Would natural gas pipelines work in Case of Apocalypse?

[Damnyourdeadman 1045]

This is a part series of the Would phones/internet work in Case of Apocalypse topic.

The purpose of these posts is to discuss whether everyday commodities would still persist after the apocalypse.

For how long would the natural gas pipelines continue to function without human intervention?

Would they get depleted or cease their function from a lack of maintenance perspective?

Discuss. :)

[Deathlove 2286]

This is a part series of the Would phones/internet work in Case of Apocalypse topic.

The purpose of these posts is to discuss whether everyday commodities would still persist after the apocalypse.

For how long would the natural gas pipelines continue to function without human intervention?

Would they get depleted or cease their function from a lack of maintenance perspective?

Discuss. :)

Stop farting to try and make your computer work! IT DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT! 8(

 

 

I imagine they could still function but the problem would be pipe maintenance from harsh winters and stuff. If the pipes are bad there might be leaks or even worse latter down the line from not being fixed.

Edited December 17, 2014 by Deathlove

[evil koala 22]

It would last as long as the power grid does, then the pumping stations would go offline. I would guess a few weeks at most.

[DURRHUNTER 597]

Gas heaters in houses? so we can have a source of heat inside houses because fires are 'unsafe'.

[Damnyourdeadman 1045]

Gas heaters in houses? so we can have a source of heat inside houses because fires are 'unsafe'.

 

Well yeah,supposedly "if" gas pipelines were still functional in Chernarus,that could mean that a number of fridges and ovens could still be functional as well.

Also as you mentioned,some of the heaters that work on gas could keep going on even after the apocalypse.

In this principle,i wouldn't consider it too farfetched for some houses in Chernarus,to provide a working stove and heating. :D

Edited December 17, 2014 by Damnyourdeadman

[Barbosa1955 15]

More than likely not. Read up on differences between Liquid Natural Gas, Compressed Natural Gas and Liquid Petroleum Gas (Propane). Not to mention the failsafes in production of said gases including storage and transportation.

About the only things you will get natural gas or propane from in a SHTF scenario are from the "pigs"; those gas tanks you see in people's yards. And these are reflected in the game. Once the pig is empty, you'll never be able to fill it again unless you find a working tank truck.

Whether or not the Devs will implement this is beyong my knowledge.

[LORDPrometheus 21]

Gas pipelines are not passive flows they use pumps to actively move gas and those pumps run off of electricity. So as soon as the power fails the lines fail. This being said unless there is a breach there will still be gas in the line so theoretically you could siphon it off but good luck with that

[Damnyourdeadman 1045]

About the only things you will get natural gas or propane from in a SHTF scenario are from the "pigs"; those gas tanks you see in people's yards. And these are reflected in the game. Once the pig is empty, you'll never be able to fill it again unless you find a working tank truck.

Whether or not the Devs will implement this is beyong my knowledge.

 

So these tanks outside some houses in Cherno are called "pigs".

 

 

Theoratically speaking,would these tanks still function on a household if filled?

Also,granted we have a tank truck,is it possible to deposit/withdraw gas from or in these tanks?

[caik 122]

Gas pipelines are not passive flows they use pumps to actively move gas and those pumps run off of electricity. So as soon as the power fails the lines fail. This being said unless there is a breach there will still be gas in the line so theoretically you could siphon it off but good luck with that

 

Not true in all cases. In th Uk large gas storage is similiar to a bagpipe. Gas (methane not petrol) is pumped (electrically) in and the huge steel cylinder rises on pneumatic pressure. If the storage was isolated at the time of the zombie apocalypse the pressure would remain (due to the weight of the steel and height) and could be relased by open a series of valves and regulating the governor (spring operated) to the pressure required for said appliance. In most gas situations safety features are designed to "fail to safe", which means leccy off equals no gas. Not many people would be able to identify these safety features and bypass them, so I'm guessing the gas would remain in storage at pressure for a while (until we get gas powered flame throwers/modified fire extinguisher to really fuck up the zeds).

 

Regards

Craig

 

PM me for pipe fitting to your tent! Free estimates once I know the location.

 

Edit: The pressure would remain in the pig, but I imagine we will blow them all up pretty quick Yee Ha.

