MANUAL DE EJERCICIOS

PARA CURSO DE

INGLS CON FINES

ESPECFICOS

Glance to the
A
Petroleum Industry
(a course for intermediate level students)

AUTORES: Lic. Julio Csar Llpiz Pacheco

Lic. Mayra Lpez Gutirrez
Lic. Amircal Salermo Llanes
Lic. Nieves Crdenas Vargas
Lic. Mayralina Trespando Rams

ASESOR TCNICO: Ing. Rolando Fernndez Garrido

 Unit 1 Introduction Getting to know Oil

1- CONVERSATION

Listen to the following dialogue between two people who meet in an

airport. Answer the questions below.

Tony: Excuse me. Is this the right gate to board Flight 308 to Canada?
Susie: Yes, it is. But, dont rush, we still have time.
Tony: Thanks
SusieSusie My name is Susie.
Tony: Nice to meet you, Susie. Im Tony.
Susie: My pleasure.
Tony: Do you live in Canada?
Susie: Yes, I do.
Tony: Were you here on vacation?
Susie: No. I was on a business trip. I work for Sherrit Oil Company.
Tony: Really! I work for PDVSA.
Susie: Oh, are you from Venezuela?
Tony: No, I am not. I grew up there, but I was born in Cuba.
Your English doesnt sound like your first language either.
Were you born in Canada?
Susie: No, I wasnt. I was born in Portugal, but I moved to Canada when I was 15.
Tony: And when did you start working for Sherrit?
Susie: I started six years ago, right after I graduated as a geologist. I specialized in
Petrology. Did you study something related to the oil industry, too?
Tony: No, I didnt. I studied English Language Teaching and now I teach English to
PDVSA workers.
Susie: Are you going to do some work in Canada?
Tony: No, I am not. I won this trip there because I was the best worker of the year
in my company in 2007.
Susie: Oh, good for you! Congratulations!
Tony: Thanks, Susie.

Questions:

1. What are their names?

2. Where are they from?
3. Why was she traveling?
4. Where does Susie work?
5. How about Tony?
6. How long has she worked for Sherrit?
7. What does she do there?
8. Does he work as a researcher, too?
9. What does he do?
10.Is he going to Canada for business?

2
2- SPARK

A- Read the following concept and answer the questions below.

Whats Petroleum?

The word Petroleum comes from Latin petra, which means rock and from Greek
oleum, which means oil.
It is also called crude oil, a naturally occurring oily, bituminous liquid composed of
various organic chemicals. It is found in large quantities below the surface of Earth
and is used as a fuel and as a raw material in the chemical industry. Modern
industrial societies use it primarily to achieve a degree of mobilityon land, at sea,
and in the airthat was barely imaginable less than 100 years ago. In addition,
petroleum and its derivatives are used in the manufacture of medicines and
fertilizers, foodstuffs, plastics, building materials, paints, and cloth and to generate
electricity.

1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. Encarta Encyclopaedia.

a) What type of element petroleum is?

b) Is there much petroleum inside the Earth?
c) Which is one of the main uses of petroleum today?
d) What other uses of petroleum do they refer to in the text?
e) Can you mention other uses?

3- ACTION

Complete the following text with the verbs in the box.

collect can work reduce drill use produce process are talk analyze
collects cant works reduces drills uses produces processes is talks analyzes

My name is Patrick Roth. I am a geologist. I _______ for the petroleum

industry in an Iranian oil field. Our company __________ several wells in that
area. It is a big company that ___________ a great amount of oil everyday. I
__________ geological data, ___________ rock samples and ___________ them in
my microscope. My co-workers are Iranian, but they _______ to me in English
because I _______ speak Persian. We all _________ our protection means at
work because they help to _________ risks. It ______ a very nice job.

A- Make a similar presentation of yourself and share it with your

classmates.

3
4- OIL LINGO

Watch CUPETs presentation and complete the following statements

with the words from the list.

risk, exploration-production, rock, pipelines, limestone, reservoirs, derrick,

oil fields, enterprises, facilities, refinery, headquarters, offshore, tuff, casing,
state budget, companies.

a. The place where oil is processed is called a ______________.

b. The tubes used to transport oil are called ______________.
c. The area with the most _____________ in Cuba is the Western Oil
and Gas Enterprise.
d. CUPETs _____________ lead the work of several ______________.
e. The stage of investigation and extraction of petroleum is called
_________________.
f. Between 1960 and 1990, oil exploration in Cuba was made with the
____________.
g. Cuba currently keeps exploration contracts with foreign ___________
based on ___________.
h. Sta. Maria, Cantel and Camarioca are among the Cuban serpentine
_____________.
i. Jatibonico and Catalina are two of the _____________ reservoirs of
the island.
j. Most of the oil fields in Cuba are _____________ reservoirs.
k. The search for petroleum in the sea is called _____________
exploration.

5- READING

Read the following article and then say if the statements below them
are true (T) or false (F). Notice the Key Discoveries at the end.

History of the Oil and Gas Industries

i. Since the earliest recorded history there have been accounts

of crude oil and natural gas seeping to the earth's surface
ii. Oil was used to caulk boats and buildings, grease wheels and
dress wounds of animals and people - but was rarely used as
fuel because of the foul smelling fumes
iii. Better-quality crude oil seeps provided lamp fuel in some
parts of the middle east
iv. Natural gas fed the celebrated "perpetual tires" at Delphi in
Greece, Baku on the Caspian Sea and other mystical sites in
the ancient world
v. In the 3rd century AD, Chinese people transported gas in
bamboo to light temples. They also gas heat to extract salt
from brine.

4
 vi. Coal gasification was invented by a Flemish chemist in 1609.
Coal gas first lit the streets of London, England in 1807.
vii. Discoveries of oil and gas became more common in the 18th
and 19th centuries as people dug deeper wells in search of
water
viii. "Rock oil" or petroleum was once a popular patent medicine
in Canada and the United States
ix. Safer natural gas was first used for street lighting as early as
1821 when it was piped through hollow logs to Fredonia, New
York
x. However. natural gas was not widely used until the end of the
19th century when better drilling techniques and less leaky
pipes were developed
xi. The demand for better lighting led directly to the first
widespread use of crude oil. By the 1850s, the best available
lamp oil was selling for US$2.50 per gallon ($0.66 per liter)
xii. Colonel Edwin Drake found a practical way to produce large
quantities of oil when he used a cable-tool drilling rig to tap
an oil reservoir at Oil City, Pennsylvania in 1859
xiii. By that time oil was already being produced from hand dug
wells in Canada and Eastern Europe, but Drake's drilled well
unleashed the first "oil boom". It is often sited as the
beginning of the modem oil era.
xiv. Initial development around the world over the next four
decades
focused on the making and selling oil kerosene for lighting
xv. The development of the internal combustion engine late in the
19th century transformed society and changed the nature of
the oil and gas industry.
xvi. The diesel engine, invented In 1892, became popular for
industrial machinery and ships in the early 1900s
xvii. In 1911, Winston Churchill made a crucial decision to switch
Britains Imperial Navy from coal to oil
xviii. The First World War, 1914-1918, established oil as a key
strategic commodity. Horses and trains gave way to tanks,
trucks, airplanes, motorcycles and automobiles -all powered
by gasoline.
xix. Oil also played a dominant role in the Second World War
- armies in North Africa, Europe and the Soviet Union were
crippled when their oil supplies were interrupted
- lack of oil helped end the dominance of the Japanese Navy in
the Pacific
- fuel shortages weakened German forces near the conclusion of
the war
- the first large petrochemical plants during the war to produce
synthetic rubber

