Surface Production &

Operations

Introduction to Oil Surface Operations

• By
Prof. El-Sayed A. El-Tayeb •
 O&G Industry Stages
• Field Operations
• Transportation
• Refining Operations
O&G Industry Stages
Presv
 O&G Production Processes

Primary Recovery

Natural Artificial
Flow Lift
Secondary Recovery

Gas
Water
Injection
Flooding

Tertiary Recovery (EOR)

Conventional Methods Non-conventional Methods

Thermal Non-thermal MEOR

Methods Methods
Artificial Lift Pumps
 Phase Behavior
Along the way from the reservoir to the
separator, the production stream
undergoes changes. Assume we are
talking about an oil reservoir:
ƒ Oil leaving the reservoir drops in pressure and
temperature.
ƒ Light hydrocarbons (HC) are liberated from the
mixture of oil as the pressure falls.
ƒ The oil phase shrinks as the light HC leave and
viscosity increases.
ƒ The gas phase expands as the light HC accumulate
ƒ The volume of each phase determines the flow
regimes each with its own friction and head
properties.
Outflow Performance
 Important Properties of Crude Oil
Sulfur Content
The lower the sulfur content, the better the crude.
High sulfur contents require more extensive refining
procedures for the production of satisfactory
products.
Sulfur promote the corrosion of refinery equipment.
High-sulfur stocks are called "sour," particularly if
the sulfur is corrosive, and low-sulfur stocks are
called "sweet."
Fluid Properties
 Engineering in General
1-QUALITATIVE
The generation of ideas, structures, concepts. Results are
expressed in sketches, layouts, schematics and diagrams.

2-QUANTITATIVE
The computation of the magnitude of the properties in a
qualitative idea. These results are expressed in
numbers, usually with physical units.

3-EXPERIMENTAL
The use of physical models and tests to
compensate for both qualitative and quantitative
uncertainty.
 Reservoir Fluid Properties

• Export natural gas is mostly a mixture

of methane and ethane
• Oils contain a higher fraction of heavy
molecules
• The impurities found in HC fluid include
carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide,
nitrogen and vapor water.
Non-hydrocarbon
Compounds
Non-Hydrocarbon Elements and
Compounds
• Most common: CO2, N2, H2S
• They lower the heating value of oil
(Btu/lbm)
• Nitrogen and Sulfur form part of heavy
molecules present in the oil (asphaltenes
& resins)
• Sulfur compounds poison catalysts used
in refinery operations
 Engineering in General
• The ability to compute separates the
engineer from the technician. An education in
engineering mathematics generates an
insight into physical phenomena.

This course requires

1. QUALITATIVE components
2. QUANTITATIVE components
3. EXPERIMENTAL components