Thread

1. brightball · 1790651317 · focus · HN ↗

   Chart of strategic reserve levels since 1982, for context

   <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.macromicro.me&#x2F;charts&#x2F;41674&#x2F;us-strategic-petroleum-reserve" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.macromicro.me&#x2F;charts&#x2F;41674&#x2F;us-strategic-petroleum...

   1. mahboi · 1790652658 · focus · HN ↗

      Beware the Y axis not starting at 0. But it&#x27;s still an insane drop.

        Highcharts.charts.forEach(chart => { if (chart) chart.yAxis.forEach(axis => axis.update({ min: 0 })); });

      1. hedora · 1790653828 · focus · HN ↗

         Though note that, for some reason, the last 250M barrels are not physically extractable from the SPR, and the red line has dropped to 284M.

         1. unethical_ban · 1790654279 · focus · HN ↗

            Source on that? Not doubting, just curious. If true that explains the Y axis starting there.

            1. hedora · 1790654519 · focus · HN ↗

               It’s in the article. They link to something explaining the range.

               At first I thought that’s why the graph zeros where it does, but it’s Y axis starts at 200M.

            2. leetrout · 1790654846 · focus · HN ↗

               Good summary about the physical and statutory limits

               <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.yahoo.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;us&#x2F;articles&#x2F;less-300-million-barrels-left-110000922.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.yahoo.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;us&#x2F;articles&#x2F;less-300-million-barr...

         2. zdragnar · 1790654389 · focus · HN ↗

            The &quot;for some reason&quot; is that the caverns the oil is stored in are expected to become geologically unstable if they are emptied below a certain threshold. Extract below the 250 mark, and run the risk that they will collapse and cannot be refilled.
         3. marcosdumay · 1790655914 · focus · HN ↗

            Not exactly &quot;not physically extractable&quot;, but extractable only slowly, probably contaminated by water, in a way that is very expensive to refine.

            People jump over the details in normal times, but then times get abnormal and impossible things start to happen.

            1. fsckboy · 1790656172 · focus · HN ↗

               i don&#x27;t think extracting water from gasoline would be difficult at all, but probably plenty of other contaminants possible.

               1. marcosdumay · 1790656825 · focus · HN ↗

                  Mix a spoon of oil in a couple of glasses of water, add salt, put it a few minutes in a blender, and tell me how easy it is to retrieve the oil.

                  Now scale that to millions of barrels of oil every day.

                  1. bawolff · 1790658969 · focus · HN ↗

                     isn&#x27;t that how we extract oilsands? by mixing it with hot water.

                     1. orwin · 1790671596 · focus · HN ↗

                        And they are very expensive to refine compared to Brent.
                  2. IAmBroom · 1790684977 · focus · HN ↗

                     1. Wait one hour.

                     2. Harvest.

                     In fact, a common further down in this thread says that&#x27;s exactly how they harvest all of the oil: they pressurize it with (salt)water.

         4. stackghost · 1790658538 · focus · HN ↗

            The red line is a percentage. Axis on the right.

            1. IAmBroom · 1790685126 · focus · HN ↗

               Not quite - the red line is a percentage of &quot;total stocks&quot;. That should mean a number equal or greater than the reserve. Also, the percentage axis starts at 16, not zero, so the problem remains.

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