ROLE OF PRODUCTION ENGINEER

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

production in a cost-effective manner.

• Familiarization and understanding of oil and gas production

systems are essential to the engineers.

• In coordination with the Reservoir Engineer, the well completion

is to be done and the surface facilities to be made ready.

• Operations are to be carried out for a longer life with high

production rates. Safety and maintenance of the wells, facilities
and pipe lines is the responsibility of the Production engineer.
 COMPONENTS OF PRODUCTION SYSTEM
• A complete oil or gas production system consists of
a reservoir, well, flowline, separators, pumps, and
transportation pipelines.

• The reservoir supplies wellbore with crude oil or

gas.

• The well provides a path for the production fluid to

flow from bottom hole to surface and offers a
means to control the fluid production rate.
• The flow line leads the produced fluid to
separators.

• The separators remove gas,oil and water.

• Pumps and compressors are used to transport
oil and gas through pipelines to sales points.
Pe = External boundary radius pressure, psi
Pwf = Well sand-face mid-perf pressure, psi
A well in an oil reservoir with 3600 psia has a pressure drop of 750 psi in the
reservoir path and 450 psi drop in the skin; Find out the well flowing bottom
hole pressure.

Solution:
Given
Reservoir pressure =3600 psi
Pressure drop in the reservoir path = 750 psi
Skin effect pressure drop = 450 psi

Pwf = Preservoir – drop in the reservoir flow path – drop in the skin
= 3600 – 750 – 450 psi
= 2400 psi
COMPONENTS FROM WELL HEAD TO END SALES LINES / DISPOSAL
 RESERVOIR
• Reservoir Hydrocarbon accumulations in
geological traps can be classified as reservoir,
field, and pool.
• A ‘‘reservoir’’ is a porous and permeable
underground formation containing an
individual bank of hydrocarbons confined by
impermeable rock or water barriers and is
characterized by a single natural pressure
system.
•
• A ‘‘field’’ is an area that consists of one or
more reservoirs all related to the same
structural feature.

• A pool’’ contains one or more reservoirs in

isolated structures.
• Depending on the initial reservoir condition in
the phase diagram (Fig. 1.2), hydrocarbon
accumulations are classified as oil, gas
condensate, and gas reservoirs.
• An oil that is at a pressure above its bubble-
point pressure is called an ‘‘undersaturated
oil’’ because it can dissolve more gas at the
given temperature.
• An oil that is at its bubble-point pressure is
called a ‘‘saturated oil’’ because it can dissolve
• no more gas at the given temperature.
• Single (liquid)-phase flow prevails in an under
saturated oil reservoir,
• whereas two-phase (liquid oil and free gas)
flow exists in a saturated oil reservoir.
• Wells in the same reservoir can fall into categories of oil,
condensate, and gas wells depending on the producing gas–oil
ratio(GOR).GOR= volume of gas scf/volume of oil stb

• wells with producing GOR being less than 5,000 scf/stb are
classified as oil wells.

• Condensate wells are those with producing GOR being less

than 100,000 scf/stb but greater than 5,000 scf/stb; and

• Gas wells are wells with producing GOR being greater

than100,000 scf/STB;
• Oil reservoirs can be classified on the basis of
boundary type, which determines driving
mechanism, and which are as follows:
• . Water-drive reservoir
• . Gas-cap drive reservoir
• . Dissolved-gas drive reservoir
 DRIVING MECHANISM
There are basically six driving mechanisms that
provide the natural energy necessary for oil
recovery:
• Rock and liquid expansion drive
• Depletion drive
• Gas cap drive
• Water drive
• Gravity drainage drive
• Combination drive
 Rock and Liquid Expansion
• When an oil reservoir initially exists at a pressure
higher than its bubble-point pressure, the reservoir is
called an undersaturated 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 individual compressibility's.

