This presentation is very useful for Civil Engineers who are willing to shift to Oil and Gas domain and those engineers who recently entered into the domain

1. BASICS OF OIL AND GAS FOR
CIVIL ENGINEERS
Chennai Office
by
Varanasi Rama Rao
Contact:
ram7407@gmail.com

2. Preface
This Presentation has been compiled to give a quick overview of
the upstream facilities of Oil and Gas for Civil engineers joining
the industry without previous exposure to Oil and Gas industry.
The emphasis is on the onshore part of the industry.
This presentation is by no means a comprehensive description of
the Oil and Gas industry but will serve as basic guide to
appreciate the facilities and the complexities involved in the
design of the facilities.

3. Contents
1. Introduction
2. Facilities
3. Up stream Process Overview
4. Main Process section
5. Civil Scope
6. Typical Plot Plan
7. Interfaces
8. Important terminology

4. 1. Introduction
Oil has been utilized for many thousand years in areas where oil is found in
shallow reservoirs. It was in 1859 colonel Edwin Drake drilled the first
successful oil well in the north-west Pennsylvania for the sole purpose of
producing oil. The well was less than 50m and can be called very shallow as per
the modern standards. However, the well produced a very good amount of oil.
At the end of 19th century, oil became the most essential fuel of our society.

5. Photo: Drake Well Museum Collection,
Titusville, PA

6. 2. Facilities ( On shore and Off shore)
The Oil and Gas industry comprise of two streams known as Up
stream and Down stream
The Up stream facilities are further classified as On shore facilities
and Off shore facilities
Up stream Facilities:
The on shore/off shore oil facilities basically comprise of the following:
•Well heads ( Source of Oil and Gas).
•Gathering Manifold Stations and
•Central Processing Facilities ( which separate crude oil, gas and water)
Down stream Facilities:
The Down stream facilities basically comprise of:
• Refineries

7. Upstream
Downstream
Figure 1A

8. UP STREAM DOWN STREAM
Figure 1B

9. Typical onshore
wellhead
Figure 2
Schematic showing
how the multiphase
fluid consisting of oil,
gas and water reaches
well head
Figure 3

10. On shore
well Off
shore
wells
Figure 4

11. The oil wells consists of a multiphase mixture of oil, gas and water.
The oil wells can be dug on the shore or off shore on the sea bed.
Hence the basic difference between on shore and off shore is that the
well head is in on the ground for on shore and on the sea bed for off
shore.

12. 3. UP STREAM PROCESS OVERVIEW
Figure 5A

13. Figure 5B

14. 4. Main process section
The main process section of upstream comprise of
the following:
• Well heads
• Gathering Manifold stations
• Central Processing Facilities

15. Well heads:
The well head sits on top of the actual oil or gas well leading to the reservoir
as shown in the figures 2 & 3. A well head may also be an injection well which
injects gas and water to maintain the pressure levels.
Gathering manifold stations:
A gathering manifold station comprises of set of pipe lines and manifold
systems to which the oil or gas or a multiphase fluid consisting of oil, gas and
water is diverted from well head.
From Gathering manifold station the Oil or Gas or Multiphase fluid is sent to
Central production facilities for further processing. The purpose of setting
manifold station is to allow set up of production “ well sets” so that for a given
production level, the best reservoir utilization well composition ( gas, oil ,
water) etc. can be selected from the available wells

16. Gathering manifold- Photo-1
Figure 6

17. Gathering manifold –Photo 2
Figure 7

18. Gathering Manifold station Block diagram
Metering area
Flow line from
Gathering
wellheads'
Manifold area To Central Processing facility
Control
Testing area Building
Figure 8

19. Central Processing Facility:
This is called as heart of the upstream facility. In this facility the crude
oil or gas is produced and sent to the down stream facilities like
Refinery for extracting all the by-product with in the crude.
Down stream by-products:
For oil crude some of the by-products are:
• Gasoline
•Jet fuel
•Diesel
•Petrol
•Kerosene
•Lube oil
•Bitumen
•Naphtha
•Polymers, etc
For Gas crude some of the by-products are:
• LNG
•LPG, etc

20. Central Processing Facility- Block Diagram
Gas storage
Gas
and metering
compression
From Gathering Manifold stations
Power Gas Pipe line
Separation trains generation Pig launcher
Inlet facilities
Oil Pipe line
Pig launcher
Crude Oil Crude Oil
storage metering
Produced
Water
Figure 9

21. 5. Civil Scope ( Overview)
So far we have seen broadly the configuration of upstream facilities. Now let
us briefly discuss about the General scope of civil work in the up stream
facilities.
Please note that the scope described below contains only the main items
which appear almost in all kinds of projects related to up stream industry.
However, these are not the only items but there can be some more items
which are specific to a particular project.
Scope near Well heads ( On shore):
• Topographic Survey
•Geotechnical Investigation
•Grading and Paving
•Roads ( optional)
•Fencing of the well head area
•Pipe supports
•Mechanical Equipment foundations.
•Miscellaneous foundation for light poles, instrumentation items etc.

