Oil field work in tx (Kermit, West: lease, living in, to move)

[Deek1966]

what area has the least H2s, Or sweet oil? Just looking for the best area to work in, i dont really want to smell rotten eggs all day. Or can you get up wind when loading unloading most of the time.

[SVTRay]

Originally Posted by Deek1966

what area has the least H2s, Or sweet oil? Just looking for the best area to work in, i dont really want to smell rotten eggs all day. Or can you get up wind when loading unloading most of the time.

West Texas has mostly Light Crude which is classified the same as Sweet Crude due to having less than 0.5% sulfur. You're going to find Light or Sweet Crude is most places booming with oilfield work. Now we have to wear H2S monitors for obvious reasons but you hardly get a reading enough to smell rotten eggs. I'm more around Fracing than drilling though. I generally end up having to smell Hydrochloric Acid (HCI) which is Godawful in my opinion! It never falls, someone always spills some or I end up parking down wind from the Blender and acid tanks etc.

[Deek1966]

Do you not have room to move out of the way of the acid smell? I wonder if its any different where i would haul water?

Thanks for the reply.

[SVTRay]

Originally Posted by Deek1966

Do you not have room to move out of the way of the acid smell? I wonder if its any different where i would haul water?

Thanks for the reply.

I can't move until the job is done or someone calls it a day once I rig up...I haul diesel and refuel the frac pumps. As for the acid smell, a lot of times it's not all that bad and generally resonates only near the acid tanks and Blender. So I typically only have to worry about it when crawling around the blender refueling it's fuel tanks. I keep a face mask in my backpack just in case.

As for hauling water, it all depends on what you're doing. They use water for oilfield lease roads or filling up Frac water tanks etc. A lot of the Frac water tanks are filled up long before they go down hole...aka using acid etc. Now there are times when they need more water but it only takes 10-15mins to unload. I've seen water guys unload 3 tankers in like 30 minutes or so.

[Deek1966]

all i know is they haul dirty water to dump sites i guess. i guess there is all kinds of jobs though. Can they stand upwind or can they get that far from the truck. sounds like they get out of there quick though lol.

[SVTRay]

Originally Posted by Deek1966

all i know is they haul dirty water to dump sites i guess. i guess there is all kinds of jobs though. Can they stand upwind or can they get that far from the truck. sounds like they get out of there quick though lol.

The oilfield uses a lot of Potable water. Anyhow, these sites aren't always bad smelling and you can probably stand up wind while unloading as well. Water haulers have it easy to some degree, especially those watering down lease road or well sites. They get out and open the valves and then just drive down the road/site watering. Even if you have to drop water at a frac/drilling site, again, it doesn't take long. It's not a bad job and you make about 15.00 an hour roughly 12hrs a day.

[ardamir]

Originally Posted by Deek1966

what area has the least H2s, Or sweet oil? Just looking for the best area to work in, i dont really want to smell rotten eggs all day. Or can you get up wind when loading unloading most of the time.

I come from an oil family and it is interesting you say this. If you smell H2S, then you smell money. Or death.

[SVTRay]

Originally Posted by ardamir

I come from an oil family and it is interesting you say this. If you smell H2S, then you smell money. Or death.

Or you smell nothing at all...because the HS2 gas has killed your sense of smell and want belong until it gets you.

Ok, that is a bit extreme...actually true but way to extreme. Those of us living in or around the oilfield joke about the oil related smells being the smell of money....especially once you get around Kermit or Penwell. I always say, I love the smell of diesel in the morning lol

[joqua]

Originally Posted by ardamir

If you smell H2S, then you smell money. Or death.

H2S only "smells" at concentrations too low to do harm. When it gets above a certain concentration, the effect on one's sense of smell is to deaden it instantly, thereby giving NO WARNING before you lose consciousness and ultimately die.

H2S being a heavy gas (heavier than air), it easily concentrates to deadly levels in low spots where air movement is minimal - like manholes - or even dips in the road in oil fields!

[ardamir]

The death comment was sarcasm.