Petroleum Department

5𝑡ℎ Stage

Production Engineering

Nora Khalid

2023-2022
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Outlines
 Introduction and Production System
 Surface Facility
• Central processing facility(CPF)
• Early processing facility(EPF)
 Wellhead system
 Christmas tree system
 Flow line
• Flow line fittings
• Flow line components
 Production Manifolds
 Separator
 Heat Exchenger
 Coalescer
 Well Problem Identification

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Introduction

 After exploration and drilling , comes the production of the much-

needed oil and gas. Production entails lifting the well fluids from
the well bottom to the wellhead. After the casing is installed, the
production tubing, which is a pipe, is run into the well. The tubing
provides a flow path for the well fluids. The use of a pipe to
produce hydrocarbons from the subsurface.

 The role of a production engineer is to maximize oil and gas

production in a cost-effective manner.

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Production System
 The production system is the system that transports reservoir
fluids from the subsurface reservoir to the surface, processes and
treats the fluids, and prepares the fluids for storage and transfer to
the market. And includes the following principle components:

1. The reservoir: is a porous and permeable underground formation

which oil and natural gas has accumulated.
2. The wellbore: is a hole that connects the surface to the reservoir.
3. Wellhead, Xmas tree and flow lines.
4. Treatment Facilities

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Production System

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Surface Facility

 The produces oil from reservoir contains toxic gases and water,
that gas and water should be removed from crude oil for several
reason to make it suitable for the refinery sector, and to prepared it
for selling.

The surface facility can be defined as a

set of system and equipment to process
fluids produced from oil wells.

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Surface Facility

1. Central Processing Facility(CPF): The CPF plant used to

separate the water and gases from crude oil in order to get a good
quality crude oil for exporting.
2. Early Processing Facility(EPF): Is the same as CPF unit foe
separating gases from the crude oil.

What is the different between CPF and EPF?

The EPF separators are two phases (Gas and Liquid), while the CPF
separator are three phases (Gas, Water, and Oil).

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 Flare
PGP HP LP
KOD KOD
Blower
Chemicals injection

Antifoam Demulsifier
Chemical Injection –
Corrosion Inhibiter
3 Manifolds 1st
Separator
Heat Exchanger

Degasser
2nd Storage
Separator Export

Tank
Drain Pumps to Slop Tank

Export
Electrostatic pumps
Coalescer

Gas
Wate Transfer pumps
Oil
r To Atmosphere
Vent Tank

Slop PW injection Well

Tank T
Slop pump

Slop pump
Wellhead System
The wellhead is defined as the surface equipment set below the
master valve.

The wellhead system consist of two components:

1. Casing Head (Including Casing hangers & Casing head
spool).
2. Tubing Head (Including Tubing hangers & Tubing head
spool).

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A wellhead functions:
1. Provide a means of casing suspension.
2. Provides a means of tubing suspension.
3. Provides a means of attaching a blowout preventer during drilling.
4. Provides a means of attaching a Christmas tree for production
operations.

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Christmas Tree System
X-mas tree is the top equipment of completion to control flow of
well fluids and access for well intervention activities.

Christmas Tree Types:

A. Solid Block Xmas tree.
B. Composite Block Xmas tree.
C. Horizontal Xmas tree.

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Christmas Tree Components

1. Upper Master Valve (UMV)

2. Lower Master Valve (LMV)
3. Production Wing Valve (PWV)
4. Kill Wing Valve
5. Swab Valve
6. Choke Valve

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Christmas Tree Components

1. Upper Master Valve: Is used on moderate to high pressure

wells as an emergency shut-in system.
2. Lower Master Valve: Utilized on all Xmas trees for contingency
to the UMV to shut of well flow in the event of a leaking UMV
or the connection between them.
3. Production Wig Valve: The PWV permits the passage of well
fluids to the coke.
4. Kill Wing Valve: Is used for equalization and permits entry of
kill fluid into the completion string.
5. Swab Valve: Permits vertical entry into the well for well
servicing actives.
6. Choke Valve: To restrict, control or regulate the flow of
hydrocarbons from the well.
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Flow Line
A Flow Line is a pipe used for transporting oil, gas or any thing that
flows.
 The size of flow line may vary from 1 inches to 24 inches.

