The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1889-12-25

some of the Intere<tinK Pecuiiaritaes of
the Invislble Fuel.
What is known as rock pressure is the
carrying power Of the gas 1t must
oome from the wells under pressure
ereat enough TO prcpel it through long
line of pipe. The principel supply for
Pitfsburg comes from distance of from
thirty 70 forty miles, some of itas Inucn
IS sixty miles away.
1t might be supposed that a simple
algebraic problem would give the amount
II fow through a given sized pipe under
4 known initial pressure and fora known
distance. IL would lie easy enough TO de-
ierunine the quantity of wafer delivered
Under such circumstances. but II is not
IL all possible To determine the amount
Df gas
In the first place. there is an astonish-
ing difference in volume IN gas under
differing pressures and different temper
an,res. A change Of - degs. in temper
tture of the gas viii increase or decrease
he volume OF natural gas SO per cent
A difference in pressure Of 200 pounds
will make difference OF al least one
s:xth in volume. Remarkable as it may
seem. no formulas have been made 70
show the resistance of flow. so that It is
only possible to guess at is by isolated
cases.
What is known as the Acme natural
gas pipe line. ten inches in diameter.
which was one Of the tightest and best
ones ever laid. started with gas at 300
mounds pressure from the wells and
brought il to the low pressure lines at
the city limits at sixty-6ve pounds press
ure-an enormous waste. A sixteen
/ inch line from Murraysville. reasonably
tight. left the well at 200 pounds press
ure. and thirty miles distant gave only
fifteen pounds pressure. Such figures
as these simply prove nothing. 1t is
known that the carrying capacity OF
I pipe ten inches in diameter ismuch more
I than twice that Of pipe only hve inches
< in diameter. when il is water that Is car
( ried-and the resistance is known under
certain pressures at the initial point with
the pipe disclarging freely at the end
I but water is not subject to the great
i changes in volume that gas is.
These unknown quantities have not
been made a subject Of 50 much study
bv the natural gas companies as they
would have been had there been more
time to study them The whole business
is done with a rush. Ii isa singular fact,
but nevertheless fact. that no reliable
4 test has ever been made Of the tempera-
ture of gas as it comes from the sand
rocks. and then what il is when it enters
the pipe. Several German scientists who
were over here recently seemed especial
IL anxious to get such tests.
II was impossible TO crafty them sim
plv for the reason that all the wells are
drilled by contract. and no contractor
would allow the six hours loss of time
which would result by the stoppage OF
work each time such test was made,
in order to allow the sand to regain its
! normal temperature after the heat made
bv the friction of the drill had subsided.
No known method has been devised
for driving natural gas. 1t must carry
itself or it does not oat all. Taking the
two instances named out Of many that
might be given. it follows that with
small pipes there must be high rock
pressure from the wells. or the gas can
not be piped for a distance of thirty OF
forty miles.
Another question equally important in
determining the problem Of stability is
the character of the sand in which the
gas is found; whether it generates gas OF
is simply a storage house which may, IN
time. become exhausted. Gas is never
found in solid granite: it invariably come:
from a loose, porous rock.
Sometimes this sand is actually pebbly
as is found in some sections of the Muir
ravsville field. In other cases it may have
the appearance of greater density: but
nevertheless. it viii be found TO be porous
No gas sand that will produce a paying
well is OF greater density than will admit
Of one-sixth Of its volume in gas. The
gas is Contained IN the interstices OF thu
stone. possibly ia liquid form. because
of the biez.-SSlressure. 1t certainly il
greatly condensed al any rate. The Dor
ing Of the hole allows it to escape: but i
escapes from a store house. and wher
it is all out there is and can be no imme
diate or early process Of regeneration o
restoration; it is gone.
Always taking out of the meal tul
and always putting in will soon exhaus
the supply" is an old saw which IS AK
iomatic As there is no replacing OF tn
gas. as it cannot now be replaced, hav
inc been generated and stored counties
years ago, it follows that there must b
exhaustion of fields in time. How long
Well, we shall all come very close 3
I. knowing. later on.
The dependence, then. for future sur
plies must be on new territory. As tn
cost of pipeage is now as $50 10 every 5
invested IL drilling a well (Which in il
self reaches as high. in cases, as $1,000
the opening of new territory must neces
sarily become more anu more expensive
&C. I. Dawson in Pittsburg Dispatch.