5
 Key Discoveries

1859 Colonel Drake drills first well at Titusville Baku

1873 Oil opened to development
1885 Royal Dutch discovers oil in Sumatra
1901 Gusher at Spindletop in Texas
1922 Los Barroso discovery in Venezuela
Discovery of oil in Bahrain
1932 Oil discovered in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia
1938 Oil discovered in Algeria and Nigeria Groningen
1956 Gas field discovered in Netherlands Zelten field
1959 Discovered in Libya
1968 Oil discovered on Alaska's North Slope
1969 Oil discovered in the North Sea

a) ____ There are thousands of years of crude oil evidences over the face
of the earth.
b) ____ Oil has many uses in everydays life.
c) ____ Chinese people used the bamboo to light temples.
d) ____ Coal gas was first used in 1807 to light English streets.
e) ____ Three centuries ago it was common to find oil and gas while
searching for water.
f) ____ Petroleum is the only name this resource has in English.
g) ____ Petroleum was once used as medicine in some parts of the world.
h) ____ Natural gas was very used at the end of the 19th century.
i) ____ The beginning of modern oil era started in the 18th century.
j) ____ The internal combustion engine contributed to the development of
the oil and gas industry.
k) ____ The British Imperial Navy used coal after 1911.
l) ____ Tanks, trucks, airplanes, motorcycles and automobiles all
powered by gasoline substituted horses and trains.
m) ____ Oil was still about to be discovered during the 2nd World War.
n) ____ Synthetic rubber was produced during the 2nd World War.

6- PERSONAL DATA

Suppose you are taking a course with a foreign teacher who only
speaks English. The first day, the teacher wants to know all about
you. Introduce yourselves and give personal information.

____ Name _____ Family

____ Age _____ Address
____ Marital status _____ Interests, hobbies
____ Education and qualifications _____ Course expectation

6
7- PROFESSIONAL DEGREES

One of the issues to take into account while introducing in a professional situation, is
your education and qualifications. Match the degrees with their corresponding
abbreviations.

1-Doctor of Philosophy MD
2-Master of Education MA
3-Bachelor of Medicine BSc
4-Doctor of' Medicine PhD
5-Master of Arts Med
6-Master of Letters ChB
7 -Bachelor of Surgery MB
8-Bachelor of Science MLitt

1- Figure out the degrees corresponding to the following abbreviations. Make

sentences with each of them. The Useful Expressions below may help you.

Note: These abbreviations may be written with or without full stops.

a) Blitt ___________________ b) Mphil ___________________

c) BA ____________________ d) BEd _____________________
f) MBA ___________________ e) BPhil ____________________

Useful expressions

I have a Bed degree in English or Im a Bed in English

I have been engaged in TOEFL
Im a senior professor at
I also serve as and Im in charge of

8- FILL IN

Team work

Read the following Positions Open ads and complete the form
below for each of the companies:

But, first: Whats Positions Open?

Positions Open (unboxed) listings are $1.50 per word with a minimum of 20
words. Boxed advertisements are 100 per column inch. Payment must be
received prior to publication. A 10 % discount is given for three or more
consecutive insertion of the same ad. Ads with a code number for responses are
an additional $10.

7
COMPLETIONS MANAGER

Terra-Tek, a world leader in large-scale laboratory drilling, completions testing

and research, is seeking an oil industry professional to manage its completions-
related activity. Requires MS (PhD preferred) in Petroleum. Civil or Mechanical
Engineering with 8-10 years research and operations experience in well
completions and simulation technologies. Duties include interacting with
industry and government clients to develop testing and research programs,
managing large-scale laboratory completions and simulations experiments, and
analyzing, interpreting, and presenting data to our clients. Competitive salary
and benefits package. FAX (801.584.2406) or send rsums to Jean Jensen.
TerraTek, Inc., 400 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108. Equal Opportunity
Employer.

SENIOR APPLICATION ENGINEER

Company involved in design and manufacture of compressors and gas tur-

bines seeks Senior Application Engineer to assist its Marketing Department
in the developing Eastern European market.
Position involves team approach in the selection and application of turbo
products meeting customers specifications and requirements and the
integration of turbo products with controls, instrumentation, electrical and
process equipment to meet compression system requirements. Position also
involves frequent interface with other departments of company, customer
contact, interaction with outside engineering services, and frequent travel to
former C.I.S. and Eastern European countries. Will develop optimum
rotating and associated station equipment selection and overall scope of
supply in determining customer requirements and specifications.
Position requires Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aeronautical
engineering plus seven years of direct engineering experience in the
operation and marketing of turbines and compressors, which must have
involved work as a member of a team in connection with the selection and
application of turbo products as well as experience in dealing directly with
customers. Candidate must be able lo provide names of three references
from previous employers who can attest to above experience. Salary $51,120
to $76,860, depending on experience. Apply al Texas Employment
Commission, Houston, Texas, or send rsum to Texas Employment
Commission, TEC Building, Austin, TX 78778, J.O. #TX7504837. Ad paid
by An Equa1 Opportunity Employer.

DIETSMANN

For its international worldwide contracts, Dietsmann wants to update its

database for the following disciplines:
drilling petroleum, reservoir engineers
drilling superintendents, toolpushers, base managers
drillers, assistant drillers
well services and well test supervisors
drilling, completion and workover supervisors
senior rig electricians and rig mechanics, rig maintenance engineers

8
 All applicants preferably to have international experience.

Candidates should send a detailed rsum, accompanied by a passport

size photograph to:

Dietsmann Technologies (International Coordination Center)

Noorderlaan 133,
B2030 Antwerp, Belgium

DIRECTOR, PETROLEUM RECOVERY RESEARCH CENTER

New Mexico Petroleum Recovery Research Center (PRRC), a Division of New

Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology invites applications and nominations
for the position of Director. The mission of the PRRC is to engage in theoretical
and practical research in the recovery of petroleum, to disseminate the
knowledge acquired, and to assist others in their efforts to recover petroleum.
Activities include laboratory and field work devoted to improving recovery of
crude oil and natural gas, enhanced oil recovery, reservoir characterization, and
technology transfer. The staff consists of 33 full-time engineers, scientists,
technicians, and support personnel, plus about 30 student employees.
Candidates must have distinguished research records and international
reputations in methods for improved oil recovery and must have strong
administrative and budgetary skills. The successful candidate will have a
minimum of ten years experience in research and development of improved
methods for oil recovery, inc1uding at least three years in management of
research projects, budgets and personnel, inc1uding scientists and engineers.
Some oil and gas industrial experience is preferred, including experience
working with government agencies.
Applicants must be eminent engineers or scientists with an advanced degree,
PhD preferred, in engineering or physical science in an area related to the
research mission of the PRRC. Strong interpersonal and communications skills
are essential. The position requires the ability to interact effectively with oil and
gas producers and professional scientists and engineers, to develop good
working relationships with industrial sponsors and government agencies, to
stimulate productive research, and to provide leadership as to future research
directions. The Director must have a demonstrated capacity to get research
proposals funded by oil and gas companies, and/or other agencies that fund
research and development in improved oil recovery. Submit application material
to New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Human Resources, Wells Hall
Box C-020e. So. corro, NM 87801. AAEOE

PRODRILL ENGINEERING (UK)

PARTS OF THE SMEDVIG GROUP

Drilling Engineers
Rig Supervisors

Overseas Opportunities
Both office and rigsite positions

Send rsum to:

14641 Beechnut St., Suite 200 Houston, TX 77083

9
 III Employment

- Name of the company: _______________________________________.

