PRODUCTION TUBING AND FLOWLINES

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Types of Oil and Gas Pipelines

There are two main categories of pipelines used to transport energy products: petroleum
pipelines and natural gas pipelines.

Petroleum pipelines transport crude oil or natural gas liquids, and there are three main types of
petroleum pipelines involved in this process: gathering systems, crude oil pipeline systems,
and refined products pipelines systems. The gathering pipeline systems gather the crude oil or
natural gas liquid from the production wells. It is then transported with the crude oil pipeline
system to a refinery. Once the petroleum is refined into products such as gasoline or kerosene,
it is transported via the refined products pipeline systems to storage or distribution stations.

Natural gas pipelines transport natural gas from stationary facilities such as gas wells or
import/export facilities, and deliver to a variety of locations, such as homes or directly to other
export facilities. This process also involves three different types of pipelines: gathering
systems, transmission systems, and distribution systems. Similar to the petroleum gathering
systems, the natural gas gathering pipeline system gathers the raw material from production
wells. It is then transported with large lines of transmission pipelines that move natural gas
from facilities to ports, refiners, and cities across the country. Lastly, the distribution systems
consist of a network that distributes the product to homes and businesses. The two types of
distribution systems are the main distribution line, which are larger lines that move products
close to cities, and the service distribution lines, which are smaller lines that connect main lines
into homes and businesses.

Oil and gas pipelines can vary a lot according to many different factors. This includes the
‘product’ that is being transported, the delivery stage and whether the pipeline is part of the
upstream, midstream or downstream sector. All these different types of pipelines are designed
specifically for the job they are intended for.
Gathering pipelines
Gathering pipelines are a type of pipelines designed to transport an oil or gas product from its
original source to processing plants or storage tanks. These gathering pipelines are usually fed
by ‘Flowlines’, each of which are attached to individual wells in the ground.
A specific type of gathering pipeline is a subsea pipe that is used to collect petroleum from
deep water production platforms.
Examples of some of the products carried by gathering pipelines are as follows: natural gas,
crude oil and natural gas liquids, such as ethane, butane and propane.
Compared to different types of pipelines, gathering pipelines are relatively short –
approximately 200 metres long. They are also typically quite small, with a diameter under 18”
although shale production developments have seen gathering pipelines being used with
diameters up to 20”.

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Feeder pipelines
Feeder pipelines are usually quite small and are used to move the product (whether this be
crude oil, natural gas or liquefied natural gas) from processing facilities and storage tanks to
the long-distance transmission pipelines.
Feeder pipelines are typically 6 to 12” diameter.

Transmission pipelines
Transmission pipelines are used to transport crude oil, NGLs, natural gas and refined products.
They are typically used across great distances and can cross states, countries and even
continents.
They are utilised in order to move the product in question from the production facilities to the
distribution centres. As such, they tend to operate at very high pressures, ranging from 200 up
to 1,200 psi. Each transmission line uses compressor stations (for gas lines) and/or pump
stations (for crude oil and liquid products).
Transmission pipelines are made up of very large individual pipes that can be up to 42” in
diameter. If not constructed correctly, if not welded properly, or if an inappropriate material is
chosen to contain a particular product, then a transmission line can sometimes fail.

Distribution pipelines
Distribution pipelines are usually a system made up of ‘mains’ and ‘service’ lines. Together
these lines deliver natural gas to the neighbourhoods of homes and businesses across the world.
Mains pipelines are the step between high-pressure transmission lines and low-pressure service
lines. A wide range of different materials can be used for these pipes, including stainless steel,
cast iron, plastic and copper. They can withstand a range of different pressures, up to a limit of
around 200psi. Mains distribution pipelines are thought to be of small to medium sized i.e.
from 2” to 24” diameter.
Service pipelines are ones that connect to an individual meter and thus deliver natural gas to a
singular customer. Service pipes do not usually require heavy duty materials like in other
pipelines and are therefore made from either plastic, steel or copper. The pressure in these
pipelines is typically very low at around 6psi and they use very narrow pipes that are usually
less than 2” diameter.

