Chap 5 - Production Operations and Facilities

PDB1012
Introduction to Oil & Gas and

Sustainable Development
PRODUCTION OPERATIONS
AND FACILITIES
PETRONAS Management Training Sdn Bhd © 2006.

All right reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means (electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the permission of the copyright owner.
ALIYU ADEBAYO SULAIMON
Petroleum Engineering Department
Block L-1-35
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:
 Identify major surface production facilities.
 Explain functions of wellhead components.
 Describe Oil and Gas separation processes and equipment.
 Describe produced water treatment and storage facilities.

SURFACE FACILITIES – SUBSEA DEVP CONCEPT
INTRODUCTION
The basic equipment common to many surface processing

facilities include:
 Wellhead and manifold
 Separators
 Oil treaters
 Water treaters
 Pumps
 Compressors
 Gas dehydrator
 Condensate stabilization
 Acid gas treater
 Well testing equipment
 Lease automatic custody transfer (LACT)
INTRODUCTION – SUBSEA HARDWARE
The fluids
produced from
wells are usually
directed through
flow lines and
manifolds
(gathering
system) to a
central location
for processing
and treatment.
SUBSEA HARDWARE – MANIFOLD
When the production of two or more wells is commingled in a central

facility it is necessary to install a manifold to allow the production of the
wells into the common production line or the well test line
SUBSEA HARDWARE – WET TREE
Cluster
Well Head
•The gathering system begins at the

wellhead.
•The wellhead should include at least one

choke used to control the well production.
•If the upstream pressure is too high it is

recommended to use a positive choke in
series with an adjustable choke. In case the
adjustable choke fails, the positive choke
keep the production limited.
•An automatic shut-down valve can quickly

interrupt production in case of an event.
•Block valves are also required to perform

regular maintenance on the choke.
SUBSEA HARDWARE – Xmas TREE
SURFACE FACILITIES
SURFACE FACILITIES – PROCESS DESIGN
Flow Diagram
Process Flow
Schemes of flow
charts are commonly
used to present
details of the
process. It is very
important to
understand the
symbol convention
used in those charts
SURFACE FACILITIES
PROCESS DESIGN
 Design of Equipment depends on Physical Properties,

Phase Behavior and Flow of Hydrocarbon Fluids.
 Physical Properties affecting equipment design

are: vapor pressure, density, molecular weight,
viscosity, surface tension, composition and
gas/liquid volumes.
 Phase Behavior is the change in relationship

between phases at various conditions.
 Fluid Flow properties affecting transmission

system design are: viscosity and type of flow.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
 Physical properties
• Density
• Viscosity
• Formation volume factor
• Compressibility
• Thermal expansion
• Surface tension
 Need to predict pressure-volume-temperature (PVT)

behavior of gas to estimate its properties
 Techniques used to predict PVT behavior are
• Equation of State (EOS)
• Corresponding States Principle
• Empirical Correlations
Fluid Flow
 Transport properties of oil and gas are significant in the design of

equipment and flowlines
 Viscosity - indicates fluids resistance to flow

 Reynold's number - used to identify flow regime
𝝆𝒗𝑳
𝑹𝒆 =
𝝁
 Laminar Flow exist at Re < 2000
 Turbulent Flow exist at Re > 4000
SURFACE FACILITIES
SURFACE FACILITIES – OIL PROCESSING
BASIC SEPARATION
SEPARATION SYSTEM
 Separation is required - gas and liquid require

different processing methods.
 Separators are classified by physical shape,

function or number of phases they separate.
 Separator – separate a combined liquid-gas flow
• Two-phase – gas and liquid separation
• Three-phase – gas, liquid and water separation
 Scrubber: Handles stream with unusually high

Gas-Liquid Ratios (GLR)
 Water knockout: Separates free water.
 Filter: Removes solids from gas/liquid

stream.
SEPARATOR
Gas
Liquid
Two Phase Three Phase

VERTICAL SEPARATOR
Advantages
 Liquid level and fluids control
not critical
 Easier and cheaper to design
for surge capacity
 Can handle solids with certain
design
 Easier to clean
Disadvantages
 More expensive
 Does not adapt to skid-
mounted assemblies well
 Requires larger diameter for
same gas capacity.
HORIZONTAL SEPARATOR
Advantages Disadvantages
 Less expensive  Has less liquid surge
 More adaptable to skid- capacity
mounting  Liquid level control
 More available area for settling is more critical
 More adaptable to
accommodate heating coils or
sand jets
 Can more effectively handle
foamy crude
MULTISTAGE SEPARATION
 Oil and gas separation carried on in several stages