• connate water. Water trapped in the pores of a

rock during formation of the rock
• The reservoir rock compressibility is the result of
two factors:
• • Expansion of the individual rock grains
• • Formation compaction
• Both of the above two factors are the results of a
decrease of fluid pressure within the pore spaces,
and both tend to reduce the pore volume through
the reduction of the porosity. As the expansion of
the fluids and reduction in the pore volume occur
with decreasing reservoir pressure, the crude oil
and water will be forced
• Formation compaction:
• The physical process by which sediments are 
consolidated, resulting in the reduction of pore space
as grains are packed closer together. As layers of 
sediment accumulate, the ever increasing overburden 
pressure during burial causes compaction of the
sediments, loss of pore fluids and formation of rock
 as grains are welded or cemented together.

• Overburden pressure, also called lithostatic pressure, confining

pressure or vertical stress, is the pressure or stress imposed on
a layer of soil or rock by the weight of overlying material.
 GAS CAP DRIVE RESERVOIR
• Gas cap will be present in the reservoir if the reservoir oil is
below the bubble point at the time of discovery.

• In a gas-cap drive reservoir, gas-cap drive is the drive mechanism

where the gas in the reservoir has come out of solution and rises
to the top of the reservoir to form a gas cap (Fig. 1.4).

• Thus, the oil below the gas cap can be produced.

• If the gas in the gas cap is taken out of the reservoir early in the
production process, the reservoir pressure will decrease rapidly.
Sometimes an oil reservoir is subjected to both water and gas-cap
drive.
• The larger gas cap volume relative to the oil
volume the effective is the gas cap drive
reservoir.
• As more oil is produced from the oil zone gas
cap expands and it invades the oil zone and
gas starts to come out.
• Oil recovery efficiency is 15-60%
• The producing interval of oil well should be
located so that expanding gas cap will not
reach them until the maximum amount of oil
is produced.
• Gas injection and water injection will help to
maintain the pressure in the gas cap reservoir.
 SOLUTION GAS DRIVE OR VOLUMETRIC RESERVOIR OR
DISSOLVED GAS DRIVE

• In a solution (or dissolved) gas drive reservoir, the oil-bearing

rock is completely surrounded by impermeable barriers.
• As the reservoir pressure drops during production, expansion of
the oil and its dissolved gas provides most of the reservoir's drive
energy (Figure 3).
• Additional energy is obtained from the expansion of the rock and
its associated water.
• Depending on its discovery pressure, a solution
gas drive reservoir can be initially either
undersaturated or saturated.

• In an undersaturated reservoir, the reservoir

pressure is greater than the bubble point of the oil.

• No free gas exists in the reservoir while the

pressure remains above the bubble point.
• The reservoir drive energy is provided only by the
limited expansion of the oil, rock, and water.
• In a saturated reservoir, the reservoir pressure is at the bubble
point. As soon as oil is produced, the pressure drops and bubbles
of solution gas form in the reservoir.

• This solution gas liberation causes the oil to shrink, but the oil

shrinkage is more than offset by solution gas expansion, the

primary source of reservoir drive energy below the bubble point.
• Compared to the water- and gas-drive reservoirs,
expansion of solution (dissolved) gas in the oil
provides a weak driving mechanism in a volumetric
reservoir.

• In the regions where the oil pressure drops to below

the bubble-point pressure, gas escapes from the oil
and oil–gas two-phase flow exists.