- The company specializes in: __________________________________.

- Positions offered: ____________________________________________.

- Requirements: ______________________________________________.

- Duties: _____________________________________________________.

_____________________________________________________.

_____________________________________________________.

- Any other information: __________________________________________.

- This company is located in: _____________________________________.

9- WATCH AND SAY

Watch the following macromedia presentation and answer:

a) What activities does this company develop?

b) What ministry does CUPET belong to?
c) What other industries does this ministry represent?
d) How many refineries does CUPET have?
e) What does the slate of products include?
f) Whats the name of the place where investigations on petroleum are made in
Cuba?
g) How would you call CUPETs main offices in English?
h) Can you name some other of CUPETs enterprises?
i) Look at the map and mention some of the oil facilities in Cuba and say where
they are located?
j) Do you happen to know which ones currently produce more petroleum in our
country and which ones dont produce much or are not successful at all?
Please, say.

10
10- GROUP WORK

Read the rsums of these candidates and decide which one would be
the best choice for the position of Director, Petroleum Recovery
Research Center. Also, say why you think so.

1- Daniela Brown 2- James Smith 3- Bill Hynes

Research Technologist
received a diploma in
Chemical Technology in
Canada.
has a lot of experience in
practical research in the
recovery of petroleum
has no teaching
experience
has 15 years experience
Petroleum Engineer Research Scientist
received a BA SC, a MA received a B. Sc, and a M.
Sc and a Ph, D Sc, in India and a Ph D
served as chairman of the and an MBA in Canada
Calgary section and was began his teaching and
National Director for 5 research career in 1967,
years has authored over 50
has little teaching publications and
experience but laboratory presentations
and field work experience He is currently on the
in recovery of crude oil Board of Governors of the
with international Petroleum Society
reputation has no budgetary skills
has strong interpersonal has 30 years experience
and communication skills
has 9 years experience

A- Which position is most attractive to you? Why?

Work in pairs and discuss. The useful expressions below may help
you.

Useful expressions

- I think the most convenient option would be, because

- In my opinion, the best candidate is, because
- I would choose, due to
- The one with the greatest curriculum is, since
- The person with the best conditions is, because
- My choice would be, because..

11- ON YOUR OWN

If you were to apply for a job, what working experience data would
you supply? Do a rsum using the style of the ones above.

11
12- FILL IN

What follows is two styles of rsum, American and British, of

Marion Roberts, from the U.S.A., and Mary Phyllis Hunt, from
England. Fill in the CVs blank spaces with the following words.

CV American Style CV British Style

Experience Other interests
Education Education/Qualifications
References Employment to date
Languages Name
Objective Address
Personal Nationality
Other interests Marital Status
Date of Birth
Telephone
References

Curriculum Vitae - American Style

RSUM
Marion Roberts Date of birth: February 25, 2002-06
2633 High Av. Urbandale, Marital status: married, no children
IA 5109
Tel: (319) 853-1212
I can currently be
contacted at:
c/o Ed and Joan Grant
105 East 15 st Street, apto.
12
White Plains, NY 78893
Tel: (917) 743-3628
To obtain an elementary school teaching
position in the Westchester area, where I
will be living permanently

12
Education
1995 State of New York teaching certificate
1994-95 Masters in Education SUNY at Syracuse
1989-93 B.A. (cum laude)
Major: History, Minor: English Literature
University of Iowa
Teaching assistant SUNY at Syracuse
-Camp Counselor, Urbandale Youth Center
-I speak fluent Spanish and have good
command of French
I am a qualified ski instructor/ other
interests include swimming and playing
tennis

Dr. J. Smith, Department of Education at

Syracuse
Syracuse, NY79923
Mrs. G.L. Brice
Director of Operations Urbandale Youth
Center
Urbandale, IA 51019

Curriculum Vitae-British Style

RSUM
Mary Phylis Hunt
16 Victoria Road Brixton
London SW 2 SHU
O181 677 9683
British
11 March 1965

13
 Single
Education / Qualifications
1997-98 U. of Essex Business School
Postgraduate Diploma in Business
Management with German
1993-97 London School of Economics, Department
of Business Studies
BSc First Class honors in Business with
Economics Colchester
Grammar School for girls
7 O levels and 4 A levels German B
Employment to date
1992- Deputy manager, Retail Outlets Division,
Delicatessen International, Riverside
House, 22 Charles St, London EC7X4JJ
Assistant Purchasing Officer, Delicatessen
International, 77 Rue Baudelaire, Paris,
France.
Trainee Manager, Sainsways Food Stores
PLC, Lincoln Arcade, Kent
Tennis and swimming
Judo brown belt
Wine tasting and vineyards
Dr: Margaret McIntosh, Director of
Studies, U. of Essex Business School,
Colchester CR3 5SA
Mr. J. Byers-Ellis Manager, Retail Outlets
Division Delicatessen International,
Riverside House, 22 Charles St. London
EC7X4JJ
(as present employer is not aware of this
application yet, please inform me before
contact him )

A- Do your own Curriculum Vitae using the style that the company you
want to work for demands. (TBHI)

14
 B- PAIR WORK
Student A
Read Marion Roberts rsum again and do the exercises below.

a) Say if the following sentences are Right or Wrong

___ Marion Roberts lives in Iowa
____She is 29
____She is staying at Eds house in the state of New York
____She wants to teach children
____She went to college in different states

b) Be ready to express your opinions by answering the following questions.

1.-Do you think she has the necessary qualifications to be the teacher? Why or
why not?
2.-How could her personal interests be useful for her job?

c) Now compare the answers to your questions with a partner and

determine the differences between both styles.

Student B:
Read Marys again CV and do the exercises below

a) Say if the following sentences are right or wrong

___ Mary went to college
___She was not a very good student in college
___She studied hard in Grammar School
___She has a good command of German
___She hasnt told her boss she is looking for a new job.

b) Be ready to express your opinion by answering the following questions:

-Do you think she has had too much leisure time in her life? Why or why
not?
-How do you like her?
c) Now compare the answers to your questions with your partner and
determine the differences between both styles.

15
13- SEEK

Read this article on Petroleum Formation and find the English

equivalents for the following terms:

caliza, restos, sedimentos, amontonarse, crudo, limo, roca madre, arenisca,

hundirse, descomposicin, precipitarse, elevarse, esquisto, lodo, corteza
terrestre, lago, fondo marino, superficie, enredado, rocas carbonatadas,
organismos marinos, poros, reservorio, capa, fluir, densidad, depsitos,
crecer, materia orgnica, arena, hacia arriba, cuenca, presin, pilago,
denso.

PETROLEUM FORMATION

Petroleum is formed under the Earths surface by the decomposition of marine

organisms. The remains of tiny organisms that live in the seaand, to a lesser
extent, those of land organisms that are carried down to the sea in rivers and of
plants that grow on the ocean bottomsare enmeshed with the fine sands and silts
that settle to the bottom in quiet sea basins. Such deposits, which are rich in
organic materials, become the source rocks for the generation of crude oil. The
process began many millions of years ago with the development of abundant life,
and it continues to this day. The sediments grow thicker and sink into the seafloor
under their own weight. As additional deposits pile up, the pressure on the ones
below increases several thousand times, and the temperature rises by several
hundred degrees. The mud and sand harden into shale and sandstone; carbonate
precipitates and skeletal shells harden into limestone; and the remains of the dead
organisms are transformed into crude oil and natural gas.