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Flow Line Fittings
The most common types of flow line fittings are as follow:

1. Elbow: It is a pipe fitting installed

between two lengths of pipe or tube
allowing a change of direction,
usually 90° or 45.

2. Tee-Connection: is used to either combine or split a fluid flow.

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Flow Line Fittings

3. Reducer: is used to change the pipe diameter.

4. Gasket:

5. Expansion Joint:

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Flow Line Components
1) Pressure Gauge or Transmitter
2) Temperature Gauge or Transmitter
3) Corrosion Coupon
4) Flow Meter
5) Chemical injection point
i. Corrosion inhibitor
ii. Demulsifier
iii. Biocide
iv. Anti foam
6) Sample point

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 Pressure Gauge Temperature Gauge Corrosion Coupon

Flow Meter Chemical injection point Sample point

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Production Manifold
The manifold serves to convey the well fluids from many flow lines
to a separation system.

 The lines that join the manifold to the separators are known as
"headers". Chemical injection points are installed on individual
header lines.

There are two types of manifold:

1. Production Manifold: takes the crude oil to production
separator.
2. Testing Manifold: takes the crude oil to test separator.

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 Two types of manifold

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Separator

A separator is a large pressure vessel designed to separate

production fluids into their constituent components of oil, gas and
water.

 Separator utilize the force of gravity to separate oil-gas mixtures

(due to different densities of the fluids).

Types of Separator
A) Horizontal separator
B) Vertical separator.
C) Spherical separator

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Separator
Classification by Function:
1. Two phase separator: gas is separated from the liquid
2. Three phase separator: In three-phase separators, well fluid is
separated into gas, oil, and water.

2 Phase Separator 3 Phase Separator

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Separator Component

1. Deflector plate is a plate that the oil in the first contact it will hit a
deflector plate which changes the direction and reduces the
pressure. About 80% of the gas will be release from oil in this step.

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Separator Components
2. coalescing area comes after deflector plate its an area that slow
down oil movement and let the water drops settle at the
bottom.
3. vortex breaker the vortex breaker is a tool at the water outlet of
separator to avoid occurring vortex when removing water.

4. The weir which is like a wall and separate oil from water.

5. The mist extractor is a tool in gas outlet to catch the condense

trying to move through gas outlet.

6. Foam breaker is a plate that reduces the foam in separator.

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Heat Exchanger
A heat exchanger is a heat transfer device that exchanges heat
between two or more process fluids.

There are two types of Heat Exchanger:

1. Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger: the main features of a shell-
and tube exchanger having one fluid flowing inside the tubes and
the other flowing outside the tubes.
2. Plates Heat Exchanger: As the name implies, plate heat
exchangers usually are constructed of thin plates.

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 Shell and Tube
Heat Exchanger

Plates Heat Exchanger

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Coalescer
A coalescer is a device which induces coalescence in a medium.
They are primarily used to separate emulsions into their
components via various processes, operating in reverse to an
emulsifier.
Coalescers are of two main types:
1. Mechanical coalescer
2. Electrostatic coalescer

Mechanical coalescers: use filters or baffles to make droplets

coalesce.
Electrostatic coalescers: use DC or AC electric fields (or
combinations).

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 Coalescer

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Well Problem Identification
The engineering work for sustaining and enhancing oil and gas
production rates starts from identifying problems that cause low
production rates of wells, quick decline of the desirable production
fluid, or rapid increase in the undesirable fluids.

For oil wells, these problems include:

A. Low productivity
B. Excessive gas production
C. Excessive water production
D. Sand production

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A. Low Productivity

The lower than expected productivity of oil or gas well is found on

the basis of comparison of the well's actual production rate and the
production rate that is predicted by Nodal analysis.

The lower than expected well productivity can be attributed

to one or more of the following reasons:
 Overestimate of reservoir pressure.
 Overestimate of reservoir permeability (absolute and relative
permeabilities).
 Formation damage (mechanical and pseudo skins).

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B. Excessive Gas Production

Excessive gas production is usually due to channeling behind the

casing, preferential flow through high-permeability zones, gas
coning, and casing leaks.

