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Congressional Research Service releases crude-by-rail report
It seems obvious to me that flammability of loads should depend on its flash point and ignition temperature. Bakken crude apparently has a flash point not significantly different from gasoline. If spilled, it won’t all burn as gasoline does, but much of it will – as we have seen.
I didn’t realize light oil had a low center of gravity. Does that make a load of light oil less top heavy than the same volume of heavy oil?
Obviously the people writing this stuff are mechanically declined or didn’t listen to their grandpa. At least they can be counted on to put 110 weight oil in the Farmall’s engine and 10 weight oil in the rear end, resulting in a very screwed up engine, transmission, and differential. Never mind the PTO, belt, or the power lift not working. The good news is that the poor Farmall probably won’t start, resulting in minimal, if any damage.
Next time, how about light oil having a low viscosity and low specific gravity.
David, you should consult Jeffy Guse on all your articles. He’s an expert on everything.
Messrs. Petit and Guse are correct. The CRS report notes that “light” means low specific gravity. Specific gravity is the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of a standard, with water being the standard for liquids and solids. Bakken crude is referred to as light crude since it has a low specific gravity.
While preparing the report summary, I simply misread the term, and I regret the error. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
David C. Lester
Ha ha…just who is writing this stuff?
Center of gravity? specific gravity? What’s next the gravity of the situation?
But to directly quote the report: “Light” refers to oils with low specific gravity
Once again, a worst case situation: Congress getting involved! If only those buttheads would stay out of the mix, something intelligent and sensible might be accomplished.
Once again, a worst case situation: Congress getting involved! If only those buttheads would stay out of the mix, something intelligent and sensible might be accomplished.