at successively lower pressures.
 The more stages of separation the fluids go

through the more perfect the overall separation will
be.
 Separation efficiency increases resulting in higher

percentage of recoverable liquids.
MULTISTAGE SEPARATION
SURFACE FACILITIES – GAS PROCESSING
GAS SEPARATION SYSTEM
 Gas and condensate flow from wellheads to the 3-

phase production separator which separate water
from the condensate and gas
 Gas is then sent to the glycol dehydration system,

condensate to condensate Flash Tank and produced
water to skimmer
 Produced gas is dried by contacting it with

Triethylene – Glycol (TEG) liquid
 Condensate from Flask Tank is passed to Coalescer

which allow nearly total removal of remaining
produced water
SURFACE FACILITIES
SURFACE FACILITIES – WATER TREATMENT
Two primary needs for water processing:
 Disposal
 Treatment of produced water separated from
oil and gas prior to disposal in an
environmentally acceptable manner .
 Injection
 Cleaning of source water from rivers or sea
before wellbore injection in EOR projects to
minimize zone plugging and maintain high
injection rates.
 The contents of an oil reservoir may be considered as

consisting of three major components – gas, crude
oil and water. Of these three, gas and oil are saleable
products, whereas water unless used for injection
purposes, is a WASTE PRODUCT.
 The water, separated from the oil and gas in the

platform separation trains, is known as PRODUCED
WATER.
 Before Produced Water can be either disposed of into

the sea or used for injection purposes it requires
treatment.
 Water collected from processing facilities

contains:
• Suspended oil droplets
• Dissolved gases
• Entrained solids
 Selected treatment and disposal method

determines:
• Water quality target at minimum cost and
• Satisfies applicable rules, regulations or laws.
SURFACE FACILITIES
SURFACE FACILITIES - PRODUCTION SUPPORT FACILITIES
ARTIFICIAL LIFT SYSTEM
 Completed producing wells will usually produced fluids from Wellbore

to the surface by means of natural reservoir energy.
 Artificial lift is supplemented into well tubing pressure during their

Economic Life in order to obtain maximum recovery of oil for
maximum profit before its Economic Limit of producing life is
reached.
 Notable exceptions are wells completed in a prolific water drive

reservoir where wells may continue to flow until as much as 100 %
saltwater production is obtained. The usual experience is that a well
will require some means of artificial lift.
Hydraulic Lift
Electric
Reciprocating Progressive
Gas Lift Plunger Lift Hydraulic Lift Hydraulic Jet Submersible
Rod Lift Cavity Pump
Pump
Operating To 16,000” To 16,000 To 15,000” To 19,000” To 17,000” To 15,000” To 15,000”
Depth TVD TVD TVD TVD TVD TVD TVD
Operating To 6,000 To 4,500 To 30,000 To 200 To 8,000 To 15,000 To 40,000
Volume BFPD BFPD BFPD BFPD BFPD BFPD BFPD
Operating
To 550oF To 235oF NA To 550oF To 550oF To 550oF To 400oF
Temperature
Corrosion Good to Good to
Fair Excellent Good Excellent Good
Handling Excellent Excellent
Gas
Fair to Good Good Excellent Excellent Good Fair Good
Handling
Solids
Fair to Good Excellent Good Fair Fair Good Fair
Handling
Fluid
> 80 API > 350 API > 150 API > 150 API > 80 API > 80 API > 100 API
Gravity
Wellhead
Workover or Workover or Wireline or Hydraulic or Hydraulic or Workover or
Servicing Catcher or
Pulling Rig Pulling Rig Workover Wireline Wireline Pulling Rig
Wireline
Prime Gas or Gas or Wells Nature Multicylinder Multicylinder
Compressor Electric Motor
Mover Electric Electric Energy or Electric or Electric
Offshore
Limited Good Excellent NA Good Excellent Excellent
Application
Efficiency 45% to 60% 40% to 70% 10% to 30% NA 45% to 55% 10% to 30% 35% to 60%
SURFACE FACILITIES
SURFACE FACILITIES
CRUDE & GAS STORAGE
 Major goals in providing clean product storage:

• To furnish sufficient storage volume to minimize
production operations down-time.
• To prevent volumetric loss or quality
degradation while product is in storage
• To avoid pollution.
 Factors governing selection of storage mode are:

• Economic considerations
• Safety considerations
• Pollution Control.
SURFACE FACILITIES
CRUDE & GAS STORAGE
 Economic considerations:
• Unit cost of storage and associated facilities

• Operating and maintenance costs
• Capability of future expansion
• Cost of land
• Oil conservation and vapor prevention.
SURFACE FACILITIES
CRUDE & GAS STORAGE
 Safety considerations:
• Proximity to property line.
• Spacing requirements.
• Prevention of hydrocarbon release to the

atmosphere.
• Vapor pressure and other physical properties of

the product to ensure safe storage.
• Dike (or Dyke) wall requirements.
• Pressure vacuum relief valves.

SURFACE FACILITIES – CRUDE & GAS STORAGE
TANK TYPES STORAGE
SURFACE FACILITIES – CRUDE & GAS STORAGE
NON-CONVENTIONAL STORAGE
SURFACE FACILITIES
SURFACE FACILITIES – CRUDE & GAS EVACUATION
ROTATING EQUIPMENT
 Transfer mechanical energy to a process fluid or

convert the fuel energy (chemical energy) to shaft
work.
 Two basic categories:

• Driven Equipment – pumps, compressors, generator
• Prime Movers – reciprocating engines, gas turbine,
electric motor, steam turbine
 A rotating equipment installation consists of

driven equipment connected to a prime mover
through a coupling or a gear box.
ROTATING EQUIPMENT
Pumps:
 A equipment device that applies mechanical
energy to fluid.
Compressors:
 Used for compressing natural gas from separators
for fuel and sales, gas pipeline transmission, gas
lift and re-injection, and in process refrigeration
systems.
ROTATING EQUIPMENT – PUMP
Pump
Positive Kinetic
Displacement
Reciprocating Rotary Peripheral Centrifugal Special

Type
Piston Vane Radial Flow

Plunger Gear Axial Flow
Diaphragm Lobe Mixed Flow
Screw
ROTATING EQUIPMENT – COMPRESSOR
Compressor
Positive
Dynamic
Displacement
Jet
Reciprocating Rotary Rotary
Aspirator
Piston Vane Lobe Centrifugal

Diaphragm Screw
Radial
Axial
Discharge volutes Impeller inlet

Impellers labyrinth seals
Shaft and
Drive coupling labyrinth seal
Journal bearing
Casing Thrust bearing

(horizontally split
flange) Compressor
discharge nozzle
Compressor
inlet nozzle
METERING
 Fluid measurement commonly called metering
 Purpose of metering
• Contractual requirement
• Production planning
• Product quality control
• Process control
• Safety
 Accuracy
• Well testing – deviations less than 5% acceptable
• Custody transfer – deviations of 0.5% is the maximum
allowed.
• Dependent on two factors – repeatability and accurate
determination of correction factors
PIPELINE PIGGING
 Reason for pigging
• To clean and increase line efficiency
• To locate obstructions and inspections of the line
• To separate products
• Corrosion control
• Air purge and water removal
• Meter proving
PIPELINE PIGGING
PRODUCTION TEAM
Business Information System (BIS)
One of the major business activities of the oil and gas industry
is the global supply-chain.
 Simplify and streamline data management and access,

interlocking the experiences of local and contrasting workers,
saturating investments and operational decisions for the benefit
of exploration and production.
 Adapt a supply-chain wide technology to allow every user of the

system to see a single file system.
 Provides instant service wherever the location of the user or

desktop device.
 Allows administrators to manage the enterprise from anywhere.

PRODUCTION TEAM
Chemical Engineers
 Work in the facility section of the upstream sector as
process safety support or facility engineers.
 Manage projects related to tanks, pumps, pipelines and
separators.
 Design process to recover residual oil (e.g. chemical flood,
steam flood etc.)
 Prepare process engineering project documentation
including Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs), Piping and
Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs), equipment data sheets
and general equipment and sizing calculations.
 Pipeline and downstream operations.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Civil Engineers
 Each equipment requires foundations to safely transmit its
load to the ground during operation and maintenance.
 Roads
 Internal plant roads
 Walkways
 Paving to access different section and equipment of the field.
 Control buildings
 Office and residential buildings
 Security fencing boundary walls etc.
 Design, plan, execute and manage civil works required for