Once the petroleum forms, it flows upward in Earths surface through a well
because it has a lower density than the brines that saturate the interstices of the
shales, sands, and carbonate rocks that constitute the crust of Earth. The crude oil
and natural gas rise into the microscopic pores of the coarser sediments lying
above. Frequently, the rising material encounters an impermeable shale or dense
layer of rock that prevents further migration; the oil has become trapped, and a
reservoir of petroleum is formed. A significant amount of the upward-migrating oil,
however, does not encounter impermeable rock but instead flows out at the surface
of Earth or onto the ocean floor. Surface deposits also include bituminous lakes and
escaping natural gas.

A- Analyze the text and say if the following statements are

true (T) or false (F). Justify the false ones.

____ Petroleum is formed on the surface of the Earth.

____ It is formed by the decomposition of sea organisms.
____ Seaweeds also contribute to the formation of petroleum.
____ The process of oil formation started ten thousand years ago.
____ The mud and sand solidify into limestone.
____ Crude oil is formed from alive organisms.
____ When petroleum is formed, it goes up to Earths outer layer.
____ The Earths crust is constituted by carbonate rocks only.
____ Crude oil and natural gas are deposited in subterranean lakes.
____ Some of the oil migrates onto the sea bottom.

16
a) Class activity:
Summarize in a few sentences what the reading Petroleum
Formation deals with.
b) Assignments
Team 1: Translate paragraphs 1
Team 2: Translate paragraphs 2

c) Team Activity. Using the Another Way to Say Technique:

Team 1: Do your own version of paragraph 1.
Team 2: Do your own version of paragraph 2.

15- WATCH AND DO

Watch the following video and do the exercises below:

I. Answer the following questions about the text.

- What is the listening about?
- What began the creation of oil reservoirs?
- What areas of the world does it mention?

II. Fill in the blanks.

The creation of an __________ begins with the movement of the ________ over
____________. Todays North Sea reservoirs marked by the red dot were born when
this push and pull of land formed a valley in the Equator. Over time, the valley
moved __________________, it was flooded to become a shallow ____, then became a
swamp, later a ________ and then back ___________. When water flooded the ______
it produced _________________ that would later ___________. The continents are still
moving today and the valley that became the ____________ continues to subside
collecting _________________ that, over the next ________________, may eventually
become oil.

III- Vocabulary.

Working with your classmates extract words related to oil formation.

IV- Write True (T) or False (F) as you listen. Correct the wrong statements.

__ Oil reservoirs started when the land formed a valley in the Northern part of the
Earth.
__ Oil was formed due to organic matter.
__ The continents are still moving.
__ Over the next million years the organic material will become water.

17
V- Find in the listening:

a) A synonym of start: ________________

b) Two adjectives: ___________________

c) English equivalent of pantano: _____________

d) A verb in present continuous: ______________

e) An adverb: _________________

d) An expression of time:____________________

e) English equivalent of evitar (conjugated): __________________

f) A synonym of waterless: ___________________

VI- Answer the following questions in reference to the listening.

1. - Was todays North Sea reservoir formed due to the movement of continents?

2. - Was the movement of the lands an important point in forming oil reservoirs?
Why?

3. - Can you explain in a simple form how the formation of oil took place?

4. - Whats happening nowadays?

VI.- Give your Spanish version of the paragraph.

16- BASIC DEFINITIONS

Find in the chart the definitions for the following terms:

Condensate Field Oil

Synthetic Crude Oil Raw Gas Oil Sands
Crude Bitumen Pentanes Plus Crude Oil
Natural Gas Liquids Pool Gas
Marketable Gas Oil Sands Deposit

A mixture containing methane, other paraffinic hydrocarbons, nitrogen,

carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, helium and minor impurities, or
some of them, which is recovered or is recoverable at a well from an
underground reservoir and which is gaseous at the conditions under
which its volume is measured or estimated.
A naturally occurring viscous mixture, mainly of hydrocarbons heavier
than pentane, that may contain sulphur compounds and that, in its
naturally occurring viscous state, will not flow to a well.

18
 A mixture mainly of pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons that may be
contaminated with sulphur compounds, that is recovered or is
recoverable at a well from an underground reservoir and that is liquid at
the conditions under which its volume is measured or estimated, and
includes all other hydrocarbon mixtures so recovered or recoverable
except raw gas, condensate or crude bitumen;
A natural reservoir containing or appearing to contain an accumulation
of oil sands separated or appearing to be separated from any other such
accumulation
A mixture mainly of pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons which
ordinarily may contain some butanes and which is obtained from the
processing of raw gas, condensate or crude oil
Condensate or crude oil, or a constituent of raw gas, condensate or crude
oil that is recovered in processing, that is liquid at the conditions under
which its volume is measured or estimated
A natural underground reservoir containing or appearing to contain an
accumulation of oil or gas or both separated or appearing to be separated
from any other such accumulation
A mixture mainly of methane originating from raw gas, if necessary
through the processing of the raw gas for the removal or partial removal
of some constituents, and which meets specifications for use as a
domestic, commercial or industrial fuel or as an industrial raw material
A mixture mainly of pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons that may be
contaminated with sulphur compounds, that is recovered or is
recoverable at a well from an underground reservoir and that may be
gaseous in its virgin reservoir state but is liquid at the conditions under
which its volume is measured or estimated
A mixture, mainly of pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons, that may
contain sulphur compounds, that is derived from crude bitumen and that
is liquid at the conditions under which its volume is measured or
estimated, and includes all other hydrocarbon mixtures so derived
(I) sands and other rock material s containing crude bitumen, and
(II) the crude bitumen contained in those sands and other rock materials
Propane, butanes or pentanes plus, or a combination of them, obtained
from the processing of raw gas or condensate
Raw gas or marketable gas or any constituent of raw gas, condensate,
crude bitumen or crude oil that is recovered in processing and that is
gaseous at the conditions under which its volume is measured or
estimated
(I) the general surface area or areas underlain or appearing to be
underlain by one or more pools, or
(II) the subsurface regions vertically beneath a surface area or areas
referred to in (I)

A- INDIVIDUAL WORK

Lets translate
(Each student will translate a different definition from the chart)

19
 B- GROUP WORK

Choose at least 3 terms from the chart and write a paragraph with
them.

17- WATCH AND DO

Watch the following video and do the exercises below:

I. - Answer the following question after listening.

Is the video commenting about the formation of oil reservoirs according to the
organic theory or according to the inorganic theory? Expand your answer.
What is the indispensable element for the matter in the settlement to become liquid
hydrocarbon?

20
II. - Match the word with its definition.

a) Organism b) Algae c) Migrate d) Hydrocarbon

e) Shallow f) Plankton g) Settlement

___ A single living plant, animal, bacterium or virus

___ Accumulation of any substance on a portion or surface
___ Having only a short distance from the top to the bottom
___ Very small plants and animals which float on the surface of the sea and
on which other sea animals feed
___To move from one place to another
___Very simple, usually small plants that grow in or near water and do not
have ordinary leaves of roots
___ A chemical combination of hydrogen and carbon.

III.-Make sentences with the following words:

1. - reservoir

2. - hydrocarbons

3. - settlement

4. - oil

5. migration

IV. - Answer the following questions in reference to the listening.

1. - Which are the sources of oil?

