After
drilling has located a reservoir of oil, BNE's production
team takes over the task of bringing the resource to
the surface.
Petroleum is
not produced from underground lakes. Rather, oil and gas
are contained in the pores and fractures of certain sedimentary
rocks in the same way that water is held in a sponge.
In primary recovery the initial approach
to produce oil - natural reservoir pressure or simple mechanical
pumps are used to raise oil to the surface.
After the rig is removed, a pump is placed
on the well head. In the pump system, an electric motor drives
a gear box that moves a lever. The lever pushes and pulls
a polishing rod up and down. The polishing rod is attached
to a sucker rod, which is attached to a pump. This system
forces the pump up and down, creating a suction that draws
oil up through the well.
Oil is not the only substance that is pumped
to the surface. Natural Gas and salt water exist in the same
formation (see "What is Crude
Oil?") and must be separated from the crude oil
before it can be stored.
|
|
Storage tanks and
separators (bottom left) |
Close-up of separators.
Gas is removed via the yellow pipe, salt water through
the blue pipe and the separated crude travels through
the black pipe to the storage tanks. |
http://www.consrv.ca.gov/dog/ http://science.howstuffworks.com/oil-drilling6.htm
http://www.capp.ca/default.asp?V_DOC_ID=33 |
