A big part of drilling for oil is controlling the flow of liquids, whether it’s liquids you are using on the production side, such as fracking fluids or water, or it’s the actual petroleum itself. Oil companies use what are known as Christmas trees, which contain a set of valves, spools, and fittings that are connected to the top of the wellhead to control the flow of fluids from the well. They are so named because a lot of them are green in color and they look like a Christmas tree.
Northern Oilfield Services based out of Williston, ND, and serving most of the western United States, offers wellhead equipment for rent or for sale, including Christmas trees and frac trees. We provide any necessary repairs, as well as ensure your equipment is up to code standards. We also offer fracking equipment and drilling rental equipment. We listen to our customers and offer what they want and need. In this blog post, we’ll take a hard look at the use of Christmas and frac trees in the production of oil. Contact us today to get started!
WHAT DOES A CHRISTMAS TREE DO IN OIL PRODUCTION?
As mentioned above, a Christmas tree controls the flow of fluids for all types of wells, including oil well, gas well, water injection well, gas injection well, water disposal well, and other types of wells. Christmas trees work in conjunction with wellheads and are installed on top of wellheads, while wellheads don’t necessarily need a Christmas tree. Christmas trees are used in both surface and subsea wells.
Besides controlling the flow of fluids inside a well, Christmas trees also serve as chemical injection points, a means for well intervention and pressure relief, a place to monitor pressure, temperature, corrosion, erosion, sand, flow rate, and flow composition. In addition, a tree provides valve and choke position feedback and is a connector for down hole pressure and temperature transducers (DHPT).
USES OF A CHRISTMAS TREE IN OIL PRODUCTION
- If there is an oil production problem, such as a blockage, chemicals, alcohols, or oil distillates can be injected to help on producing wells.
- A tree is used to sustain production of a gas or oil well by injecting gas or water. There are control systems attached to the tree that allows the control of down hole safety valves.
- The tree creates a seal between the casing and the tubing.
- The tree controls wellhead pressure.
- The tree adjusts well flow rate.
- The tree then transports oil from the well to the pipeline.
There are different kinds of Christmas trees based on what you are drilling for, mostly differentiated by the different valves used in the oil production process they are designed for.
WHAT IS A FRAC TREE?
A frac tree is a type of Christmas tree that is specifically designed for use in hydraulic fracking, a process in oil production where rock is broken up, or fractured, using a high pressure liquid solution, which then frees up petroleum locked in rocks for our use. Fracking uses a lot of pressure and high temperatures, so fracking trees are designed to withstand those operating conditions. They also have larger bores to accommodate higher flow rates. Typically, you’ll see master valves, flow cross, wing valves, goat head,and swab valves on a frac tree.
WHY CHOOSE NORTHERN OILFIELD SERVICES FOR YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE AND FRAC TREE NEEDS
Northern Oilfield Services based in Williston, ND, offers most everything you will need for fracking or drilling equipment, including Christmas trees. We also offer for rent or purchase casing heads, casing hangers, tubing spools, and adjustable chokes. We also maintenance our equipment either on-site or at the shop, which helps to ensure everyone is safe on the job site. Our mission is to make your operations run as smoothly as possible, so you don’t have to worry about your wellheads, valves, or frac iron. We save you time and money. In fact, we’ve just teamed up with Power Feed-Thru Systems & Connectors, or PFT Systems, which engineers and manufacturers high voltage, high-pressure systems and durable wellhead parts. We will now be better able to serve our customers’ wellhead needs. Contact us today to get started on all your drilling rental, frac iron rental, and wellhead needs!