2. - Was the temperature important in the formation of oil reservoirs? Explain

V. - Give your Spanish version of the listening.

18- READING

Increasing recoverable reserves

Increasing recoverable reserves in the mature fields is not easy. In certain reservoir
(such as Bloque IV of the giant Bachaquero field in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela)
horizontal wells can offer an effective method to increase recovery.
In order to evaluate the potential for strategically placed horizontal wells to increase
recovery, Maraven S.A. Schlumberger teamed up to conduct a study in a pilot area
of the central part of the Bloque IV. Using wire line logs, cores, seismic data, fluid
samples and the combined production and pressure histories, the interdisciplinary
team constructed a reservoir model which was used to identify regions that would
yield additional recovery by redevelopment with horizontal wells.
The team selected the location of the first horizontal well in the field, which was
drilled following a novel approach involving 3-D geosteering techniques.
The article focuses on the methodology followed by the geoscientists, their findings
and proposals to maximize oil recovery from the field.

21
I. - Answer the following questions.

1. - How can scientists increase recoverable reserves?

2. - What tools do scientists use in their discoveries?
3. - What do they choose?
4. - What techniques do they use?

II. - Give your English version of these ideas in Spanish.

- En este tipo de yacimientos, los pozos horizontales pueden ofrecer una alternativa
vlida.
- El equipo seleccion la ubicacin del primer pozo horizontal en el campo.

III. - Find in the reading.

a). - pozos in English: __________________

b). - reservoir in Spanish: ________________
c). - an opposite of decrease: ______________
d). - recovery means: ____________________
e). - muestras de fluido: __________________
f). - se perfor: __________________
g). - oil recovery: _________________

IV. - Translate the reading into Spanish.

19- WATCH AND DO

Watch the following video and do the exercises below:

I. Answer these questions about the text.

- What is the listening about?

- Do all the reservoirs have the same characteristics?
- Which is the area called the land of giants? Why?
- How old can a reservoir be?

II. - Write True (T) or False (F). Explain the false ones.

___ Not all reservoirs contain oil and gas.

___ All the reservoirs have the same shape.

___ Oil and gas have been centralized in some parts of the world.

___ The reservoirs never excide a million year of age.

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

22
III. List the words/phrases that describe reservoirs geologically speaking.

IV. Find equivalents in the listening for:

- huge potential
- parts of the world
- important volumes
- significant volumes
- shallow

V. Write the following sentences in a different way.

a) We have reservoirs that are perhaps one million years old

b) Some may be very skinny reservoirs
c) All of these different characters of reservoirs have vital amounts of oil and
gas that we want to produce

20 - READING

Read and make a summary (in teams).

We know now that reservoirs can be very complex, fragmented pieces and blocks or
permeable rock, all of which have enormous potential for containing oil and gas.
Some may be very skinny reservoirs, some may be flat like pancakes, some may be
fragmented. All of these different characters of reservoirs have vital amounts of oil
and gas that we want to produce.
There are some areas of the world where oil and/or gas have been centralized,
accumulated. The Middle East, perhaps, can be called the land of the giants where
oil fields can be eighty kilometers long, the reservoir body could be a thousand
meters thick and with all of that, fields of oil these are significant volumes of world
reserves.
We have reservoirs that are shallow as a thousand feet and we have reservoirs in
Texas that are down at 30 000 feet. We have reservoirs that are perhaps one million
years old and others that are exciding six hundred million years of age so that a
variety of rocks and history, properties, internal character takes place.

21 - WATCH AND DO

Watch the following video and do the exercises below:

I. Answer the following questions.

- What is the listening about?

- What elements related with reservoirs/geology are mentioned (key words)?

II. Find in the listening the English words for:

- arcilla
- capa
- arenisca

23
III. - Answer the following questions in reference to the listening.

- When does the North Sea reservoir start its life?

- What rocks are parts of oil formation?
- Is today the search for oil focussing on better understanding of the
formation of it? Explain.

IV. - Fill in the blanks.

There are ____________________________________. This one, in the North Sea,

____________________________when the water was shallow. As sea water
________________ it left a layer of ______________ shown in white.
________________, the sea floor sank and an organic rich shale, here in olive
green, was deposited over the salt. This shale became __________________,
next, sand stone that would become the oil reservoir, here in lighter green on
top of the shale was laid down. As the salt again aroused the earths
pressuring heat ___________________ producing _______________________ into
the sand stone. Later, the salt mushroomed into a dome trapping oil and the
sand stone under the flanks of salt. Meanwhile, as the salt squeezed
upwards, ______________________ was trapped beneath the pillow of salt that
broke off. Today, the search for oil is focusing ______________________ of these
and _______________________________________.

V. - Find this sentence in the reading.

- A travs del tiempo, el fondo marino se hundi y un esquisto rico en capas

orgnicas, en la parte verde olivo, se deposit encima de la sal.

VI. - Give your English version of this sentence.

En estos momentos, la bsqueda de petrleo esta centrada en una mejor

comprensin de esta y otras estructuras para entrampar petrleo.

VII. - Vocabulary. Class activity.

Find words (5 at least) related with reservoirs (in teams). Make sentences using
each of them.

22- READING

Read this text and do the exercises below:

The Earth looks weird below the surface. How can geologists fill in this picture using
remote sensing from the surface? There are several kinds of remote sensing. Each
works by extending the eyes of the geoscientists into the earth. Surveys of
anomalies and gravity can reveal rock bodies that may trap oil. Similar maps of
magnetic anomalies, like this one of Alaska, taken from an airplane can also reveal
oil traps. Likewise, shallow structures can be discerned with ground penetrating
radar. But perhaps the most powerful tool is the seismic survey, which uses echoes
to map rock layers as far down as four miles. These surveys peek the big picture but
miss the details. Still, these techniques generally find structures that may contain
oil; they usually dont detect oil directly.

24
 I. Say if the following statements about the reading are true or false,

___ The reading is about geology.

___ The reading is about remote control systems.
___ The surveys are used for detecting oil traps.
___ The examples given are about the Gulf of Mexico.
___ There is one kind of survey.

II. List the words related to geology and geology techniques.

III. Find in the reading the words that match with the following
definitions,

_________ An examination of opinions, behaviour etc., made by asking people

questions.
_________ Thing that is different from what is usual, or not in agreement with
something else and therefore not satisfactory.
_________ The force which attracts any object of any mass towards any other
object of any mass.
_________ To see, recognize or understand (something that is not clear).
_________ A system which uses radio waves to find the position of objects
which cannot be seen.
_________ Related to earthquakes; technique used to the study the rocks and
similar substances that make up the Earth's surface, esp. in order
to understand its structure, origin, etc.
_________ A level of material, such as a type of rock or gas, which is different
from the material above or below it, or a thin sheet of a substance.

IV. Find the equivalent in Spanish to the words in exercise III.

V. Extract from the reading:

- Four regular verbs. Write their past form.

- Two modal auxiliary verbs.
- Three adverbs.
- One sentence in passive voice

23- SUMMING UP

I- Make a summary, of no less than 5 sentences, where you talk about the
most important topics you have learned in this unit.

25
 Unit 2 Exploring, drilling, producing

1- SPARK

Drilling Crew

In your opinion:
- Which are the two top positions in an oil rigs crew?
- Who is the company representatives right hand?
- What do mechanics do in an oil rig?

