littlera

I was watching CNN coverage of the Gulf oil spill today, and found that BP is planning to inject massive quantities of methanol along with warm water into the well head to prevent freezing of the flow (methane hydrate crystals formation is the problem.) I can imagine this could go on for months!

I don't know how much methanol is available in the world at any on time or how fast it can be produced, but my guess is we are on the verge of a massive shortage of methanol for any other purpose other than this well.

I certainly don't want to be selfish, and if the methanol is needed for this purpose we must patriotically put up with the shortage that is likely to occur, kind of like in WWII.

This may not be a problem, but I can see it on the horizon. You saw it here first!

Randy L.

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

http://www.methanex.com/products/methanolprice.html

For the month of June 2010 reference $1.05/gal

http://www.icis.com/V2/chemicals/907...l/pricing.html

dug44

My Feedback: (2)

Save the methonal, and jam the executive's in the HOLE!!!!! I gots to race man!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA!, that would really suck! The only reason they will not CAP IT is the simple fact of not wanting to lose the oil. SCREW the OIL... JESUSMAN!!!!! IMEANC'MON!!!! PLUGTHEDAMNHOLEANDMOVEON!!!CUTYOURTRILLIONAYEARLOS S, SELL YOUR YACHT'S AND FIX THIS PROBLEM!!!!!

balsaeater

@ dug44 I am with you on all that

We probably need have no real fear of shortages of methanol.Thye make methanol from natural gas .They pass the methane over Platinum cathalistic reactor under high pressure with steam .This creates CO carbon monooxide which is very reactive . The CO is reformed with the steam H2O and you get methanol.On a large scale very little heat or enegy is lost changing the natural gas to methanol and often running engines with methanol versus natural gas the engines return more work with the methanol than gas making the two fuels even in energy output often meaning that its very interesting to change a diffucult fuel gas into a easy liquid fuel
Methanol is often used in large amounts for the chemical industry as feed stock so there is plenty of capisity to be ramped up if demands increase its sales

Some schools of thought even postulate that nearly all modern energy requirements would be better suited to changing all natural gas and coal into methanol and make a methanol economy and get rid of most oil based fuels

Some go further they suggest extract CO2 from the air and use that as feed stock to make methanol for a methanol driven world


Even if there is a major shortage of methanol most glow engines can tolerate running on ethanol with some mods such as onboard battery to keep glow working and ethanol is availble in 85% mixxed in with 15% gasoline with E85 gasoline car fuel sales



Balsaeater

controlliner

Methyl alcohol, otherwise known as "wood alcohol"