Chapter 4: Production Engineering Flashcards

Vocabulary terms and definitions covering the fundamentals of production engineering, well completion, stimulation, and nodal analysis.

Production

The phase of operation that deals with bringing well fluids to the surface and preparing them for the trip to the refinery.

Production Engineer

A professional whose role is to optimize the production operation by maximizing oil and gas production in a cost-effective manner.

Well Completion

The process of making a well ready for production after drilling operations, including preparing the bottom of the hole and running in tubing.

Casing

A component that ensures the well does not close in upon itself while protecting the well stream from outside incumbents like water or sand.

Tubing

A pipe with a smaller diameter than the casing that is installed in the hole after cementing the production casing; it is not cemented and enhances production.

Wellhead

A component used to control the paths and flow rates of reservoir fluids and seal the well; includes the Casing Head, Tubing Head, and Christmas Tree.

Christmas Tree

One of the three main components of a wellhead used for controlling fluid flow.

Artificial Lift

Methods used to drive oil from the bottom of the hole to the surface when reservoir pressure is insufficient.

Gas Lift

A method of artificial lift that involves injecting high-pressure gas into the production tubing to lighten the fluid column by reducing fluid density.

Pumps

Mechanical devices such as sucker rod pumps and Electrical Submersible Pumps (ESP) used to add mechanical energy to push oil upward.

Well Stimulation

A method of increasing well production by improving the flow of hydrocarbons from the reservoir into the well bore.

Acidizing

A stimulation type where acid is injected into low permeability formations (mostly carbonate) to create high permeability channels or remove formation damage.

Hydraulic Fracturing (Hydrofracking)

A stimulation method where fracturing fluid is pumped at high pressure to fracture the formation, followed by proppant to keep the fractures open.

Proppant

Material pumped into induced fractures during hydraulic fracturing to keep them open and create highly permeable channels.

Contaminants

Substances found in produced oil that require fluid treatment, specifically Carbon Dioxide ($CO_2$) and Hydrogen Sulfide ($H_2S$).

Free Water Knockout

A device used in fluid treatment to remove free water from oil using the force of gravity.

Separator

Equipment that utilizes centrifugal forces and gravity to separate well fluids such as gas from liquids.

Nodal Analysis

Also known as production system analysis, this is the application of equations to evaluate the relationship between pressure drop and flow rate at various components (nodes) in the system.

Inflow Performance Relationship (IPR)

The relationship describing the inflow to a node from upstream components, defined by the formula $P_{node} = P_r - \triangle P$.

Outflow Performance Relationship (OPR)

The relationship describing the outflow from a node to downstream components, defined by the formula $P_{node} = P_{sep} + \triangle P$.