26
2- OIL LINGO

Drilling Rig Schematic

1. accumulator 39. fast line 78. pumps, mud

2. A-frame 40. fill-up line 79. ram wheel
3. air compresor 41. flow line 80. ramp
4. annular (bag) 42. fuel line 81. rathole
preventer 43. fuel tank 82. reserve drilling line
5. annulus 44. generating unit (light 83. reserve (mud) pit
6. base plant) 84. rotary drive
7. bell nipple 45. gin pole 85. rotary (table)
8. BOP control 46. hoisting line 86. safety (Gernimo)
9. bit (drill) 47. hook line
10. bradenhead 48. intermediate casing 87. sand settling (mud)
11. burning pit 49. Kelly pit
12. casing-hanger spool 50. Kelly bushing 88. shale pit
13. cathead 51. Kelly (rotary) hose 89. shale pit jet
14. cat line 52. kill line 90. shale shaker
15. catwalk 53. ladder 91. stairs
16. cellar 54. line guide 92. stand pipe
17. centrifuge 55. mast 93. storage, bulk barite
18. chemical barrel 56. mast lifting line 94. storage, liquid mud
19. choke line 57. mixing (mud) pit 95. storage, mud
20. choke manifold 58. monkey board additives
21. choke manifold 59. mousehole 96. substructure
control 60. mud 97. substructure, pony
22. compound 61. mud-gas separator 98. suction lines
23. conductor casing (gas buster) 99. suction (mud) pit
24. crown block 62. mud gun (submerged) 100. surface casing
25. cyclone desander 63. mud gun (surface) 101. swivel
desilter 64. mud hopper 102. swivel (spring)
26. dead line 65. mud line 103. tong,
27. degasser 66. mud logging unit counterweight
28. discharge line 67. mud (paddle) mixer 104. tong, lead
29. doghouse 68. mud-mixing plant (breakout)
30. drawworks 69. oil and grease storage 105. tong, makeup
31. drill collars 70. pipe rack (floor) 106. tool house
32. drillers console 71. pipe racks 107. traveling block
33. drilling line 72. pressure (mud) gauge 108. trip tank
34. drillpipe 73. preventer control 109. walkway
35. drill tool storage lines 110. water, storage
(junk box) 74. preventer (BOP) ram 111. water table
36. dynamatic or type 112. weight indicator
hydromatic 75. production casing 113. BOP and casing
37. elevators 76. pump drive
38. engines 77. pump, mud mixing

27
28
I- Match the parts in column A with the system they belong to (B). Find the
names of three more parts of each system.

A B

___ mud line 1. Hoisting system

___ doghouse 2. Rotary system
___ swivel 3. Drilling string
___ tool house 4. Circulating system
___ dead line
___ drill collars
___ choke line
___ fuel line
___ flow line
___ stand pipe
___ suction lines
___ mouse hole
___ ram wheel

Team Work
II- Say what each of these systems does in the drilling process.

III- Choose one part of each system and give a brief explanation of
their
function.

IV- Say the names in English of each of the parts indicated in the
following picture:

29
3- WATCH AND SAY

I. - Listen carefully and be ready to answer the following

questions.
1. Does the listening describe the operators job at the refinery?
2. Does the listening describe the operators job at the oil well?
3. What specifically is the listening about? What does it describe?

II. - Answer the following question:

1).- Can you mention the problems the operator faces?
2).- What would it happen if the drilling fluid worked?
3).- Is the drilling fluid going to widen the drilling time? Why?
4).- What would happen if the well is completed?

III.- Find the English equivalent of,

- Surgencia a pozo abierto o Reventn
- Tubera trabada
- Tubera de perforacin
- Equipo de Perforacin
- Fluido de Perforacin

IV. - Find in the listening,

- Sentences in future tense and write in what other form you could
say it. Then translate both sentences.
- Extract four adjectives and four nouns.

30
 - A comparative form.
- Extract a conditional sentence.
- A non-defining relative clause

4- TRUE OR FALSE

Say if the following statements are true (T) or false (F)

____ Drilling is the process of collecting crude oil after it is in exploitation.

____ Recovery can be classified in: primary, enhanced, secondary and
tertiary.
____ Primary recovery is the hardest one to obtain oil and gas.
____ The molecular structure of petroleum is formed by carbon and
hydrogen.
____ The content of sulphur, oxygen, nitrogen and some other metals in
crude oil
is a positive element.
____ The different types of crude oil produce the same derivates.
____ Cement is an unnecessary element for drilling a well.
____ Offshore drilling is that one done in the ocean.
____ We havent been able to do horizontal drilling in Cuba yet.

5- WATCH AND SAY

I. - Answer:
1). - Whats the listening about?
2). - In what way do specialists drill as soon as possible?
3). - What do they prepare the mud for?
4). - What do you understand by an unproductive rock?

II. - Fill in the blanks.

I tend to think of it in _______________________, the first is to drill from the
surface down to _________________________ where essentially you are drilling
unproductive rough and in that you want to drill _______________ possible
and in the most efficient way possible. Then, you want to drill through the
reservoir and theres much importance that you are able ___________________
afterwards. So you want to tailor your fluid to minimize the damage while
you are drilling the reservoir.

III.- In the listening extract:

a).- English equivalent of yacimiento.
b). - A verbal phrase that expresses an ability to produce a reservoir.
c). - An opposite of maximize.
d). - To tailor is.

IV. Find in the listening,

31
 - A superlative phrase.
- A comparative phrase.
- An adverb of time.
- A present continuous sentence.
- Four adjectives.
- Four nouns.
- Write the noun of the following adjectives,
Important____
Efficient _____
Productive____

6- READING

The stages of drilling

Wells are normally drilled in stages, starting with a surface hole drilled to reach
a depth anywhere from 400 to 600 meters, depending on final well depth and
area conditions. The crew then pulls out the drill string and inserts steel pipe,
called surface casing, which is cemented in place, to keep the wall from caving
in. It controls the return flow of mud and other fluids encountered during drilling
and also prevent contamination of groundwater. The beginning of the actual
drilling, which takes place after the surface hole is drilled, is called spudding in.
After setting surface casing and installing the blowout preventers (BOPs), the
crew resumes drilling. A probe for shallow gas or heavy oil in eastern Alberta or
Saskatchewan may require only two or three days to drill 450 metres through
soft shales and sandstone to the target depth. However, a rig may work eight
months or longer to penetrate 4,500 metres or more through hard, complex rocks
in the foothills of the Rockies.
When the bit needs to be replaced because of wear or changing rock strata, the
crew has to pull out the entire string, unscrewing sections of pipe in single,
double or triple sections, depending on the height of the derrick, and stacking
them upright in the derrick. Then, they have to put the whole string back into the
hole again, with the new bit in place. This process, which can be very laborious
and time-consuming for a deep hole, is called tripping. Major improvements in
the durability of bits and the formulation of drilling fluids since the 1980s have
greatly reduced the number of trips required to drill a well. Many shallow wells
today are drilled without a bit change.
If the string breaks or gets stuck in the hole, a specialist is called in to help the
crew go fishing with special tools. No one wants to lose an expensive bit and
bottom-hole assembly, but the blocked hole is the real problem. As a last resort,
the crew drills a curved section called a sidetrack to bypass the debris.

After reading the text carefully, do the following activities.

I. Answer these questions,

1. What is the reading about?
2. Say the stages of drilling mentioned in the reading.
3. What is the range of depth reached when drilling a surface hole?

32
 4. What is the name of the steel pipe cemented in the hole?
5. What are the functions of the casing?
6. What must be installed before restarting drilling?
7. What does the crew have to do for changing the bit?
8. What would be the reasons for changing the bit?
9. What is tripping?
10.What has reduced the number of trips in the present drilling
process?
11.What does go fishing refer to in last paragraph?

