March 8,2026 — WTI Crude Hits $110. THANKS TRUMP

[OlDawg]

1 hour ago, baddog said:

Great saying. I believe the gouging comes from the individual outlets. On average, they get resupplied 2-3 times a week, so there’s no doubt they received some deliveries of the cheaper priced gas, but their prices didn’t reflect it. Even though it may sound greedy when quoting profits, most people don’t realize how much our entire existence depends on petroleum products. Many moons ago, I worked on a unit that produced cyclohexene, which was then combined with hydrogen to produce cyclohexane. It is then mixed with other chemicals to produce nylon, which is a primary synthetic fiber to make carpet. That blew my mind when those plant workers taught me that. I learned a lot in the plants. Still much more to it than I could learn.

Maybe sometime we can discuss cat crackers and vacuum towers. I have limited but interesting knowledge. I try to learn something every day, even at my age.

Never too old to learn. I do at least 2 or 3 Duolingo Spanish lessons a day to try to keep my mind working.

You’ll find my name on drawings from cogen units, to glass/ultra-pure distillation towers, to crackers, furnaces, kilns, desalters, and beyond. You would be hard-pressed to find a drawing in many of the units at the old Shell DP or Geismar, LA that didn’t have my name on them in one place or another. Heck, you’ll even find my name on loading docks from Dow Freeport to Pequiven in Columbia.

Haven’t had the pleasure of working in a cyclohexane unit. But, I have redesigned and upgraded an old Nylon unit at DuPont. Been around plenty of benzene and phosgene. Used to laugh when I was contracted to Bayer Cedar Bayou. We said the hourly beep on my watch was the daily phosgene release alert. That, and Shell DP were the most dangerous facilities I’ve ever stepped foot in—and I’ve been in more than a few in my day.

My operations days were in a plant that made up to 70+% hydrogen peroxide, which was the fuel that went into the solid rocket boosters for the shuttles. We used to say all NASA had to do was throw in the rusty nail for the decomp, and hang on for the ride. If the hydrogen reactor blew, it was calculated it would take out a good chunk of Deer Park, La Porte, and Channelview. We had Air Products and Air Liquide on a direct pipeline for N2 to our reactor for purging, and could empty both of their capacities in 30 seconds.

[mat]

7 hours ago, OlDawg said:

Never too old to learn. I do at least 2 or 3 Duolingo Spanish lessons a day to try to keep my mind working.

You’ll find my name on drawings from cogen units, to glass/ultra-pure distillation towers, to crackers, furnaces, kilns, desalters, and beyond. You would be hard-pressed to find a drawing in many of the units at the old Shell DP or Geismar, LA that didn’t have my name on them in one place or another. Heck, you’ll even find my name on loading docks from Dow Freeport to Pequiven in Columbia.

Haven’t had the pleasure of working in a cyclohexane unit. But, I have redesigned and upgraded an old Nylon unit at DuPont. Been around plenty of benzene and phosgene. Used to laugh when I was contracted to Bayer Cedar Bayou. We said the hourly beep on my watch was the daily phosgene release alert. That, and Shell DP were the most dangerous facilities I’ve ever stepped foot in—and I’ve been in more than a few in my day.

My operations days were in a plant that made up to 70+% hydrogen peroxide, which was the fuel that went into the solid rocket boosters for the shuttles. We used to say all NASA had to do was throw in the rusty nail for the decomp, and hang on for the ride. If the hydrogen reactor blew, it was calculated it would take out a good chunk of Deer Park, La Porte, and Channelview. We had Air Products and Air Liquide on a direct pipeline for N2 to our reactor for purging, and could empty both of their capacities in 30 seconds.

Impressive. So you hang around this site just keep your intellect dumbed down and grounded?🙂

[OlDawg]

1 hour ago, mat said:

Impressive. So you hang around this site just keep your intellect dumbed down and grounded?🙂

😅🤣

No. I love high school football, am proud of the local town & school, enjoy the banter with some folks I’ve known for many years, and my better 1/2 is unable to communicate now with her condition. So, posting with y’all keeps me kind of connected as I don’t use other social media.

[AggiesAreWe]

1 hour ago, OlDawg said:

😅🤣

No. I love high school football, am proud of the local town & school, enjoy the banter with some folks I’ve known for many years, and my better 1/2 is unable to communicate now with her condition. So, posting with y’all keeps me kind of connected as I don’t use other social media.

The site could use a few more members like you.

Thanks for your contribution to the site.

[baddog]

10 hours ago, OlDawg said:

Never too old to learn. I do at least 2 or 3 Duolingo Spanish lessons a day to try to keep my mind working.

You’ll find my name on drawings from cogen units, to glass/ultra-pure distillation towers, to crackers, furnaces, kilns, desalters, and beyond. You would be hard-pressed to find a drawing in many of the units at the old Shell DP or Geismar, LA that didn’t have my name on them in one place or another. Heck, you’ll even find my name on loading docks from Dow Freeport to Pequiven in Columbia.