a particular project or facility.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Electrical Engineers
 Drilling rigs are electrically powered.
 Generators are used to drive mud pumps, mud handling equipment and
provide 24hr illumination for the cabins of crew members.
 Coordinate and in some cases, create the schematics for the electrical
and electronic systems refinery-wide.
 Design, plan and engineer the high voltage work at refineries (e.g. many
compressors, generators, computers, furnaces and assorted
equipment).
 Write, amend and approve the electrical Management of Change (MOC)

documents.
 MOCs are complex sets of instructions that are required for any
major upgrades or new installations at refineries.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Information & Communication Technology (ICT)
 Research, plan, design, develop, modify, evaluate and
integrate computer and information and communication
system networks.
 Develop complex production and processing systems,

surface wellhead systems, high pressure fluid control
equipment and marine loading systems.
 They are Design Engineers, Field Service Engineers,

Hardware Engineers, Hardware Design Engineers,
Network Engineers, System Engineers, and
Telecommunications Hardware Engineers.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Mechanical Engineering
 Responsible for many different aspects of the oil production
and refinement processes.
 Design and install equipment.
 Design and oversee large projects.
 Research and develop new technologies in the field.

PRODUCTION TEAM
Petroleum Engineering (Production Engineers)
 Design and select the appropriate subsurface and surface
production equipment.
 Coordinate the installation, maintenance and operation of the

mining and oilfield equipment.
 Manage the boundary between the well and the reservoir using
perforations, sand control, artificial lift, and downhole control.
 Oversee the well to ensure it is flowing making oil or gas and

continues to be economically viable. They also recommend
modifications to maximise the efficiency of oil and gas recovery
 Production Engineers work both in an office and out in the field

at well sites.
QUESTIONS?

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PDB1012

Introduction to Oil & Gas and

PETRONAS Management Training Sdn Bhd © 2006.

Petroleum Engineering Department

At the end of this lecture, students should be able to:

 Identify major surface production facilities.

 Explain functions of wellhead components.

 Describe Oil and Gas separation processes and equipment.

 Describe produced water treatment and storage facilities.

The basic equipment common to many surface processing

When the production of two or more wells is commingled in a central

•The gathering system begins at the

•The wellhead should include at least one

•If the upstream pressure is too high it is

•An automatic shut-down valve can quickly

•Block valves are also required to perform

 Design of Equipment depends on Physical Properties,

 Physical Properties affecting equipment design

 Phase Behavior is the change in relationship

 Fluid Flow properties affecting transmission

 Need to predict pressure-volume-temperature (PVT)

 Transport properties of oil and gas are significant in the design of

 Viscosity - indicates fluids resistance to flow

 Separation is required - gas and liquid require

 Separators are classified by physical shape,

 Scrubber: Handles stream with unusually high

 Water knockout: Separates free water.

 Filter: Removes solids from gas/liquid

Two Phase Three Phase

 Oil and gas separation carried on in several stages

 The more stages of separation the fluids go

 Separation efficiency increases resulting in higher

 Gas and condensate flow from wellheads to the 3-

 Gas is then sent to the glycol dehydration system,

 Produced gas is dried by contacting it with

 Condensate from Flask Tank is passed to Coalescer

Two primary needs for water processing:

 The contents of an oil reservoir may be considered as

 The water, separated from the oil and gas in the

 Before Produced Water can be either disposed of into

 Water collected from processing facilities

 Selected treatment and disposal method

 Completed producing wells will usually produced fluids from Wellbore

 Artificial lift is supplemented into well tubing pressure during their

 Notable exceptions are wells completed in a prolific water drive

 Major goals in providing clean product storage:

 Factors governing selection of storage mode are:

• Unit cost of storage and associated facilities

• Prevention of hydrocarbon release to the

• Vapor pressure and other physical properties of

• Dike (or Dyke) wall requirements.

• Pressure vacuum relief valves.

 Transfer mechanical energy to a process fluid or

 Two basic categories:

 A rotating equipment installation consists of

Reciprocating Rotary Peripheral Centrifugal Special

Piston Vane Radial Flow

Piston Vane Lobe Centrifugal

Discharge volutes Impeller inlet

Casing Thrust bearing

 Fluid measurement commonly called metering

 Reason for pigging

• To clean and increase line efficiency

• To locate obstructions and inspections of the line