II. Find the equivalents in Spanish for,

- depth
- surface hole
- pull out
- drill string
- steel pipe
- flow of mud
- soft shales
- sandstones
- rock strata
- time-consuming
- get stuck
- to bypass

III. Match the words with their definitions.

a) groundwater ___ Group of people who

work on and operate a ship,
an aircraft, a spacecraft,
etc.
b) crew ___ That has only a short
distance from the top to the
bottom.
c) resume ___ The amount or type of use
that something has over a period
of time
d) shallow ___ The process of fitting
different parts together of a
machine, device, or object
e) wear (noun) ___ Pieces from something that
has been destroyed or pieces of
rubbish or unwanted material
which are strewn around
f) assembly ___ Water that is found under
the ground. Groundwater has
usually passed down through
the soil and become trapped by
rocks
g) debris ___ Something that takes a lot of
time and effort
h) laborious ___ To begin again or restart an

33
 activity

IV. Find in the reading,

- One non-defining subordinate sentence

- One conditional sentence
- Five nouns functioning as adjectives
- Two sentences in passive voice. Write both in active voice
if possible.
- Two irregular and four regular verbs

V. Write sentences with the following words/phrases,

- time-consuming (adj)
- As a last resort
- Debris
- resume

VI. Translate the last two paragraphs into Spanish.

7- FINDING TERMS

I- Match the definitions with the following words or expressions:

a) derrick b) drilling pipes c) key horizons d) mud tanks e)

chemicals
f) rock g) cap rock h) bed of shale limestone i) well-casing j)
nozzles
k) blow out preventers l) core m) rock-bit n) drill stem|string o)
marker bed
p) cuttings q) drilling mud|fluid r) hoisting system s) tripping t)
hook
u) rotary table v) Kelly w) swivel y) travelling block z) well-head
fittings

____ a framework or tower over a deep drill hole for supporting boring tackle
or
for hosting and lowering.
____ the string of tools that are used to drill a well, the Kelly, drill pipe, drill
collars,
stabilizers and drilling bit.
____ rock chips or fragments resulting from the drilling that are brought up to
the
surface in the circulating drilling mud.
____ the equipment used to maintain surface control of a well.
____ a steel pipe used in wells to seal the borehole from formation fluids and
to

34
 reinforce the walls of the borehole.
____ a device joining two parts (as in a chain) so that one or both can pivot
freely.
____ a heavy steel member, four or six-sided, suspended from the swivel
through
the rotary table and connected to the topmost joint of drill pipe to turn
the drill
stem as the rotary table turns.
____ piping designed to become the walls of the well. It may be fully or
partially
cemented.
____ a fluid circulated inside the wall during operations with special
characteristics (during rotary drilling and workover operations) to keep
it clean and under control.
____ a mineral or mineral compound which forms an essential part of the
earths
crust.
____ a narrow piece attached to the end of a tube so that the fluid (oil) that
comes
out can be directed in a particular way
____ an arrangement of pulleys and wire rope or chain used for lifting heavy
objects; or a winch or similar device.

8- DEFINITIONS: DRILLING

Terms
Surface Casing Cuttings Exploratory Well
Blowout Preventer Casing Acidizing
Drawworks Drill Pipe Kelly
Kick Development Well Drillstem Test
Logs Tripping Spudding In
Core Fish Blowout

Definitions
A type of pipe that is used for encasing a smaller diameter
carrier pipe for installation in a well
The first and sturdiest joint of the drill string in conventional
rotary drilling rigs; thick-walled, hollow steel forging with four
flat sides that fits into a square hole in the rotary table.
A well drilled in or adjacent to a proven part of a pool to
optimize petroleum production.
The hoisting mechanism on a drilling rig which spools off or
takes in the drilling line and thus raises or lowers the drill
string and bit.
A well drilled both in search of a new and as yet undiscovered
accumulation of oil and gas, or in an attempt to significantly
extend the limits of a known reservoir.
Steel pipe sections, approximately 9 meters long, that are
screwed together to form a continuous pipe extending from
the drilling rig to the drilling bit at the bottom of the hole.
Rotation of the drill pipe and bit causes the bit to bore

35
 through the rock.
Equipment that is installed at the wellhead to control
pressures and fluids during drilling, completion and certain
remedial operations to restore production.
A method of sampling fluid from a formation using a tool
attached to the drillstem; the sample is used to assess the
type and volume of fluids in the formation as well as their
pressure and rate of flow.
A continuous cylinder of rock, usually from five to 10
centimetres in diameter, cut from the bottom of a wellbore as
a sample of an underground formation.
Chips and small fragments of rock cut by the drill bit and
brought to the surface by the flow of drilling mud.
An object left in the well bore during drilling or workover
operations that must be recovered or drilled around before
work can proceed.
The injection of acids under pressure into the rock formation
to create channels that allow the hydrocarbons to flow more
easily into the wellbore.
An uncontrolled flow of gas, oil or other fluids from a well.
The first string of casing put into a well; it is cemented into
place and serves to shut out shallow water formations and as
a foundation for well control.
When fluids with a higher pressure than that exerted by the
drilling mud enter the wellbore; this creates the potential for a
well to blow out of control.
Detailed depth-related records of certain significant details of
an oil or gas well; usually obtained by lowering measurement
instruments into a well.
Beginning to drill a well.
The process of removing the drill string from the hole to
change the bit and running the drill string and new bit back
into the hole.

9- READING

Cuttings and cores

Results from previous drilling provide important information for explorationists.

When a well is drilled, small rack chips called cuttings are recovered from the
drilling fluid. These are ground up and broken off by the drill bit as it cuts into
the earth. Geologists, geochemists and palynologists, scientists who study
pollen and small fossils - examine the cuttings to learn more about the age,
chemistry, porosity, permeability and other properties of the subsurface rock
formations.
Larger, more continuous cylindrical rock samples, called cores, can also be cut
using a special coring bit. Although coring adds to the cost of the well,
laboratory analysis and visual examination of the core provide additional
important details about the basins history, the composition and physical
characteristics of the rock and any fluids within it.

36
Even if a well fails to encounter oil or gas in commercial quantities, it still
provides valuable information about underground rocks and structures. This
may allow explorationists to generate new prospects or to match up certain
seismic patterns with corresponding rock formations, which can lead to success
with the next well - or the one after that.
Read the text and then answer the following exercise,
I. Answer the questions about the reading.
1. What is the reading about?
2. Do you think that the results from the last drilling are
important? If so, why?
3. What are, according to the reading, the scientists purposes when
getting the samples from the cuttings?
4. What is the objective of obtaining cores?
5. What happens if oil is not found after drilling?

II. Find equivalents in English for the following words,

- astillas de rocas
- subsuelo
- ncleos o testigos
- barrena sacancleos
- cuenca
- formaciones rocosas

III. Find in the reading,

- Two sentences in passive voice
- A relative clause
- Three modal verbs
- Three verbs in present (write the past form of these
verbs)
- Three phrasal verbs (verbs formed by two or more words:
look at, depend on, etc.)

V. Translate the article into Spanish.

10- WATCH AND SAY

I. Answer the following questions:

Is the listening about oil reservoirs?
Is it about re-entry well?
What is the listening about?

II. Say if the given statements are true or false. Correct the wrong
statements.
____ You dont need to how the oil moves to know where to drill.
____ The snapshot from the time lap seismic survey show which parts of
reservoir contains oil.
____ The second survey is not necessary.

37
____ The second survey reveals undrained reserves.

