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SKYE’S LINKS 10/06/22

putn_underwaterWho Did It?
Was it Biden, Putin, or Something Else?

Nord Stream 2, or a tale of two pipelines.


 

Nord Stream 1 and 2

The pipeline blew up, and everyone is pointing fingers. It must have been Biden say some. It must have been Putin, say others.

Let’s consider something else besides explosives. After all, the main reason people insist that the pipelines were blown up is that some Swedish seismometer with no specialized pipeline training said she heard explosions. American special forces must have caused them.

Of course, the media ran with the story, and even TTPers were unsure who or what to blame.

Mike Ryan wrote a very timely and to-the-point HFR about the quality crisis in government activities.  The two links below provide a plausible explanation for the pipeline failures; multi-ton methane hydrate (an ice-like substance) deposits formed within the pressurized but idle pipelines and plugged off the flow.

methane-hydrate-diagramUnder designed operation, the natural gas moves at about 50 feet per second through the pipe. But the gas in NS2 has been sitting since 2020.

The immediate press releases from Russia after the explosion quickly said that the gas pressure was normal and unchanged. However, this was a lie. The Russian side of the pipeline was depressurizing and attempting to recover the 500 million dollars worth of pipeline inventory.

But if the release of pressure was too rapid, and the pressure relief should have taken weeks, then methane clathrate, also called methane hydrate and ice, can form above 725psi and below 39.2F. When she blew, the pipeline was at 1500psi, suggesting that an extended pipeline length was plugged with methane clathrate deposits.

Days before, operators attempted to “pig” the pipe. A pig is a cleaning piston that fills the inside diameter of a pipeline and is pushed along by fluid pressure to prevent scale and ice formation on the pipe walls. Now scrubbed by Russian media, initial reports claim the pig went missing, meaning it was stuck in methane clathrate somewhere in the pipeline.

pipeline-workA stuck pig is a big problem in a pipeline being depressurized on one end as it becomes a piston or bullet when it breaks free.

Methane clathrate ice can also break free, creating a hurtling projectile at pipeline velocity and weighing many tons.

When a flying pig or rocketing chunk of ice comes to a bend in the pipe, then KABOOM, that’s all for the pipeline. The impact will rupture to vessel walls.

Now, if the owner, Gazprom, failed to exercise due diligence when dehydrating the gas before placing it into the pipe, then the formation of methane clathrate is guaranteed. The Baltic sea floor is covered with clathrates, so the temperature is suitable for formation. The pressure in the pipeline certainly favored clathrate formation.

Read the comments in the links. Some are nonsense, but many are correct.  Methane hydrate plugs should be removed by periodic slow depressurization of the pipeline from both ends, allowing them to break down slowly into natural gas and water.

These four pipelines are 4 feet in diameter.  If depressurization is done from only one (Russian) end or is done too rapidly, or if there are two or more complete blockage plugs, then a multi-ton chunk can be accelerated by the trapped 3000 PSI gas pressure to hundreds of miles per hour velocity. Remember that the design is 50 fps, not hundreds of miles per hour. Ouch.

broke-pipelineIf a fast-moving massive, solid object goes around a curve or hits another partial plug, the energy released from inertia is in the reported event energy range. Our Swedish technician said she recorded a bomb, but this does not mean it was an external explosive device.

Following the money is always good advice. One of the commenters reported that someone sold millions of dollars of Gazprom stock about 24 hours before the event.  A Gazprom insider might know that they had a severe problem.

We will soon see whether it was external explosives or runaway methane hydrate plugs – photos of the breaks will soon be available. They will show whether the destructive forces were of internal or external origin.  Poor control of moisture in the gas plus poor maintenance practices in four long 4′ diameter high-pressure natural gas pipelines in a cold environment?  What could go wrong?

Nordstream II (Electric Instapundit) | The LawDog Files

Nordstream | The LawDog Files

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Elon Bought Twitter

Want some insight as to what may happen at Twitter now that Musk has agreed to buy it? Here are some engaging private communications on possibilities for Twitter’s future found during the Delaware trial’s discovery.  It looks promising to me:

Elon Musk explains in a series of email conversations what he plans to do with Twitter, and so far, it’s looking good for the good guys.

happy-muskFirst off, his wife, Tullula Jane Riley, suggested the purchase. Smart dudes hang out with smart chicks. That’s how the universe works.

