My country economy is based on oil and gas extraction, I work at a Company whose business is Exploration and Production, at Orinoco Petroleum Belt.
Our Surface Processes Management's labour consist in production and process infraestructure design and construction.
At this area crude oil has an API less than 20 (high viscosity), we have heavy and extra-heavy oil, to make it possible to extract and transport, light oil API 30 (diluent) must be inyected into oil wells. Our Department is in charge of construction of aboveground and underground facilities (buried pipes), as well as electric and instrumentation installation.
We build pipilines to lead production from production fields to process plants, where crude is treated, gas oil separation process is carried out, along with crude oil dehydration and desalting as well as gas sweetening (CO2 and H2S removal). Millions of cubic meter of gas is obtanied from the process, a small part of it, is burned by flare systems, the rest is compressed and transported to be served to our manufacturing industry.
My assigments range goes from field surveys, drawings, calcultaions, equipment specification, piping stress analysis, documents and other related activities, that is only our mechanical team component. Our Engineering Deparment is completed with Process, Electrical, Instrumentation and Civil Engineers. We carry out multi disciplinary projects, aimed at production increase.
Oil production is stored in API 650 tanks farms, to be later pumped (here ends our scope) to our refineries and terminals farm tanks, there it is mixed with others crude to reach specification requirements. Our storage and shipment terminals is where our production leave our country.
At the Orinoco Oil Belt, currently regarded as the largest reserve of crude oil, transnational private companies as Chevron, Petrobras, BP, CNPC, ENI among others are working. Every week several oil wells are connected and started-up, to keep and increase our production rate. All of this involve a huge effort and investment, qualified personnel, commitment, and love for what you doing.