Haven’t had the pleasure of working in a cyclohexane unit. But, I have redesigned and upgraded an old Nylon unit at DuPont. Been around plenty of benzene and phosgene. Used to laugh when I was contracted to Bayer Cedar Bayou. We said the hourly beep on my watch was the daily phosgene release alert. That, and Shell DP were the most dangerous facilities I’ve ever stepped foot in—and I’ve been in more than a few in my day.

My operations days were in a plant that made up to 70+% hydrogen peroxide, which was the fuel that went into the solid rocket boosters for the shuttles. We used to say all NASA had to do was throw in the rusty nail for the decomp, and hang on for the ride. If the hydrogen reactor blew, it was calculated it would take out a good chunk of Deer Park, La Porte, and Channelview. We had Air Products and Air Liquide on a direct pipeline for N2 to our reactor for purging, and could empty both of their capacities in 30 seconds.

My knowledge is very limited to being a sub-contracting scaffold builder who also did civil duties. I picked up what I could as I went along because it was interesting to me. I couldn’t build a scaffold inside a vacuum tower with bubble cap trays without asking about the process. First thing is that they use a vacuum because it takes less heat. It’s been decades since I worked in the plants, so I may be a bit rusty with memory and might make some mistakes. 
I started at the Texaco plant in Port Arthur. Worked their #3 Cat unit on a shutdown, then transferred to their chemical side and worked maintenance for years. The cyclohexane unit was very small but it was considered a money maker. I formed up several pump containment slabs and some required Chockfast Red, a self leveling acid resistant material that hardened like steel. We did anything maintenance required. There is so much more that I could talk all day, but most people couldn’t care less. It brings back some great memories.

[OlDawg]

2 hours ago, baddog said:

My knowledge is very limited to being a sub-contracting scaffold builder who also did civil duties. I picked up what I could as I went along because it was interesting to me. I couldn’t build a scaffold inside a vacuum tower with bubble cap trays without asking about the process. First thing is that they use a vacuum because it takes less heat. It’s been decades since I worked in the plants, so I may be a bit rusty with memory and might make some mistakes. 
I started at the Texaco plant in Port Arthur. Worked their #3 Cat unit on a shutdown, then transferred to their chemical side and worked maintenance for years. The cyclohexane unit was very small but it was considered a money maker. I formed up several pump containment slabs and some required Chockfast Red, a self leveling acid resistant material that hardened like steel. We did anything maintenance required. There is so much more that I could talk all day, but most people couldn’t care less. It brings back some great memories.

When you hear discussions about the Colonial Pipeline (main pipeline manifold system that feeds most of the terminals around the country and begins in Kinder Morgan Galena Park) you’re hearing and discussing my engineering design. I—and my design crew—designed the entire manifold system. 24-36” rolled plate manifolds, 3 levels high, connecting with valves as large as small vehicles that had to have their own individual casings and access to reach and containment for required maintenance.

It was one of the first major projects in the terminal business ever fully designed with 3D software & intelligent databases. That way, when maintenance, replacement, or repairs were needed, surveys were minimal, probing was unnecessary, and materials could be easily drawn from the intelligent models.

Training, safety, permitting, everything required under ASME 31.4 and other regs was easily managed.

Took my crew of 8 engineers/designers about 4 years to finish my design. Every line can connect to a different major supplier, or other oil distribution pipeline in the country by valving redirection at any time.

Kinder Morgan now uses the design as a block template for all their new manifolds. Basically, a ‘cookie-cutter’ approach. Saves them a heck of a lot of engineering/design time and money. I should have asked for a different type of compensation package. 🤣

EDIT:

Looks like Matrix is still using some of the models for service today, and it's been designed for decades.

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Pig loading area. (Clean out/chaser 'pigs' would be pressured through the lines for clean out/inspection/other needs. Almost like a large vacuum tube system you'd find at some bank drive-ups. But, obviously much larger.)

 

 

[baddog]

16 minutes ago, OlDawg said:

When you hear discussions about the Colonial Pipeline (main pipeline manifold system that feeds most of the terminals around the country and begins in Kinder Morgan Galena Park) you’re hearing and discussing my engineering design. I—and my design crew—designed the entire manifold system. 24-36” rolled plate manifolds, 3 levels high, connecting with valves as large as small vehicles that had to have their own individual casings and access to reach and containment for required maintenance.

It was one of the first major projects in the terminal business ever fully designed with 3D software & intelligent databases. That way, when maintenance, replacement, or repairs were needed, surveys were minimal, probing was unnecessary, and materials could be easily drawn from the intelligent models.

Training, safety, permitting, everything required under ASME 31.4 and other regs was easily managed.

Took my crew of 8 engineers/designers about 4 years to finish my design. Every line can connect to a different major supplier, or other oil distribution pipeline in the country by valving redirection at any time.