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C. Excessive water production

Excessive water production is usually from water zones, not from

the connate water in the pay zone. water enters the wellbore due to
channeling behind the casing, preferential flow through high
permeability zones, water coning, hydraulic fracturing into water
zones, and casing leaks.

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D. Sand Production

Sand production from the reservoir is caused by the structural

failure of borehole wall rock.

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Outlines
 Reservoir Drives Mechanism
• Rock and liquid expansion drive
• Depletion drive
• Gas-cap drive
• Water drive
• Gravity drainage drive
• Combination drive
 Artificial Lift
 Recovery Mechanism
• Primary recovery
• Secondary recovery
• Tertiary recovery
 Wellbore Damage
 Well Stimulation

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Reservoir Drive Mechanism
 The reservoir drive mechanism refers to the method by which the
reservoir provides the energy for fluid production.
 Each reservoir is composed of:
a) Geometric form,
b) Geological rock properties,
c) Fluid characteristics,
d) Primary drive mechanism.

 There are a number of drive mechanism and a reservoir may be

under the influence of one or more of these mechanisms
simultaneously.

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Reservoir Drive Mechanism
 There are six driving mechanisms that provide the natural
energy necessary for oil recovery:

1. Rock and liquid expansion drive

2. Depletion drive
3. Gas-cap drive
4. Water drive
5. Gravity drainage drive
6. Combination drive

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1. Rock and liquid expansion drive

When an oil reservoir initially exists at a pressure higher than its

bubble-point pressure, the reservoir is called an under-saturated-oil
reservoir. At pressures above the bubble-point pressure, crude oil,
connate-water, and rock are the only materials present. As the
reservoir pressure declines, the rock and fluids expand due to their
compressibility.

The reservoir rock compressibility is the result of two factors:

 Expansion of the individual rock grains
 Formation compaction.

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2. Depletion drive

This driving form may also be referred to by the following various

terms:
• Solution gas drive
• Dissolved gas drive
• Internal gas drive
The principal source of energy is a result of gas liberation from the
crude oil and the subsequent expansion of the solution gas as the
reservoir pressure is reduced. As pressure falls below the bubble-
point pressure, gas bubbles are liberated within the pores. These
bubbles expand and force the crude oil out of the pore space.

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 Depletion Drive

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3. Gas-cap drive

Gas-cap-drive reservoirs can be identified by the presence of a gas

cap with little or no water Drive. These reservoirs are characterized
by a slow decline in the reservoir pressure due to gas cap
expansion.

The natural energy available to produce the crude oil comes from:
 Expansion of the gas-cap gas
 Expansion of the liberated solution gas

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 Gas-cap drive
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4. Water drive

Many reservoirs are bounded by water bearing rocks called aquifers.

In water-drive reservoirs the pressure caused by the ‘’column’’ of
water will force the oil and gas toward the wellbore.
Two types of water drive:
a) Bottom water drive: where the water leg underlies the entire
reservoir.
b) Edge water drive: where only part of the areal extend is
connected by water.

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 Water-drive
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5. Gravity drainage drive

The gravity drainage mechanism occurs as a result of differences in

densities of the reservoir fluids.
The fluids in the petroleum reservoirs are subjected to the
gravitational forces, so (gas on top, oil underlying the gas, and
water underlying the oil).

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 6. Combination drive

The driving mechanism most commonly encountered is a combination-

drive mechanism, one in which both water and free gas are available to
displace the oil toward the producing wells.

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Artificial lift

 Artificial lift systems are the technologies used to increase fluid

production from the reservoir.

 Generally this is achieved by the use of a mechanical device inside

the well (known as pump) or by decreasing the weight of the
hydrostatic column by injecting gas into the liquid.

 Artificial lift is needed in wells when there is insufficient

pressure (decreasing reservoir pressure) in the reservoir to lift the
produced fluids to the surface.

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Artificial Lift

Production rate from wells may need to be increased principally

for two reasons;

1. Inadequate reservoir drive and energy to produce fluid from

the reservoir.
2. Non- economic production rate from reservoir’s natural
energy drive.

