Surface Production Control Equipment

Engr. Sohail Ahmed Shaikh

 Well Head
Introduction
• Wellheads are the connection point for the tubular and the surface
flow lines as well as being the surface pressure control point in well
operations.

• Christmas tree and the surface flow-control facilities are installed, in

preparation for the production phase of the well.

• Well head is installed on top of the casing before starting to drill. It has
two or three sections.

• Rated for working pressures of 2000 psi to 15,000 psi (or greater).

• Selected to meet the pressure, temperature, corrosion, and

production compatibility requirements of the well.
 Functions of wellhead
❖ A wellhead serves numerous functions, some of which are:
• Provide a means of casing suspension. (Casing is the permanently installed
pipe used to line the well hole for pressure containment and collapse
prevention during the drilling phase).

• Provides a means of tubing suspension. (Tubing is removable pipe installed in

the well through which well fluids pass).

• Provides a means of pressure sealing and isolation between casing at surface

when many casing strings are used.

• Provides pressure monitoring and pumping access to annuli between the

different casing/tubing strings.

• Provides a means of attaching a blowout preventer during drilling.

• Provides a means of attaching a Christmas tree for production operations.

 Components of wellhead

Wellhead has following

components:
• Casing Head
• Casing Bowl
• Casing Hanger
• Tubing Head
• Tubing hanger
 Casing Bowl
• The casing bowl consists of heavy
fittings that provide a seal between
the casing and the surface.

• It also supports the entire length of

casing that is run all the way down
the well. This piece of equipment
typically contains a gripping.

• Mechanism that ensures a tight seal

between the head and the casing
itself
 Casing head
❖ Casing Head Functions:
• Provides the first attachment to the surface casing
string.

• Supports the blowout preventer while drilling for

the next string.

• Allows for testing of the blowout preventer while

drilling.

• Housing for slips and packing assemblies.

• Allows suspension of intermediate and production

strings of casing.

• Side outlets for annular access.

 Casing hanger
• Mechanism that locks into the casing head,
responsible for hanging the casing pipe.

• The casing hanger is that portion of a wellhead

assembly which provides support for the casing
string when it is lowered into the wellbore.

• It serves to ensure that the casing is properly

located. When the casing string has been run into
the wellbore it is hung off, or suspended, by a
casing hanger, which rests on a landing shoulder
inside the casing spool.

• Casing hangers must be designed to take the full

weight of the casing, and provide a seal between
the casing hanger and the spool.
 Tubing head
• Equipment attached to the casing spool used to
hang the tubing (smallest casing string) and seal
the annulus between the tubing and casing.

• Has a load shoulder to support the tubing hanger.

• Provides access to the annulus between the

tubing string and the production casing.

• Supports the BOP while the well is being

completed.

• Allows for testing of the BOP.

• Side outlets for annular access.

 Tubing hanger
• The tubing hanger is a device attached to the
topmost tubing joint in the well head to
support the tubing string.

• The tubing hanger is located in the tubing

head, with both components incorporating a
sealing system to ensure that the tubing
conduit and annulus are hydraulically
isolated.

• The tubing hanger assembly supports the

weight of the tubing string and seals the
annulus from the upper well head and
Christmas tree components. It also provides
connections at the surface, which controls
the flow of fluids out of the well.
 Christmas Tree

• An assembly of valves and fittings used for production control down the
tubing head.

• Maintains the surface control of the well and enables the well to be shut off in
an emergency.

• Also incorporates facilities to enable safe access for well intervention

operations such as slick line, wire line or coiled tubing
Christmas Tree
 Types of Tree
❖ Two types
✓ Solid Block Tree
✓ Composite Tree

At well locations each well head site consist of single solid block (Cameron Y & T
block) Christmas tree together with all associated barriers (SCSSSV, LMV,
UMV,FWV and Choke).

The production critical barriers such as SCSSSV, UMV & FWV are hydraulic
controlled valves
 Tree Valves
All tree valves are normally gate valves of identical design. The actuated valves
on a tree differ in their mode of operation from the non-actuated valves.

Surface trees have a large variety of valve configurations and combinations of

manual and/or actuated (hydraulic or pneumatic) valves. Examples are identified
in API Specifications 6A.

Tree consists of following valves

Lower master valve
Upper master valve
Flow wing valve
Kill wing valve
Swab valve
 Function of Tree Valves
❖ Master valve
• A valve located on the Christmas tree that controls all flow from the
wellbore.
• Two master valves are fitted to most Christmas trees,
• The upper master valve is used on a routine basis, with the lower master
valve providing backup or contingency function
• The lower master valve will normally be manually operated, while the
upper master valve is often hydraulically actuated, allowing it to be used
as a means of remotely shutting in the well in the event of emergency.
❖ Flow Wing valve
• A flowing wing valve is used to control and isolate production
• Gives a flow path to hydrocarbons towards the production facilities
• An actuated wing valve is normally used to shut in the well when flowing,
thus preserving the master valves for positive shut off for maintenance
purposes.
• Hydraulic operated wing valves are usually built to be fail safe closed,
meaning they require active hydraulic pressure to stay open.
 Function of Tree Valves
❖ Kill Wing Valve
• Used for any well control purpose
• Allows the introduction of fluids for well killing and for pressure
equalization to enable the SCSSSV to get opened
❖ Swab Valve
• Top most valve on x-mass tree that provides vertical access to the
wellbore.
• Used for well interventions like wireline, slick line and coiled tubing. For
such operations, a lubricator is rigged up onto the top of the tree and the
wire or coil is lowered through the lubricator into the well.
• This valve is manually operated
 Tree valve Actuation

• Valves are opened or closed either by hand or actuators.

• Actuated valves can be triggered automatically or manually.

• However whether the tree has two actuated valves (UMG and FWV) or a
single SSV, they must close immediately when triggered.

• All actuators must have a fail-safe action.

• ·In an emergency the tree valves should close in the quickest possible time.
The normally accepted time is 10-20 seconds
 Annulus
The space between two strings of pipe may be called an annulus.

“A” Annulus

The void spaces b/w the primary casing & intermediate casing.

“A" Annulus: One outlet should have a single gate valve with a sampling/bleed
down arrangement. The other side may be terminated with a flange, needle
valve and pressure gauge.

“B” Annulus
The void spaces b/w the production casing & intermediate casing.

“B” Annulus: One outlet should have a single gate valve with a sampling/bleed
down arrangement. The other side may be terminated with a flange, needle
valve and pressure gauge.
 Annulus (Contd:)
“C” Annulus
The void between the production
tubing and the production casing
string. In the event of a tubing or
packer leak the “C" annulus is likely to
come under full reservoir pressure.
The “C" Annulus should have two
flanged gate valves, with the same
pressure rating as the tree on each
outlet. The outlet used for sampling,
gas lift or CI injection should have a
profile to insert a back pressure valve.
The other side may be terminated with
a flange, needle valve, and pressure
gauge.
 Production choke
• It is the restriction placed at the Christmas tree or in the flow line to
regulate the flow of oil or gas to the required amount of production.

• Chokes hold a backpressure on a flowing well to make The back-

pressure (caused by the chokes or other restrictions in the flow line)
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.
• Avoid sand problems due to high drawdown.

• Control flow rate to avoid water or gas coning.

 Types of choke
• Positive (fixed)
Choke
• Adjustable Choke