One week to go..., page-39

Domum, I responded to OW on LSE earlier, and saw the same posted here too. and just to elaborate on the gas/liquid expectations, I would use the analogy of a pressure cooker - with weights on the valve the water will boil at around 120-130c (superheated), take the weights off and there is an instantaneous "explosion" as that boiling water turns to steam and rockets out of the vessel.
In Ice2, the pressure valve is just below the permafrost - so (I hope) we have superheated liquid HC's (hot and pressurised!) below 3,000 ft, and as it passes through the valve the pressure drops considerably and the liquid starts to boil turning into vapour. As it rises through the pipe and traverses the permafrost some of that vapour will condense (i.e. the heavy HC's) and some will continue to bubble up through the condensed oil (mostly methane) - not unlike taking the lid off a bottle of carbonated lemonade - the liquid rises and trickles down the side of the bottle and the dissolved, depressurised CO2 escapes. That pressure valve keeps the HC's below it hot and fizzy, and the aperture will be adjusted to keep the HC's flowing smoothly, rather than acting like that geezer called "Old Faithful" (aka geyser) namely a burst of activity, then a period of stillness while the pressure builds up enough for another uncontrolled burst to the surface.
We want a nice consistent flow, and for that Eric and the boys will be twiddling their dials for a while until they get the right balance between pressure and flow.