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Artificial Lift Systems

Methods of artificial lift:

1) Sucker Rod/Beam Pumping

2) Plunger Lift

3) Progressive Cavity Pump (PCP)

4) Hydraulic Pump

5) Electric Submersible Pump (ESP)

6) Gas Lift

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Gas Lift
 Gas lift is achieved by continuous injection of gas at the bottom of
the production string.

Oil production by gas lift can be controlled by:

• Changing gas volumes
• Injection depth
• Wellhead pressure
• Tubing size.

 A series of devices called gas lift valves are inserted into the sides
of the tubing.

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Recovery Mechanism
 Primary Oil Recovery
Primary oil recovery refers to the process of extracting oil either via
the natural rise of hydrocarbons to the surface of the earth or via
artificial lift devices.

Primary Recovery

Natural Flow Artificial Lift Systems

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Recovery Mechanism
 Secondary Oil Recovery
This method involves the injection of gas or water, which will
displace the oil, force it to move from its resting place and bring it to
the surface.

Secondary
Recovery

Gas Injection Water Injection

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Recovery Mechanism
 Enhanced Oil Recovery
Rather than simply trying to force the oil out of the ground, as did the
previous two methods, enhanced oil recovery seeks to alter its
properties to make it more conducive to extraction.
• EOR will make unmovable Oil moveable.

Tertiary Recovery

Chemical Thermal
Gas Injection
Injection Recovery

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Wellbore damage
Some, petroleum exists in a formation but is unable to flow readily
into the well because the formation has very low permeability.

1. Natural low permeability formation.

2. Formation damage around the wellbore caused by invasion of
perforation fluid.

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Wellbore Damage
It is not unusual during drilling, completion, or workover operations
for materials such as mud filtrate, cement slurry, or clay particles
to enter the formation and reduce the permeability around the
wellbore. This effect is commonly referred to as “wellbore damage”
and the region of altered permeability is called the “skin zone.”

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Skin Damage & Formation Permeability
 Skin damage is caused by drilling fluid invasion, which reduces
the permeability around the wellbore.

 A high permeability reservoir exhibits a thick invaded zone than a

low permeability.

 But the percentage loss in permeability in a high reservoir is

smaller than that in a low permeability zone.

 This is because that high permeability formations have large pore

throat sizes.

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There are only three possible outcomes in evaluating
the skin factor s:

1. Positive skin factor, s > 0: When

the damaged zone near the
wellbore exists.

2. Negative skin factor, s < 0: This

negative factor indicates an
improved wellbore condition.

3. Zero skin factor, s = 0: Zero skin

factor occurs when no alternation
in the permeability around the
wellbore.

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Well Stimulation

Well Stimulation: Any of several operations used to increase the

production of a well or a treatment performed to restore or enhance
the productivity of a well such as:
 Acidizing
• Matrix Acidizing
• Fracture Acidizing
 Hydraulic Fracturing

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Acidizing
Acidizing: The pumping of acid into the wellbore to remove near-
well formation damage and other damaging substances.

The two basic types of acidizing are:

1) Matrix acidizing: is applied to remove skin damage caused by

drilling fluid, during matrix acidizing the acids dissolve the
sediment and mud solids within the pores that are inhibiting the
permeability of the rock.
Mostly used in sandstone formation

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Acidizing
2) Fracture acidizing: in fracture acidizing, the reservoir is
hydraulically fractured an then the fracture faces are etched with
acid to provide linear flow channels to wellbore.

Matrix Acidizing Fracture Acidizing

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Well Stimulation Acids
The basic types of acid used are:
i. Hydrochloric
ii. Hydrochloric-Hydrofluoric
iii. Formic
iv. Acetic
v. Sulfamic
vi. fluoboric

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Hydraulic Fracturing

 The objective of hydraulic fracturing is to increase well

productivity by creating a highly conductive path.

Hydraulic fracturing stages:

a. Spearhead stage
b. Pad stage
c. Proppant stage
d. Flush stage

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Hydraulic Fracturing Stages:

 Spearhead Stage- Mixing water with acid, used to clear debris

and create path way.

 Pad Stage- Inject fluid before proppant to break the formation.

 Proppant Stage- Injection of water and sand and remains in

formation.

 Flush Stage- At last fresh water is pumped into wellbore.

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