Christmas Tree (Oil Well) - Wikipedia

Christmas tree (oil
well)
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Oil well Christmas tree

In petroleum and natural gas extraction, a
Christmas tree, or "tree", is an assembly of
valves, casing spools, and fittings used to
regulate the flow of pipes in an oil well, gas
well, water injection well, water disposal
well, gas injection well, condensate well
and other types of wells. It was named for
its resemblance to the series of starting
lights at a drag racing strip, called by that
name.
Overview
The first primitive Christmas Tree was
used by the Hamill Brothers to bring
Spindletop under control. It consisted of a
T-valve, with a 6-inch and 8-inch valve on
the vertical pipe, and a 6-inch valve on the
horizontal pipe. The vertical valve was
closed first, and then the valve to the
horizontal pipe.[1][2]
Christmas trees are used on both surface

and subsea wells. It is common to identify
the type of tree as either "subsea tree" or
"surface tree". Each of these
classifications has a number of variations.
Examples of subsea include conventional,
dual bore, mono bore, TFL (through flow
line), horizontal, mudline, mudline
horizontal, side valve, and TBT (through-
bore tree) trees. The deepest installed
subsea tree is in the Gulf of Mexico at
approximately 9,000 feet (2,700 m).
(Current technical limits are up to around
3000 metres and working temperatures of
-50 °F to 350 °F with a pressure of up to
15,000 psi.)
The primary function of a tree is to control

the flow, usually oil or gas, out of the well.
(A tree may also be used to control the
injection of gas or water into a non-
producing well in order to enhance
production rates of oil from other wells.)
When the well and facilities are ready to
produce and receive oil or gas, tree valves
are opened and the formation fluids are
allowed to go through a flow line. This
leads to a processing facility, storage
depot and/or other pipeline eventually
leading to a refinery or distribution center
(for gas). Flow lines on subsea wells
usually lead to a fixed or floating
production platform or to a storage ship or
barge, known as a floating storage
offloading vessel (FSO), or floating
processing unit (FPU), or floating
production, storage and offloading vessel
(FPSO).
A tree often provides numerous additional

functions including chemical injection
points, well intervention means, pressure
relief means, monitoring points (such as
pressure, temperature, corrosion, erosion,
sand detection, flow rate, flow
composition, valve and choke position
feedback), and connection points for
devices such as down hole pressure and
temperature transducers (DHPT). On
producing wells, chemicals or alcohols or
oil distillates may be injected to preclude
production problems (such as blockages).
Functionality may be extended further by

using the control system on a subsea tree
to monitor, measure, and react to sensor
outputs on the tree or even down the well
bore. The control system attached to the
tree controls the downhole safety valve
(SCSSV, DHSV, SSSV) while the tree acts
as an attachment and conduit means of
the control system to the downhole safety
valve.
Tree complexity has increased over the

last few decades. They are frequently
manufactured from blocks of steel
containing multiple valves rather than
being assembled from individual flanged
components. This is especially true in
subsea applications where the
resemblance to Christmas trees no longer
exists given the frame and support
systems into which the main valve block is
integrated.
Note that a tree and wellhead are separate

pieces of equipment not to be mistaken as
the same piece. The Christmas tree is
installed on top of the wellhead. A
wellhead is used without a Christmas tree
during drilling operations, and also for riser
tie-back situations that later would have a
tree installed at riser top. Wells being
produced with rod pumps (pump jacks,
nodding donkeys, grasshopper pumps, and
so on) frequently do not utilize any tree
owing the absence of a pressure-
containment requirement.
Valves
Subsea and surface trees have a large
variety of valve configurations and
combinations of manual and/or actuated
(hydraulic or pneumatic) valves. Examples
are identified in API Specifications 6A nd
17D.
A basic surface tree consists of two or

three manual valves (usually gate valves
because of their flow characteristics, i.e.
low restriction to the flow of fluid when
fully open).
A typical sophisticated surface tree will