• To improve oil recovery in the solution-gas reservoir,

early pressure maintenance is usually preferred.
• In dissolved gas reservoir natural gas dissolved
in the oil is the source of energy for the
production of oil.
• Once the oil is produced the reservoir
pressure drops.
• The expanding bubbles continue to support
the production till it reaches critical saturation
where it joins together to form a single gas
phase.
• Because of low viscosity of gas than oil it flows
more rapidly to the well bore.
• More and more amount of gas is produced
when compared to the oil and this causes the
reservoir pressure to drop and well ceases to
flow.
• Oil recovery efficiency is around 12- 37%.
• This drive is not effective much until the
reservoir pressure is maintained above the
critical saturation pressure by injecting less
expensive fluids into the reservoir to replace
the hydrocarbon being recovered.
 WATER DRIVE RESERVOIR
• The hydrocarbon accumulation in the
reservoir either oil or gas is in contact with an
aquifer that is large volume of water saturated
permeable rock.
• If the oil is produced at the rate equal to the
activity of aquifer .
• The water in the aquifer will remove the
volume of hydrocarbons and the reservoir
pressure will be maintained at or near to its
original value.
 WATER DRIVE
• Many reservoirs are bounded on a portion or all of
their peripheries by water bearing rocks called
aquifers.
• The aquifers may be so large compared to the
reservoir they adjoin as to appear infinite for all
practical purposes, and they may range down to those
so small as to be negligible in their effects on the
reservoir performance.
• The aquifer itself may be entirely bounded by impermeable
rock so that the reservoir and aquifer together form a closed
(volumetric) unit.
• On the other hand, the reservoir may be outcropped at one or
more places where it may be replenished by surface water as
shown schematically in Figure 11-7.
• It is common to speak of edge water or bottom water in
discussing water influx into a reservoir.
• Bottom water occurs directly beneath the oil and edge water
occurs off the flanks of the structure at the edge of the oil.
• Edge water drive -- the aquifer exclusively feeds one side or
flank of the reservoir
• Bottom water drive -- the aquifer underlays the reservoir and
feeds it from beneath
• Efficiency of water drive = 28-84%
• The reservoir pressure should be maintained
at withdrawal of oil at the rate of replacement
by the aquifer or by injecting water to support
the aquifer.
• The well must be shut in if the invading water
increases.
• Regardless of the source of water, the water
drive is the result of water moving into the
pore spaces originally occupied by oil,
replacing the oil and displacing it to the
producing wells.
• Edgewater drive reservoir is the most preferable type
of reservoir compared to bottom-water drive.
• The reservoir pressure can remain at its initial value
above bubble-point pressure so that single-phase
liquid flow exists in the reservoir for maximum well
productivity.
• A steady-state flow condition can prevail in a edge-
water drive reservoir for a long time before water
breakthrough into the well.
• Bottom-water drive reservoir (Fig.1.3) is less
preferable because of water-coning problems that
can affect oil production economics due to water
treatment and disposal issues.
 DEPLETION DRIVE
• This driving form may also be referred to by
the following various terms:
• Solution gas drive
• Dissolved gas drive
• Internal gas drive
• In this type of reservoir, 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 microscopic pore spaces. These bubbles
expand and force the crude oil out of the pore
space as shown conceptually in Figure 11-1.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc1pUP
VkqsY
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtA5A2fa
rv8
 Well
• Oil and gas wells are drilled like an upside-down
telescope.
• The large-diameter borehole section is at the top
of the well.
• Each section is cased to the surface, or a liner is
placed in the well that laps over the last casing in
the well.
Each casing or liner is cemented into the well
(usually up to at least where the cement overlaps
the previous cement job).
• Figure 1.6 shows a typical flowing oil well,
defined as a well producing solely because of
the natural pressure of the reservoir. It is
composed of casings, tubing, packers, down-
hole chokes (optional), wellhead, Christmas
tree, and surface chokes.
• The last casing in the well is the production
casing (or production liner).
Once the production casing has been cemented
into the well, the production tubing is run into
the well.
Usually a packer is used near the bottom of the
tubing to isolate the annulus between the outside
of the tubing and the inside of the casing.
Thus, the produced fluids are forced to move out
of the perforation into the bottom of the well and
then into the inside of the tubing
• The production tubing is often (particularly
during initial well flow) provided with a bottom-
hole choke to control the initial well flow (i.e., to
restrict overproduction and loss of reservoir
pressure).
The ‘‘wellhead’’ is defined as the surface equipment set below the master
valve.

It includes casing heads and a tubing head.

The casing head (lowermost) is threaded onto the surface casing.

This can also be a flanged or studded connection.

A ‘‘casing head’’ is a mechanical assembly used for hanging a casing string.