22. Scope in Gathering Manifold stations:
•Topographic Survey
•Geotechnical Investigation
•Grading and Paving
•Roads
•Fencing
•Manifold foundations
•Manifold shelters
•Metering equipment/skid foundations
•Mechanical Equipment foundations
•Pipe supports
• Minor Pipe racks ( optional)
•Test Separator foundations
•Control Building ( Optional)
•Fire water tank foundation ( Optional)
•Flange Pits ( Optional)
•Cable trenches
•Minor UG networks
•Miscellaneous foundations for lighting poles, instrumentation items etc.

23. Scope in Central Processing Facilities:
• Topographic Survey
•Geotechnical Investigation
•Grading and Paving
•Roads
•Fencing
•UG networks
•Pipe supports
•Pipe Racks
•Platforms
•Technological Structures
•Horizontal and Vertical Vessel foundations
•Heater foundations
•Flare foundations
•Skid foundations
•Pump foundations
•Compressor foundations
•Turbine and DG foundations ( in case power generation is required)
•Tank foundations
• Sub station Buildings
•Transformer foundations
•Over head line foundations
•Pits
•Cable trenches
•Control Buildings
•Non Plant buildings
•Shelters
•Sheds, etc.

24. In the above pages so many structures and foundations
corresponding to up stream equipment are mentioned but how the
equipments look like?
Please go through some of the photographs in the following pages
which are collected from various sources.

25. Figure 10- Horizontal Vessel

26. Pipe Pipe rack
support
Vertical
Vessel Figure-11

27. Figure 12 – Tank founded on ring wall

28. Manifold shelter, small vertical
vessel
Pipe sleepers
Figure 13

29. Figure 14 – Separation train ( partial view)

30. SHELTER
PITS
Figure 15

31. SKID
Figure 16

32. TECH STR.
Figure 17

33. Figure 18- Gas Turbine Generator ( GTG)

34. Self supporting flare
Guyed flare
Figure 19- Flare

35. Heater
Cooler
supported on
a pipe rack
Figure 20

36. Figure 21: Control Building and Telecom tower

37. Figure 22- Flow lines coming from gathering manifolds

38. Figure 23- Diesel Generators

39. Figure 24: Metering Skid

40. Figure 25: Pipe lines for carrying crude/Gas to Downstream

41. Figure 26: Slug Catcher

42. Figure 27: Burn Pit

43. 6. Typical Plot plan
Control room
Sub-station Produced
building water area
Inlet facilities
Gas
compression
area
Metering and
pumping
area
Separation
train area
Pipe racks
Crude oil
Storage area
Figure 28

44. Figure 29- Typical 3D model of a Central Processing Facility

45. 7. Interfaces
Procurement
Electrical Instrumentation
Civil Piping
Mechanical
Frequent Construction Process
interaction
Projects

46. 8. Important Terminology
i. PFD( Process flow diagram): schematically shows all major equipment
items and how they are linked together by piping ducts and conveyors.
ii. Equipment list: An itemized accounting list by class of all equipments to be
used in a project
iii. P&ID ( Piping and Instrumentation Diagram): schematically shows all
process utility and auxiliary equipment as well as piping, valves
&instrumentation.
iv. Plot plan: is an arrangement drawing that highlights the equipment and
supporting facilities coming in a process plant
v. UG ( Underground network): All the arrangement corresponding to
drainage facilities in a plant is called Underground network.
vi. Pipe rack: A 3D frame supporting the piping
vii. Pipe Support: a 2D frame/ or T supporting piping
viii. Pipe sleeper: A concrete base supporting a pipe
ix. Equipments: Are generally, Horizontal and Vertical Vessels, Pumps,
Compressors etc. which require only a foundation to be designed by Civil
x. Skids: are steel frames on which equipments or set of equipments are
mounted

47. Frequently used abbreviations:
•FGL: Finished Ground Level
•NGL: Natural Ground Level
•TOC: Top of concrete
•TOG: Top of Grout
•TOS: Top of Steel
•BBS: Bar Bending Schedule
•GA: General Arrangement
•EL: Elevation
•BL: Battery Limit
•UG:Underground
•U/S: Under side
•BBP: Bottom of base plate
•POS: Point of Support

48. Thank you
Disclaimer: This document is a free online resource prepared by a
professional based on his understanding and it is intended only for the
purpose of having an overview. The content in the document should not
be used and referred for any professional purpose. The author doesn’t
guarantee the authenticity of the information presented in the document.