Kinder Morgan now uses the design as a block template for all their new manifolds. Basically, a ‘cookie-cutter’ approach. Saves them a heck of a lot of engineering/design time and money. I should have asked for a different type of compensation package. 🤣

Very impressive. I’m just a grunt, but it takes all kinds to make it work. I’m not sure what happened to DuPont in Beaumont. There was an ammonia facility there because they had an ammonia ship, The American Eagle, that I loaded stores aboard back in the day. The smell would almost knock you down. Now, there is a new ammonia plant under construction across from the prisons on hwy 69. I always wondered who figured out what went where, when looking at all the piping. I guess I found one. I’ve worked with some blueprints for shooting elevations and setting forms, but I don’t think I could tackle a piping print. Lol

 

[OlDawg]

9 minutes ago, baddog said:

Very impressive. I’m just a grunt, but it takes all kinds to make it work. I’m not sure what happened to DuPont in Beaumont. There was an ammonia facility there because they had an ammonia ship, The American Eagle, that I loaded stores aboard back in the day. The smell would almost knock you down. Now, there is a new ammonia plant under construction across from the prisons on hwy 69. I always wondered who figured out what went where, when looking at all the piping. I guess I found one. I’ve worked with some blueprints for shooting elevations and setting forms, but I don’t think I could tackle a piping print. Lol

 

No such thing as a grunt. I got out of serving our country, and began as a lowly "B" operator handling the BOD (poop ponds). Went back to school all while working shift with a family and a young child. All about how bad you want it.

My neighbor is a young scaffold builder employee. I think he's actually a gold hat now. I know he's moved up the chain, and doing well.

My dad retired from 'Uncle EI' Strang Rd. decades ago. Much of DuPont was sold to Dow. Strang Rd. facility in La Porte was parcelled out. It's pretty much gone now except for the boiler house, and a smaller Noltex unit. (I think it's still Noltex. Haven't checked in years.)

[AggiesAreWe]

Saw this on X:

The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones just hit new record all time highs this morning. Congratulations to all who invest in America, your 401ks and stocks have never been more valuable. Stocks are now up over 50% since April of 2025 when the “experts” told you economy was collapsing.

[baddog]

24 minutes ago, OlDawg said:

No such thing as a grunt. I got out of serving our country, and began as a lowly "B" operator handling the BOD (poop ponds). Went back to school all while working shift with a family and a young child. All about how bad you want it.

My neighbor is a young scaffold builder employee. I think he's actually a gold hat now. I know he's moved up the chain, and doing well.

My dad retired from 'Uncle EI' Strang Rd. decades ago. Much of DuPont was sold to Dow. Strang Rd. facility in La Porte was parcelled out. It's pretty much gone now except for the boiler house, and a smaller Noltex unit. (I think it's still Noltex. Haven't checked in years.)

Maybe grunt doesn’t describe me well. I was skilled at what I did. I was never a plant employee. Some of our guys were lucky and got absorbed into plant employment. When we lost the maintenance contract, my old manufacturing plant reopened and I returned there, working until I retired. I could complain about missed opportunities, but I am who I am, and it’s been good. Just installed a walk-in shower and deciding on how to trim it out. If your wife is anything like mine, when you change one room, the whole house needs a facelift. Lol

[Porter]

14 hours ago, OlDawg said:

 

Saw this on X this morning. Explaining the stock market to your kids. 

 

[OlDawg]

29 minutes ago, baddog said:

Maybe grunt doesn’t describe me well. I was skilled at what I did. I was never a plant employee. Some of our guys were lucky and got absorbed into plant employment. When we lost the maintenance contract, my old manufacturing plant reopened and I returned there, working until I retired. I could complain about missed opportunities, but I am who I am, and it’s been good. Just installed a walk-in shower and deciding on how to trim it out. If your wife is anything like mine, when you change one room, the whole house needs a facelift. Lol

Ha! Happens that way doesn’t it? Was trying to get bath redone for wheelchair/transport chair access a couple years ago. Bidders came in from $25k - $80k. Unreal!

Found a company in Htown (Shower Doors of Houston) who replaced all my glass in the shower—which already has a low 3” threshold I can get her over—with a 34” door. With veteran discount, cost me right at $2500.00 with a lifetime guarantee & free seal replacements for life.

All the doors in the house needed to be widened as many were 24”, and I couldn’t get her chair through. That required a whole new paint job after the demo & installs. Now, all doors are minimum 32” except closets.

Of course, carpet was 25+ years old & had so many wrinkles from stretching, it was a safety hazard & pain to roll her on. So, that had to change.

Grout in the floor tile was very discolored. So, I had it acid washed & recolored. Looks brand new next to our porcelain tile—which just needed a good acid scrub. Was already in this deep. It looked like crap next to the rest of the house by then. So…

Long story shorter, what started as a bathroom/shower remodel that was ridiculous turned into a newly remodeled home that accommodates handicap everywhere for less than the lower end of just the bath remodel.

Took me 3 weeks to clean & regrout the shower. But hey…it was worth it for everything else we got done. My arm about fell off after. 😂 

 

[OlDawg]

48 minutes ago, AggiesAreWe said:

Saw this on X:

The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones just hit new record all time highs this morning. Congratulations to all who invest in America, your 401ks and stocks have never been more valuable. Stocks are now up over 50% since April of 2025 when the “experts” told you economy was collapsing.

Don’t tell Hippy with his SpaceX buy. He’d of been better off playing pitch at the high roller tables.