Oil and gas production

Before designing a process scheme it is necessary to know the specification of the raw material input (or feedstock) and the specification of the enc/procfucf desired. Designing a process to convert fluids produced at a wellhead into oil and gas products fit for evacuation and storage is no different. The characteristics of the well stream or streams must be known and specifications for the products agreed. 

These constants are dependent upon pressure, temperature and also the composition of the hydrocarbon fluid, as the various components within the system will interact with each other. K values can be found in gas engineering data books. The basic separation process is similar for oil and gas production, though the relative amounts of each phase differ. 

In 1991, there were approximately 418 sulfur production plants associated with oil and gas production in operation throughout the world. Approximately 86% of these plants were based on the Claus process, and there were 118 Claus units operating in natural gas processing faciHties (11). 

Applications in Oil and Gas Production. AMP is useful for removing CO2 from gaseous mixtures (23). It also has been utilized in tertiary oil recovery to enhance removal of petroleum from marginal wells (24). 

Polymerization and depolymerization of sihcate anions and their interactions with other ions and complexing agents are of great interest in sol—gel and catalyst manufacture, detergency, oil and gas production, waste management, and limnology (45—50). The complex silanol condensation process may be represented empirically by... 

The excellent properties of these fluoroelastomers come with a high price tag. Kalrez, for example, is extremely expensive ( 33—44/kg). These materials are used in automotive appHcations (seals, gaskets, fuel hose lines, engine parts, etc), where they can withstand under-hood temperatures. They are also used in equipment for oil and gas production and chemical processing. U.S. consumption in 1988 was 3100 t (76). 

Nuclear-physical methods ai e the basic ones in controlling environmental pollution which results from nucleai -power complexes and power plants work. Oil and gas production leads to the extraction of radio nuclides of natural origin in considerable amounts, which later spread from oil-slimes and water wastes in the neighborhoods of oil and gas producing entei prises. Similaidy, toxic and radioactive elements can pollute environment in case of mineral deposits extraction. 

API Specification IIP Specification for Packaged Reciprocating Compressors for Oil and Gas Production Services covers packaged high-speed separable compressors with speeds from 600 to 1,200 rpm. The majority of reciprocating compressors sold in today s market fall into this category. 

Case study 5 provides an example from the offshore oil and gas production industry, and illustrates the fact that in solving a specific practical problem, a practitioner will utilize a wide variety of formal and informal methods. Table 7.1, which describes some of the methods used in the study, includes several techniques discussed in Chapter 4, including interviews, critical incident techniques, walk-throughs and task analysis. 

The E/GDP for the United States has sloped steadily downward from 18,000 to 11,000 Btu/. Europe and Japan are typically only half as energy-intensive as the United States. An explanation is that, during their development. Western Europe and Japan were petroleum-poor compared to the United States, so energy use was perceived to imply imports (and risk of supply disruption) and trade deficits. Thus, they adopted tax policies to conseive energy. The United States took the opposite path to stimulate economic growth, domestic oil and gas production was subsidized. 

In the United States, 85 percent of wells are drilled by independent oil and gas operators, more than 90 percent of whom employ fewer than twenty people. Therefore, U.S. oil and gas production is dependent on the economic health of independent producers to offset the rising tide of imported crude oil. 

See also Climatic Effects Fossil Fuels Gasoline and Additives Governmental Inteiwention in Energy Markets Liquefied Petroleum Gas Methane Natural Gas, Processing and Conversion of Natural Gas, Transportation, Distribution, and Storage of Oil and Gas, Exploration for Oil and Gas, Production of Risk Assesment and Management. 

After field processing of wellhead products is complete, the oil and gas production phase of the industry passes into the refining stage, where the crude oil and field gas are further processed to make the products that ultimate users will purchase. The prices that refiners will pay determine the maximum allowable costs for oil and gas exploration and production. An oil or gas producer must be able to provide the product at a competitive price. For a vertically integrated oil company, no actual sale may take place, but the economics are much the same. 

Air and Gas. In the regions where air and natural gas are used as the principal drilling fluids, the potential oil and gas production zones usually have low pore pressure, or require well stimulation techniques to yield commercial production. In these production zones, air drilling (or natural gas drilling) is continued into the production zone and the initial produced formation fluids are carried to the surface by the circulating air or natural gas. This is nearly the same situation as in mud drilling, except that in air (or gas) drilling the transit time for the initial produced formation fluids to reach the surface is much shorter. In mud... 

Additionally, there may be COj, HjS or bacteria present, all of which substantially increase the corrosivity of formation waters. Furthermore, whilst in a young oil and gas well the levels of produced formation waters (termed watercut ) may well be very low, at later stages of maturity, the watercut may reach values in excess of 90%. Consequently, oil and gas production systems may often be subject to increasing corrosion risk with time. 

Fig. 9.24 Cavitation erosion in oil and gas production well tubing. Note the severe localised attack arising from a turbulence-creating downhole valve a few metres upstream...

CO2 Corrosion in Oil and Gas Production Selected papers and Abstracts, NACE, Houston (1984)... 

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