Flowlines
Flowlines are designed to move the raw product from a wellhead to the gathering lines and are
just one component of an operational pumping system.

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In the oil and gas industry, in an actively producing oilfield, flowlines are pipelines that connect
a single wellhead to a manifold or some processing equipment. In a large well field, a large
number of flowlines may connect individual wells to a manifold. Gathering lines are very
similar to flowlines but their purpose is to collect the flow from multiple flowlines.
Flowlines are found in both a land and a subsea well field and could be buried or lying at grade
on the surface of land or seafloor. When they are constructed (onshore), they are sometimes
insulated or may include an outer pipe known as pipe in pipe (PIP) system. This PIP system
limits any heat lost and provides added protection to the carrier pipe.
The majority of flowlines are short in length but in onshore applications, some flowlines can
run for many miles. They can carry a mixture of oil, gas, water and/or sand and are usually up
to 12” diameter in size.

Construction of a pipeline
The construction of a pipeline is a process that is handled by a very large team of professionals
who use their expertise to coordinate the operation in a seamless and organised manner. The
process is usually divided into three phases: pre-construction, construction and post-
construction.
Construction

– Welding/bending pipe – The pipes in the trench are welded together and bent to match the
contours of the land.

– Coating pipeline to prevent corrosion – Special coatings are applied to the pipe to ensure
that it can ‘survive’ in the environment for as long as it is required.

– Positioning – The welded pipe is gently lowered into the trench using cranes.

– Installation of valves and fittings – Shutoff valves and remote sensors are installed to
monitor flow rate, pressure and temperature.

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– Restoring the site – Once the pipeline is in position, the topsoil is put back into place.

Post-construction

– Testing pressure – A range of rigorous testing procedures are carried out to ensure the
continued integrity and quality of the pipeline.

– Remediating the land – Biologists, wildlife experts and agrologists remediate the land and
ensure that there have been no long-term impacts to animals or the local environment.

Applications of pipelines
Pipelines can be used to transport all manner of substances. The type of material that is chosen
to construct the pipe is determined by the substance it is being designed to transport. For
example, nickel steel alloys are used very effectively in the transportation of liquified natural
gas (LNG) because it is able to remain ductile even when extremely cold – which LNG is.
Within the domestic sector, pipelines are used for transporting water for drinking or irrigation
as well as for sewerage purposes and to convey domestic use gases to provide indoor heating
or cooking facilities. Pipelines ensure than there is a consistent and uninterrupted flow of vital
liquids and gases to and from domestic residences.
The oil industry in particular would not be able to operate without complex networks of
pipelines as they are essential for midstream uses, as well as for the critical transfer of finished
petroleum products to end-users or dependent industries.
Advantages of pipelines
There are many advantages of using pipelines to transport utility gases and liquids as opposed
to other methods such as shipping, road or rail. These advantages are as follows:

– Large Capacity: Pipelines can transport huge amounts of liquids and gases and are much
more efficient than conventional methods.

– Safer: The transportation of oil and gases obviously can be hazardous due to their occasional
volatile and flammable nature. Using pipelines minimises the risk of there being an incident
during transportation. Subterranean pipelines have very little exposure to natural elements
whereas above-surface pipelines are designed to withstand the affects if adverse environments
and weather.

– Small surface footprint: Because most pipelines are subterranean, this means that they
occupy very little above-ground surface and they are far away from populated areas.

– Efficient construction: oil and gas carrier pipeline systems can be constructed and installed
is a surprisingly short space of time, especially in comparison to a structure such as a rail

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network. This is because the pipelines can be designed to run over natural geographical
barriers.

– Lower energy use: Pipeline systems tend to require much lower amounts of energy to
operate and therefore larger volumes of materials can be transported for much lower costs.

– Environmentally friendly: pipeline transport lines are much less damaging to the
environment and have a lower carbon footprint than other methods of transportation because
they are sealed and mostly underground.

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