Musk plans to reduce the terms of service to three and open the source code so anyone can examine the algorithms and write new ones. Musk wants to create a market for algos so users can choose their filters.

Musk sees Twitter as the everything app that runs on any platform and is not based on advertising. Advertising models open the platform to manipulation by who or which agency decides to spend the big bucks.

He is assembling a team of free-speech proponents. This could bring down governments and pharmaceutical companies. But, of course, this is redundant.

Just saying: TTP follows an open-source model and does not allow advertising. TTP is a free-speech platform, and Elon Musk is saying the TTP model is the way of the future. Way to go, Elon!

Now That Twitter Belongs To Elon, Here Is What He Will Do To The Platform In His Own Words

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Those Crazy FBI Guys

ants-in-lineAn FBI agent alleges that the FBI removed his security clearance and demoted him before termination as retaliation for whistleblowing. The FBI has been accused of a hostile work environment multiple times and as a political enforcement arm of the democrats and global socialism.

The Justice Department prioritized January 6 over other investigations. They placed it ahead of rapes, murders, global drug crimes, child trafficking, espionage, public corruption, and everything else to drive the national narrative.

what-feds-didThe Feds used SWAT teams on little old ladies to maximize intimidation and drove prosecutorial action in small towns around the country to drive up crime statistics. The objective is to make it appear that middle-class whites are a clear and present danger to the democrats’ Federal Government.

A sudden wave of terrorism is not occurring. Since Biden surrendered Afghanistan, there has been no urgent demand to maintain the FBI counter terrorism desk funding at the Global War on Terror levels.

But once expanded, it is almost impossible to shrink a federal agency. Imagine if the careerists treated public corruption by AOC and Pelosi seriously. But no, because the FBI is a political protection organization. Not a law enforcement agency.

This FBI whistleblower has a fascinating story to tell about the J6 investigation:

Suspended Whistleblower Awaits Response to Affidavit Alleging FBI Mishandled January 6 Cases

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It’s a Protection Racket:

patriot-pickupGovernment careers depend on the expansion of government, and in the Commonwealth Nations, a new type of all-powerful nattering nabob of negativism has arisen: The Public Health Officer.

These are paid Karens intent on making sure that everyone follows the rules equally. This is what happens to the school hall monitor when she grows up.

Well, the Crown Countries will be forced to deal with it. I asked a guy in the parking lot what he thought about the government nags with ticketing authority, and his profanity was just a bit too much for TTP. He drives a nice truck, however.

When you see a truck like this, smile and nod warmly, these guys are doing what they can to annoy the Karens and having fun in the process.

The Rise of Public Health and ‘Green’ Police: Securitization Theory

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Trump Still Terrifies Them

canceled-politicos
Honest liberal Constitutional attorney Jonathan Turley has some interesting comments on the two sham attempts to impeach Trump:

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/we-dont-have-due-process-book-reveals-decision-abandon-historical-precedent-impeach-trump

 

Down In DeSantis Land

strong-in-hard-timesThat’s the way to do it!  “You loot, we shoot!”  DeSantis has it right.  Florida is a 2nd Amendment state with castle doctrine law.  Does your state allow you to use deadly force to protect your property?  If not, I strongly suggest that you vote with your feet:

Gov. DeSantis Warns Would-Be Looters: ‘We’re a 2nd Amendment State’

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Stagflation is Here Take it Seriously

As the article states, Team transitory lost out to team persistent. We are in for hard times of the type that will change society. The last time we faced this was during the Carter administration. The numbers are worse now,

classic-carOk, we need to adjust to a no-or negative growth world with rising costs and widespread shortages. I hope that nobody brings back the Ford Granada. Nothing quite said the end of civilization as clearly as the Granada.

For investors:

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/roubini-stagflationary-debt-crisis-here