Edit 2: Clue: We (humans) were burning gas before we had leccy.

Edited December 17, 2014 by caik

[Barbosa1955 15]

So these tanks outside some houses in Cherno are called "pigs".

 

 

Theoratically speaking,would these tanks still function on a household if filled?

Also,granted we have a tank truck,is it possible to deposit/withdraw gas from or in these tanks?

Yup, at least where I come from we call them "pigs". I don't know why...lol

 

 

Yes, they would function as long as there is no leak in the tank or pipe to the appliance.

 

A propane tanker would be able to fill the pigs. I'm not sure they could fill (right sort of fittings) the small 20lb tanks like one uses on their BBQ.

[tobias winfro 305]

Gas would work as long as there was electricity to keep the metering stations operational, the lines were free of obstructions and the engines or jet turbines that propel and compress said gas were operational.

I wouldn't want to be around any meter or containment unit if no one was around to properly maintain them because once the pressure starts to build and gas starts leaking, one wrong spark and kaboom! Also pipelines in Michigan are regularly tested for infectious diseases, sounds crazy I know but its something that could happen, only reason I know that is my father and brother work for a natural gas shipping company.

Edit: but as long as you have a pig or gas cylinder around your house that's got gas in it, you should be OK to use it

Edited December 17, 2014 by Tobias Winfro

[Damnyourdeadman 1045]

Gas would work as long as there was electricity to keep the metering stations operational, the lines were free of obstructions and the engines or jet turbines that propel and compress said gas were operational.

I wouldn't want to be around any meter or containment unit if no one was around to properly maintain them because once the pressure starts to build and gas starts leaking, one wrong spark and kaboom! Also pipelines in Michigan are regularly tested for infectious diseases, sounds crazy I know but its something that could happen, only reason I know that is my father and brother work for a natural gas shipping company.

Edit: but as long as you have a pig or gas cylinder around your house that's got gas in it, you should be OK to use it

 

So long story short,in case of an apocalypse the main circuit pipelines will be taken offline because the turbines that propel the gas will run out of juice.

The only way to restore circulation to the main gas arteries is to bring electricity back.

However the pigs or gas cylinders from around the houses are still pretty much functional and we are able to have the resource from them scavenged if we have a tank truck in our possession.

Edited December 17, 2014 by Damnyourdeadman

[Death By Crowbar 1213]

There's a TV series called "Life After People" which talks about a lot of this stuff. Here's a link to one episode.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1g5g09_life-after-people-episode-1-life-after-people-discovery-history-science-documentary_tv

[blacklabel79 949]

things will fall appart rather quickly if not maintained.

 

things return back to normal.

 

trees look nice to live on.

Edited December 17, 2014 by {Core}BlackLabel

[Mookie (original) 799]

Er, the landing lights at the airfields (certainly NWAF) still work. So in theory there is still an electricity supply in operation...

[ob1korobi 125]

Er, the landing lights at the airfields (certainly NWAF) still work. So in theory there is still an electricity supply in operation...

 

I can't find that backup generator anywhere. it is so quiet.

[tobias winfro 305]

So long story short,in case of an apocalypse the main circuit pipelines will be taken offline because the turbines that propel the gas will run out of juice.

The only way to restore circulation to the main gas arteries is to bring electricity back.

However the pigs or gas cylinders from around the houses are still pretty much functional and we are able to have the resource from them scavenged if we have a tank truck in our possession.

Yes you are correct, a lot of companies, not just the propane and natural gas fields are going green. Some of those companies are installing solar and hydroelectric grids in case of catastrophic failure to the main electrical sources to keep thing running for as long as they can. Edited December 17, 2014 by Tobias Winfro

[slim_pikins 30]

Er, the landing lights at the airfields (certainly NWAF) still work. So in theory there is still an electricity supply in operation...

 

When I looked into using the power station mod for arma I remember a discussion about the lights on the airfield and if I remember rightly the lights on the airport do not have a class name that allows them to be switched off due to the lights being indestructible. Its just a BIS map thing not a confirmation of power supply's, I personally think it would be cool if they put a few solar panels around the airport to explain it away.

[CJ_14 105]

They would work for a couple of days, then the lack of regular maintenance would fuck 'em up. It was on a History Channel show