COVID19 in Guyana - January 2021

Our daily new cases has surged again to levels a little below that of the first wave, so far. The number in ICU is not high. New variants are suspected but not confirmed.

Not much seems to have changed otherwise. Mask wearing has become a fact of life in the city.

Our neighbour, Surinam, also has a surge.

 

Writing ebooks - introductory booklets on the Bahá’í Faith

Health issues plus lockdown has given me time to write. Initially I intended to take four booklets written by a close friend (Moeen Kiani) who left this world a few years ago and make them more accessible by converting them into ebooks on Kindle. They were all short introductory booklets on the Bahá’í Faith. However this has proved to be complicated and I decided to write similar booklets from scratch.

The first booklet is for a general reader of no particular religion and uses science and religion as an introduction. The next booklet will be from a Christian perspective.

The booklets are Kindle ebooks at $0.99. They can be located by searching for my name or using this link.

Creating Kindle ebooks is not that difficult but there is a learning curve and much time can be wasted. I am happy to give advice, if needed, especially to Guyanese writers.

Book description:

This booklet is intended as a short introduction to the Bahá'í Faith for those who do not think of themselves as religious. 

Its main teaching is that mankind is one people and that religion is essentially one and progressive.

The Bahá'í Faith is established in more than 100,000 localities in virtually every country and territory around the world. Please investigate.

Update - late January. Second book added.

COVID19 in Guyana - December

Our daily new cases has fallen to single digits despite hundreds of tests so that is good news. The number in ICU is also low. Not much else has changed that I am aware of. 

Waiting to see if Christmas activities cause a spike!

 

Natural gas in Guyana - flaring and venting

As Exxon continues oil production, natural gas is also being produced. There seems to be a lack of clarity about this process so, while I am no expert, I will try to explain what I have learned.

As the oil is extracted natural gas will also come with it. The amount and composition of the gas varies from well to well and time to time. However the gas is largely methane. It is not the same as 'cooking gas' which is propane or butane. Natural gas can be processed to produce 'cooking gas' and other products.

Large amounts of natural gas can be a real problem for the oil company. There seem to be four options for handling it. It is often reinjected back into the well which can increase the amount of oil available for extraction. This requires compressing the gas to force it back down into the well especially if the well is deep as it is for Guyana.

Secondly, to transport the gas to the shore which requires a pipeline on the sea bed which is a big project requiring time and resources to put in place. This may be the best option in the medium term. As I understand it transporting the gas by ship is not an option as this would require liquefying it first - a difficult and energy intensive operation.

Then there is venting which simply invisibly releases the gas into the atmosphere. This is sounds simple but is a very bad idea since methane is a powerful, potent greenhouse gas and will contribute to global warming. There would seem to be other potential hazards too as methane is invisible, inflammable and can be harmful.

And finally there is flaring which means burning the gas in a spectacular plume of flame. If this done properly the gas will be fully converted to carbon dioxide which is also contributes to global warming. However it is much less potent than methane and thus it a much more responsible way than venting to dispose of unusable natural gas.

I am unsure what the current status is here in Guyana regarding natural gas but hope this outline may help understanding. There is clearly no existing pipeline for gas. Reinjection and some flaring does take place.

An issue not mentioned above is leakage of methane. No matter how the gas is handled there will be some amount of leakage. It is the job of the oil company to minimise this as far as possible. Such is the concern about methane that satellites are being used to track sources of methane leaks.

Sources:

Natural gas for domestic demand by 2023

https://guyanachronicle.com/2019/11/07/natural-gas-for-domestic-demand-by-2023/

Natural gas

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gas

Environmental Implications of Flaring and Venting in Crude Oil and Natural Gas Production

http://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/html/10.11648.j.ijema.20160406.13.html

Despite Their Promises, Giant Energy Companies Burn Away Vast Amounts of Natural Gas

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/16/climate/natural-gas-flaring-exxon-bp.html

 

COVID19 in Guyana - November

 

No major changes since last month. I guess that is a good thing. Deaths now approach 150 but the ICU is about half full (about 8). Daily cases reported are in the usual range.

There are positive reports that private labs are increasingly able to test for the virus - at a cost. It is also reported that the new hospital at Ocean View is being put into use for pandemic patients.