The casing head has a bowl that supports the casing hanger.

Depending on casing programs in well drilling, several casing heads can be

installed during well construction.
• A flange is a method of connecting pipes, valves, pumps and other
equipment to form a piping system. It also provides easy access for
cleaning, inspection or modification. Flanges are usually welded or
screwed. Flanged joints are made by bolting together two flanges with a
gasket between them to provide a seal.
Casing head
This casing hanger is threaded onto the top of the production
casing.

As in the case of the production tubing, the production casing is

landed in tension so that the casing hanger actually supports the
production casing (down to the freeze point).

In a similar manner, the intermediate casing(s) are supported by

their respective casing hangers (and bowls).

All of these casing head arrangements are supported by the

surface casing, which is in compression and cemented to the
surface.
A well completed with three casing strings has
two casing heads.

The uppermost casing head supports the

production casing.

The lowermost casing head sits on the surface

casing (threaded to the top of the surface
casing).
• Most flowing wells are produced through a
string of tubing run inside the production
casing string.
• At the surface, the tubing is supported by the
tubing head (i.e., the tubing head is used for
hanging tubing string on the production casing
head).
• The tubing head supports the tubing string at
the surface (this tubing is landed on the tubing
head so that it is in tension all the way down
to the packer).
Tubing head
• The equipment at the top of the producing wellhead is called a
‘‘Christmas tree’’ (Fig. 1.10) and it is used to control flow.

• The ‘‘Christmas tree’’ is installed above the tubing head.

• An ‘‘adaptor’’ is a piece of equipment used to join the two.

• The ‘‘Christmas tree’’ may have one flow outlet (a tee) or two
flow outlets (a cross).

• The master valve is installed below the tee or cross.

• To replace a master valve, the tubing must be plugged.

• The oil and gas christmas tree and the wellhead work together
to bring oil and gas to the ground.

• The primary function of a christmas tree is to control the flow

into or out of the oil and gas well.

• An oil and gas christmas tree often provides numerous

additional functions. These functions includes chemical
injection points, well intervention means, pressure relief
means (such as annulus vent).
• Function of Christmas tree
• Allow fluids to flow safely from reservoir to the surface in a
controlled manner.

• Allow safe access to the well bore to perform well intervention

procedures.

• Allow water or gas injection on a producing or non-producing

well to sustain economic “production” volumes of gas from
other wells in the oilfield..

• At some point in the life of all oil and gas wells, parts will require maintenance,
repair or replacement. At these times, operators turn to intervention specialists
using wire line or sick line, coiled tubing. 
• Importance of a christmas tree is in serving these functions;

• On producing wells, injecting chemicals or oil distillates to

prevent and or solve production problems such as blockages.

• The control system attached to the oil and gas christmas tree
controls the downhole safety valve. Therefore, the christmas
tree in this instance acts as an attachment and conduit means
for the control system to the downhole safety valve.
• A christmas tree has five valves: the kill wing valve, swab valve,
production wing valve, upper master valve and lower master valve.

• When the operator, well and facilities are ready to produce and receive oil
or gas, valves are opened and the released formation fluids are allowed to
flow into and through a pipeline.

• The two lower valves are called the master valves. They are the upper and
lower valves respectively. This is because they lie in the flow path, which
well fluids must take to get to the surface. Function is to allow the well to
flow or shut in.

• The lower master valve will normally be manually operated, while the
upper master valve is often hydraulically actuated.

• Hydraulic tree wing valves are built to be fail-safe closed. This means that
they require active hydraulic pressure to stay open.
• The right-hand valve is often called the flow wing valve or production wing
valve, because it is in the flow path the hydrocarbons take to production
facilities.

• The left-hand valve is often called the kill wing valve. It is primarily used for
injection of fluids such as corrosion inhibitors or methanol to prevent hydrate
formation.

• Swab valve at the top lies in the path used for well interventions, like wireline
and coiled tubing.

