Page 218 - Introduction to Petroleum Engineering

11

UPSTREAM FACILITIES

The oil and gas industry can be divided into upstream, midstream, and downstream
sectors. The upstream sector includes operations intended to find, discover, and
produce oil and gas. The downstream sector consists of crude oil refining, natural
gas processing, and marketing and distributing products derived from crude oil and
natural gas. The midstream sector connects the upstream and downstream sectors
and includes transportation, storage, and wholesale marketing of hydrocarbons.
Upstream facilities are needed for managing fluid production and preparing it for
transportation. These facilities are described here.

11.1 ONSHORE FACILITIES

Fluid flow through the top of the well is controlled by a Christmas tree, which is
installed on top of the wellhead. The Christmas tree is a collection of valves and
fittings to control fluid flow. The wellhead is used to control pressure and support
casing and tubing. It consists of the casing head and tubing head. Figure 11.1
illustrates a Christmas tree and wellhead.
The flowline connects the wellhead assembly to the separator. The flowline can be
buried to reduce seasonal temperature variations and protect the line from weather
and wildlife.

Introduction to Petroleum Engineering, First Edition. John R. Fanchi and Richard L. Christiansen.
© 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Companion website: www.wiley.com/go/Fanchi/IntroPetroleumEngineering