Re: I Tried to Buy an Actual Barrel of Crude Oil

#27

Post by justincormack » Tue, Nov 03, 2015, 2:46 PM UTC

cubano wrote: post #17

It was awesome he was eventually paid for it on the blockchain. Interesting that traders are using it for personal transactions these days.

These are not traders, they are journalists. Izabella writes a lot of articles about bitcoin for the FT.

Re: I Tried to Buy an Actual Barrel of Crude Oil

#28

Post by jacquesm » Tue, Nov 03, 2015, 2:46 PM UTC

strictnein wrote: post #10

On a related note, the (slightly stylized) retelling of a time a commodities trader accidentally bought actual coal: http://thedailywtf.com/articles/Special-Delivery

Hilarious story :)

I worked for someone who was a variation on the 'Brad' theme for a while, absolutely infallible.

One day I walked through the workshop where he was making a positive from which a mold would be made for a piece of machinery. There was an obvious error in it (it really isn't all that hard to make a mistake, moldmaking is intricate) and I tried to interrupt him to ask how he planned to solve this and told me to stick to my job (programming, not mechanical engineering).

So fine. I went about my programming ways. A while later a bunch of expensive aluminum trial casts arrived from an even more expensive custom made mold (mold are very expensive) and after some very silent moments in the workshop there was a lot of cursing and yelling.

I walked downstairs and asked what they planned to do about the two shafts running through each others center and was asked if I had known all along why didn't I say something...

Not a good day, to say the least.

Re: I Tried to Buy an Actual Barrel of Crude Oil

#29

Post by jacquesm » Tue, Nov 03, 2015, 2:47 PM UTC

scarletham wrote: post #22

strictnein wrote: post #10

On a related note, the (slightly stylized) retelling of a time a commodities trader accidentally bought actual coal: http://thedailywtf.com/articles/Special-Delivery

> slightly stylized Or "completely made up"

The giveaway would be the WTFSE, only that actually seems to be a real exchange.

Re: I Tried to Buy an Actual Barrel of Crude Oil

#30

Post by strictnein » Tue, Nov 03, 2015, 2:50 PM UTC

scarletham wrote: post #22

strictnein wrote: post #10

On a related note, the (slightly stylized) retelling of a time a commodities trader accidentally bought actual coal: http://thedailywtf.com/articles/Special-Delivery

> slightly stylized Or "completely made up"

I'd say almost everything they post has at least a kernel of truth. Likely, some commodities broker did get a delivery of coal once, whether it was on this scale or not is really the question.