• The choke is the device, either stationary or adjustable, used to:

• Control the gas flow rate which is also known as volume.

• Create downstream pressure which is also referred to as back pressure
‘‘Surface choke’’ (i.e., a restriction in the flowline) is a piece of
equipment used to control the flow rate.

Two main types of surface chokes are fixed chokes and adjustable
chokes.

Fixed chokes need to shut down the flow and de pressure the part
to replace with the required size bean for flow adjustment. Fixed
chokes are also called as positive chokes.

Adjustable chokes can be operated without shutting down the flow

stream.
In most flowing wells, the oil production rate is altered by adjusting
the choke size.

The choke causes back-pressure in the line.

The back-pressure (caused by the chokes or other restrictions in the

flowline) increases the bottom hole flowing pressure.

Increasing the bottom-hole flowing pressure decreases the pressure

drop from the reservoir to the wellbore (pressure drawdown).

Thus, increasing the back-pressure in the wellbore decreases the

flow rate from the reservoir.
• In some wells, chokes are installed in the lower
section of tubing strings.

• This choke arrangement reduces wellhead pressure

and enhances oil production rate as a result of gas
expansion in the tubing string.

• For gas wells, use of down-hole chokes minimizes

the gas hydrate problem in the well stream.

• A major disadvantage of using down-hole chokes is

that replacing a choke is costly.
 choke
• A choke is a restriction valve or a restriction in the
flow path of a well fluid to reduce the flow and
consequently the downstream pressure. Choke valves
are used in the well head to reduce the flow and flow
line pressure.
 Well head & Christmas tree
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPTnmPrj
jFQ&feature=emb_rel_pause

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yy6bPD9
kCk
• Surface vessels should be open and clear before the well is allowed to flow.

All valves that are in the master valve and other downstream valves are closed.

Then follow the following procedure to open a well:

1. The operator barely opens the master valve (just a crack), and escaping
fluid makes a hissing sound.

When the fluid no longer hisses through the valve, the pressure has been
equalized, and then the master valve is opened wide.

2. If there are no oil leaks, the operator cracks the next downstream valve that is
closed.

Usually, this will be either the second (backup) master valve or a wing valve.
Again, when the hissing sound stops, the valve is opened wide.
• 3. The operator opens the other downstream valves the same way.

• 4. To read the tubing pressure gauge, the operator must open the
needle valve at the top of the Christmas tree.

• After reading and recording the pressure, the operator may close
the valve again to protect the gauge. The procedure for ‘‘shutting-
in’’ a well is the opposite of the procedure for opening a well.

• In shutting-in the well, the master valve is closed last.

• Valves are closed rather rapidly to avoid wearing of the valve (to
prevent erosion).

• At least two valves must be closed.

 Separator

• The fluids produced from oil wells are normally

complex mixtures of hundreds of different
compounds.

• A typical oil well stream is a high-velocity, turbulent,

constantly expanding mixture of gases and
hydrocarbon liquids, intimately mixed with water
vapor, free water, and sometimes solids.

• The well stream should be processed as soon as

possible after bringing them to the surface.
Separators are used for the purpose.
• Three types of separators are generally
available from manufacturers:
• horizontal, vertical, and spherical separators.
• Horizontal separators are further classified
into two categories: single tube and double
tube.
• Selection of separator type is based on several
factors including characteristics of floor space
availability at the facility site, transportation,
and cost.
• Horizontal separators (Fig. 1.13) are usually the first
choice because of their low costs.
• Horizontal separators are almost widely used for
high-GOR well streams, foaming well streams, or
liquid-from-liquid separation.
• Horizontal separators are easier to skid-mount and
service and require less piping for field connections.
• Individual separators can be stacked easily into
stage-separation assemblies to minimize space
requirements.
• They have much greater gas–liquid interface
because of a large, long, baffled gas-separation
section.
• Vertical separators are often used to treat low
to intermediate GOR well streams and streams
with relatively large slugs of liquid.
• They handle greater slugs of liquid without
carryover to the gas outlet, and the action of
the liquid-level control is not as critical.
• Vertical separators occupy less floor space,
which is important for facility sites such as
those on offshore platforms where space is
limited.
• Because of the large vertical distance between
the liquid level and the gas outlet, the chance
for liquid to re-vaporize into the gas phase is
limited.
• However, because of the natural upward flow
of gas in a vertical separator against the falling
droplets of liquid, adequate separator
diameter is required.
• Vertical separators are more costly to fabricate
and ship in skid-mounted assemblies.
• Spherical separators offer an inexpensive and
compact means of separation arrangement.

