CHAPTER 5 PRODUCTION OPERATIONS: AN OVERVIEW

• Jurisdiction: United States

Basic Oil & Gas Geology And Technology For Lawyers And Other Non-Technical Personnel
(2001)
CHAPTER 5
PRODUCTION OPERATIONS: AN OVERVIEW
Ramona M. Graves
Petroleum Engineering Department Colorado School of Mines
Golden, Colorado

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CONVERSION FACTORS USED IN THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY

DISTANCE

1 foot=0.305 meters

1 meter=3.281 feet

1 statute mile=1.609 kilometers=0.868 nautical miles

1 nautical mile=1.852 kilometers=1.15152 statute miles

1 kilometer=0.621 statute miles=0.540 nautical miles

AREA

1 square mile=640 acres=2.590 square kilometers=259.0 hectares

1 square kilometer=0.386 square miles=100 hectares=247.1 acres

1 acre=0.405 hectares

1 hectare=2.471 acres

VOLUME OR CAPACITY

1 cubic foot=0.028317 cubic meters

1 cubic meter=35.314667 cubic feet

1 cubic meter=6.2898 barrels

1 U.S. gallon=3.7854 liters

1 liter=0.2642 U.S. gallons

1 barrel=42 gallons=158.99 liters=0.15899 kiloliters

1 kiloliter=1,000 liters=6.2898 barrels

WEIGHT

1 long ton=1.01605 metric tons=1.120 short tons=2,240 pounds

1 short ton=0.907185 metric tons=0.892857 long tons=2,000 pounds

1 metric ton=0.09421 long tons=1.10231 short tons=2,204.6 pounds

HEAT

1 therm=100,000 Btu=25,200 kilocalories=25.2 thermie

1 thermie=1,000 kilocalories=3,968 Btu

HEAT VALUE OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS (Btu per Barrel)

natural gasoline	= 4,620,000	distillate fuel oil	= 5,825,000
liquefied gases1	= 3,744,000	residual fuel oil	= 6,287,000
gasoline	= 5,253,000	lubricants	= 6,065,000
jet fuel-naphtha type	= 5,355,000	petroleum coke	= 6,024,000
kerosene	= 5,670,000	asphalt and road oil	= 6,636,000

AVERAGE HEAT VALUE OF 1999 U.S. ENERGY PRODUCTION

coal2 (Btu per short ton)	= 21,224,000
crude oil (Btu per barrel)	= 5,800,000
natural gas, wet (Btu per cubic feet)	= 1,110
natural gas, dry (Btu per cubic feet)	= 1,031
hydropower (Btu per kilowatt hour)	= 10,346
nuclear power (Btu per kilowatt hour)	= 10,623

From DeGolyer and MacNaughton, December 2000

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Surface Facilities Purpose

• Separate well flow stream into components (phases)

— Oil

— Water

— Gas

— Solids

• Either

— Market the product(s)

— Dispose of the waste phase

• Environmentally benign

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Surface Facilities

• All the equipment on the surface

— Flowlines

— Separators

— Treaters

— Tanks

— Meter runs

— Compressors

— Pumps

— Gas processing facilities

— Water treatment

• But not the wellhead

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Surface Facilities

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Surface Facilities

• Oil Handling Facilities	• Gas Handling Facilities
— Separators	— Gas specifications
— Emulsions	— Valves
— Treaters	— Hydrates
— LACT	— Dehydration
— Tanks	— Sweetening
— Pumps	— Compression

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Typical Facility May Need

• Oil and water to be separated	• Roads and foundations
• Emulsions to be broken	•

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