have at least four or five valves, normally
arranged in a crucifix type pattern (hence
the endurance of the term "Christmas
tree"). The two lower valves are called the
master valves (upper and lower
respectively). Master valves are normally
in the fully open position and are never
opened or closed when the well is flowing
(except in an emergency) to prevent
erosion of the valve sealing surfaces. The
lower master valve will normally be
manually operated, while the upper master
valve is often hydraulically actuated,
allowing it to be used as a means of
remotely shutting in the well in the event of
emergency. An actuated wing valve is
normally used to shut in the well when
flowing, thus preserving the master valves
for positive shut off for maintenance
purposes. Hydraulic operated wing valves
are usually built to be fail safe closed,
meaning they require active hydraulic
pressure to stay open. This feature means
that if control fluid fails the well will
automatically shut itself in without
operator action.
The right hand valve is often called the

flow wing valve or the production wing
valve, because it is in the flowpath the
hydrocarbons take to production facilities
(or the path water or gas will take from
production to the well in the case of
injection wells).
The left hand valve is often called the kill

wing valve (KWV). It is primarily used for
injection of fluids such as corrosion
inhibitors or methanol to prevent hydrate
formation. In the North Sea, it is called the
non-active side arm (NASA). It is typically
manually operated.
The valve at the top is called the swab

valve and lies in the path used for well
interventions like wireline and coiled
tubing. For such operations, a lubricator is
rigged up onto the top of the tree and the
wire or coil is lowered through the
lubricator, past the swab valve and into the
well. This valve is typically manually
operated.
Some trees have a second swab valve, the

two arranged one on top of the other. The
intention is to allow rigging down
equipment from the top of the tree with the
well flowing while still preserving the two-
barrier rule. With only a single swab valve,
the upper master valve is usually closed to
act as the second barrier, forcing the well
to be shut in for a day during rig down
operations. However, avoiding delaying
production for a day is usually too small a
gain to be worth the extra expense of
having a Christmas tree with a second
swab valve.
Subsea trees are available in either vertical

or horizontal configurations with further
speciality available such as dual bore,
monobore, concentric, drill-through,
mudline, guidelineless or guideline. Subsea
trees may range in size and weight from a
few tons to approximately 70 tons for high
pressure, deepwater (>3000 feet)
guidelineless applications. Subsea trees
contain many additional valves and
accessories compared to surface trees.
Typically a subsea tree would have a
choke (permits control of flow), a flowline
connection interface (hub, flange or other
connection), subsea control interface
(direct hydraulic, electro hydraulic, or
electric) and sensors for gathering data
such as pressure, temperature, sand flow,
erosion, multiphase flow, single phase flow
such as water or gas.
Surface and subsea

Christmas tree images
See also
Completion
Oilfield
Oil well
References
1. Olien, Diana; Olien, Roger (2002). Oil in
Texas, The Gusher Age, 1895-1945.
Austin: University of Texas Press.
p. 31. ISBN 0292760566.
2. Linsley, Judith; Rienstrad, Ellen; Stiles,
Jo (2002). Giant Under the Hill, A
History of the Spindletop Oil Discovery
at Beaumont, Texas in 1901. Austin:
Texas State Historical Association.
pp. 121–126. ISBN 9780876112366.
API Specifications 6A and 17D.
GE Oil & Gas XT Last accessed 28-Jun-
11
ISO 10423:2009 Petroleum and natural
gas industries - Drilling and production
equipment - Wellhead and Christmas
tree equipment [1]
NORSOK D-010.Link to
www.standard.no
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Christmas tree (oil

This article needs additional citations for

Oil well Christmas tree

Christmas trees are used on both surface

The primary function of a tree is to control

A tree often provides numerous additional

Functionality may be extended further by

Tree complexity has increased over the

Note that a tree and wellhead are separate

A basic surface tree consists of two or

A typical sophisticated surface tree will

The right hand valve is often called the

The left hand valve is often called the kill

The valve at the top is called the swab

Some trees have a second swab valve, the

Subsea trees are available in either vertical

Surface and subsea

Last edited 7 days ago by Aspidistra9812

Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless

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