• Because of their compact configurations,

these types of separators have a very limited
surge space and liquid-settling section.

• Also, the placement and action of the liquid-

level control in this type of separator is more
critical.
• The ability of a separator to absorb a slug of liquid is called
the surge capacity of a separator.
 Pumps
• After separation, oil is transported through pipelines
to the sales points.
• Reciprocating piston pumps are used to provide
mechanical energy required for the transportation.
• There are two types of piston strokes, the single-
action piston stroke and the double-action piston
stroke.
• The double-action stroke is used for duplex (two
pistons) pumps.
• The single-action stroke is used for pumps with
three pistons or greater (e.g., triplex pump).
Triplex pump
 Gas Compressor
• Compressors are used for providing gas pressure
required to transport gas with pipelines and to
lift oil in gas-lift operations.
• The compressors used in today’s natural gas
production industry fall into two distinct types:
reciprocating and rotary compressors.
• Reciprocating compressors are most commonly
used in the natural gas industry.
• They are built for practically all pressures and
volumetric capacities.
 PIPELINES
• Petroleum Industry has proven that pipelines are by
far the most economical means of large-scale
overland transportation for crude oil, natural gas, and
their products, clearly superior to rail and truck
transportation over competing routes, given large
quantities to be moved on a regular basis.

• Transporting petroleum fluids with pipelines is a

continuous and reliable operation.
• Pipelines have demonstrated an ability to adapt
to a wide variety of environments including
remote areas and hostile environments.

• With very minor exceptions, largely due to local

peculiarities, most refineries are served by one
or more pipelines, because of their superior
flexibility to the alternatives.
• Figure 1.16 shows applications of pipelines in offshore
operations.

• It indicates flowlines transporting oil and/or gas from

satellite subsea wells to subsea manifolds, flowlines
transporting oil and/or gas from subsea manifolds to
production facility platforms, infield flowlines transporting
oil and/or gas from between production facility platforms,
and export pipelines transporting oil and/or gas from
production facility platforms to shore.

• A manifold is an arrangement of piping and/or valves designed to

combine, distribute, control, and often monitor fluid flow. Subsea
manifolds are installed on the seabed within an array of wells to
gather production fluids or to inject water or gas into wells.
• The pipelines are sized to handle the expected
pressure and fluid flow.
• To ensure desired flow rate of product, pipeline size
varies significantly from project to project.
• To contain the pressures, wall thicknesses of the
pipelines range from 3⁄8 inch to 11⁄2 inch.
 • Uses of pipelines

 Used as flow lines, to carry fluids from well head to manifold and
processing area.

 Used as inter connecting lines for various equipment in the processing

plant.

 Used for carrying products from processed area to storage, export or

consumer.

 Used as submarine lines for all of the above purposes and as risers (lines
from sea bed to the surface).

 Risers are vertical lines taking the well fluids from sea bed to the surface or
the processing area.
• Flowline
• The well head is on one end of a flow line and the manifold is the other
end of it. The length of the flow lines can vary from a few meters to a
few kilo meters. The flow lines carry the well fluids to the processing
area. In the case of subsea the flow lines carry well fluids to the manifold.
Injection water or Injection gas lines carry the fluids to the injection well.
Flow lines are sized such that the pressure drop caused is in the
acceptable limits.
• Flow lines are generally protected from corrosion by cathodic protection
or by inhibitor dosing.
• Header collects well fluids from so many wells via manifold valves of the flow lines;
take them to the particular separator. Bulk / Production header takes to the bulk
separator; Test header takes to the Test separator. Test separator can measure the
flow quantities of each of the separated streams (oil, gas and water).
• There are two types of gathering
systems, radial and trunk line.
• The radial type brings all the flowlines to a central
header,
• while the trunk-line type uses several remote headers
to collect fluid. The latter is mainly used in large fields.
• A Trunk Line is a pipeline which is used to transport crude oil and
natural gas across countries or within states. These pipelines are
the set of large diameter carbon steel pipelines which carry
the petroleum products across countries or borders.
• Safety Control System:
• The purpose of safety systems is to protect personnel,
the environment, and the facility.
• The major objective of the safety system is to prevent
the release of hydrocarbons from the process and to
minimize the adverse effects of such releases if they
occur.
• This can be achieved by the following:
• 1. Preventing undesirable events
• 2. Shutting-in the process
• 3. Recovering released fluids
• 4. Preventing ignition
• The modes of safety system operation include

• 1. Automatic monitoring by sensors

• 2. Automatic protective action
• 3. Emergency shutdown
• Protection concepts and safety analysis are based on
undesirable events, which include
• A. Overpressure caused by
• 1. Increased input flow due to upstream flow-control device
failure
• 2. Decreased output flow due to blockage
• 3. Heating of closed system
• B. Leak caused by
• 1. Corrosion
• 2. Erosion
• 3. Mechanical failure due to temperature change, overpressure
and underpressure, and external impact force
• C. Liquid overflow caused by
• 1. Increased input flow due to upstream flow-control device
failure
• 2. Decreased output flow due to blockage in the liquid
discharge
• D. Gas blow-by caused by
• 1. Increased input flow due to upstream flow-control device
failure
• 2. Decreased output flow due to blockage in the gas discharge
•
• E. Under pressure caused by

• 1. Outlet flow-control device (e.g., choke) failure

• 2. Inlet blockage
• 3. Cooling of closed system

• F. Excess temperature caused by

• 1. Over fueling of burner

• 2. External fire 3. Spark emission
 PETROLEUM PRODUCTION SYSTEM

• Reservoir, Oil / Gas well - perforations, tubing, packer, wellhead (subsea /

surface), chokes, flow lines, risers, manifolds, Separators, Gas treaters, NGL units,
Oil treaters, compressors, pumps, skimmers, hydrocyclones, trunk lines, pigging
facilities, metering facilities, storage tanks, utility systems, Instrumentation &
control, safety systems are the components.

• Reservoir: A collection of oil migrated from source rocks and trapped by

impervious rock in the top.

• Oil/ Gas well: It is a bore drilled with concentric casings, completed with tubing,
packer etc to provide a conduit /way to produce the reservoir hydrocarbons to the
surface. Perforations are made to provide an easy path from a larger area of the
reservoir to the well.
• Well head Christmas tree and the chokes are for controlling the well flow(on
/off / regulate).

• Flow lines, risers, manifolds are to carry well fluids from well head to the
separators.

• Separators, Gas treaters, NGL units, Oil treaters, etc are to make the oil /gas to
the marketable condition.

• Compressors, pumps etc are to deliver the appropriate pressure to the treated
fluids to the consumer point.

• Skimmers, hydro cyclones etc treat the produced water to the disposable
quality.

• Trunk lines, pigging facilities etc are vital for the long distance transportation
and maintenance of the trunk lines.
• Metering facilities ensure the quantity delivered for invoicing and tax purposes.

• Utility systems: Offer the necessary power, and support to human and machinery.

• Storage tanks: They are used as buffers and offer cushion to avoid sudden stoppage of
production. They act as settling tanks at times to give a better quality oil. Terminal
storage tanks are essential to meet the high pumping rates during shipments.

• Instrumentation & control: Gives a stable and safe operation. Instrumentation reduces
manpower and human error.

• Safety systems: Essential to safe guard human, assets and environment.