III. Fill in the blanks.

By the time you produce ________________, you know ____________________, and

drilling through the side of ___________________ can drain the reservoir
___________________. But to know where to drill next _____________________
___________________ through the reservoir ________________. This is done with
time lap seismic, in which the seismic survey provides the snapshot of the
reservoir ______________________. This snapshot shows ___________________
__________________. Later, after the oil _____________________, the yellow area
around the wells, a second seismic survey is made. This reveals undrained
reserves, shown in dark green, beyond the tip ___________________. Extending
the horizontal well can tap this bypassed oil. _________________________ of the
reservoir, permanent sensors, shown as boxes _______________, help __________
and _______________ recovery. By observing well performance ______________,
highest yield and longest life can be achieved for the reservoir.

IV. Answer the following questions after reading the text used for
listening.
1. What is time lap seismic used for?
2. What technique is it used to know how the oil moves through the
reservoir?
3. What do permanent sensors do?
4. Whats the advantage of observing the well performance in real
time?

VI. Translate into Spanish the following sentences (in teams). Select the
best translation of each sentence.

By the time you produce your first well, you know where more oil is, and
drilling through the side of an existing well can drain the reservoir more
completely.
At any point in the life of the reservoir, permanent sensors, shown as
boxes in
the well, help monitor and optimize recovery.

11- READING

38
 Air and underbalanced drilling

Occasionally, wells are drilled without mud to increase penetration rates and to
avoid sensitive rock formations coming into contact with water. In so-called air
drilling, compressed air removes the cuttings. Drillers can also obtain many of
the same benefits through underbalanced drilling - using mud lightened by the
addition of nitrogen or other gas. Underbalanced drilling has become
increasingly common in Western Canada because it minimizes damage to the
producing reservoir. This is especially useful in clay formations. Clays can
collapse into the wellbore or swell if fresh water-based drilling fluids are used.
Underbalanced drilling minimizes the invasion of the drilling fluid into the
reservoir and allows oil and gas to be produced more effectively.
Read and then do the following activities.
I. Answer these questions.
a) When is mud not used in the drilling process?
b) What, then, removes the cuttings? What is this process called?
c) What is underballanced drilling?
d) Are clays useful in this process? Why?
e) What else can underballanced drilling do?

II. Match the words with the correct definition.

ratecuttings wellbore mud clay

__________ The speed at which something happens.

__________ A type of heavy soil that becomes hard when dry, used for
making
things such as bricks and containers..
__________ The hole drilled by the bit.
__________ Rock chips produced by chipping and crushing action of the drill.
__________ A thick liquid mixture of soil and water, or this mixture after it
has
dried.

III. Make sentences with the words above.

IV. Extract from the reading,

adverbs
a sentence in present perfect tense
a modal verb
verbs in present. Write them in past tense.
Two nouns functioning as adjectives.

39
12- DEFINITIONS: FIELD EQUIPMENT

Terms
pipeline battery test hole dehydrator treater well separator
enhanced recovery processing plant evaluation well experimental
scheme

a plant for the extraction from gas of hydrogen sulphide,

helium, ethane, natural gas liquids or other substances, but
does not include a well head separator, treater, or dehydrator.
a well which when being drilled is expected to penetrate a
pool or oil sands deposit and which is drilled for the sole
purpose of evaluation
a system or arrangement of tanks or other surface equipment
receiving the effluents of one or more wells prior to delivery to
market or other disposition, and may inc1ude equipment or
devices for separating the effluents into oil, gas or water and
for measurement
a scheme or operation for the recovery or processing of oil or
gas, including the drilling and completion of wells for
production or injection, that uses methods that are untried
and unproven in that particular application
an unfired apparatus specifically designed and used for
separating fluids produced from a well into 2 or more
streams, but does not include a dehydrator
an apparatus designed and used to remove water from raw
gas
(i) an orifice in the ground completed or being drilled
(ii) for the production of oil or gas,
(iii) for injection to an underground formation, or
(iv) as an evaluation well or test hole

any pipe or any system or arrangement of pipes wholly

within Alberta and whereby oil, gas or synthetic crude oil or
water incidental to the drilling for or production of oil, gas or
synthetic crude oil is conveyed, and
(i) includes all property of any kind used for the
purpose of, or in connection with, or incidental
to, the operation of a pipeline in the gathering,
transporting, handling and delivery of oil, gas,
synthetic crude oil or water, but
does not include any pipe or any system or arrangement of
pipes that constitutes a distribution system for the
distribution within a community of gas to ultimate consumers

a well drilled or being drilled to a depth of more than 150

metres for the primary purpose of obtaining geological or
geophysical information and which, when being drilled, is not

40
 expected by the Board to penetrate a pool or oil sands deposit

the increased recovery from a pool achieved by artificial

means or by the application of energy extrinsic to the pool,
which artificial means or application includes pressuring,
cycling, pressure maintenance or injection to the pool of a
substance or form of energy but does not include the
injection in a well of a substance or form of energy for the
sole purpose of
(i) aiding in the lifting offluids in the well, or
(ii) stimulation of the reservoir at or near the well by
mechanical,
chemical, thermal or explosive means

a fired apparatus specifically designed and used for

separating gas and water from crude oil

13- WATCH AND SAY

I. Say true or false after watching to the video. Correct the false
statements.

___ Keeping an open pathway for oil to move into the well is not a big
challenge.
___ The drilling fluid lines the well with a residue called mudcake.
___ Mud can invade the rock and plug the pores if it is not customized.
___ Oil will never find ways through the rock pores, into the well.

II. Fill in the blanks.

Once __________________________, you face a new __________: keeping an
open pathway for oil to move into the well. Inside the borehole, drilling fluid,
also known as _____, lines the well with a residue, called mud cake. If mud is
not customized for the ______, mud cake, here in brown, can invade the rock
and plug the pores between rock grains. _______, here in green,
__________________ that barrier, but if the drilling fluid _________ to fit well
_______________, it will not block the path _____________. Oil can then find its
way through the rock pores, through the _______________, and into the well.

III. According to the listening, what are the English words, for:
- boca del pozo
- poros
- fluido de perforacin (lodo)
- condiciones del pozo
- bloquear

IV. Rewrite the following sentences using different words,

Once you drill into the reservoir, you face a new challenge: keeping an
open pathway for oil to move into the well.

41
 Inside the borehole, drilling fluid, also known as mud, lines the well with
a residue called mud cake.

V. Find in the reading the following,

- Two conditional sentences

- A non-defining relative clause
- Three nouns functioning as adjectives
- Two compound nouns (In grammar, a compound noun is a noun
which combines two, or sometimes more, different words, Ex:
bookstore, handbag, newspaper)

VI. Give the Spanish version of the text.

Once you drill into the reservoir, you face a new challenge: keeping an open
pathway for oil to move into the well. Inside the borehole, drilling fluid, also
known as mud, lines the well with a residue called mud cake. If mud is not
customized for the job, mud cake, here in brown, can invade the rock and plug
the pores between rock grains. Oil, here in green, cant penetrate this barrier but
if the drilling fluid is changed to fit well conditions, it will not block the path of
the oil. Oil can then find its way through the rock pores, through the mud cake,
and into the well.

14- READING

Compartments in the reservoir.

Analysis of the areal and vertical production pattern and pressure profiles
shows that the Lower Lagunillas reservoir of Bloque IV is highly
compartmentalized. It comprises a number of distinct reservoirs in different fault
blocks that produce from several layers separated by shale barriers, some of
which are partially sealing. Thus, the production behaviour of individual wells is
highly variable, depending on the compartment and the layer being drained by
the well.
Bubble plot of the cumulative production from Bloque IV reveals that most of the
production comes from the central part of the field and from a small area in the
north of the pilot area. This area of anomalously high gas-free oil production,
compared to wells on either side of it, results from faults recently delineated by
a 3-D seismic survey.
The fault for the west of this area is apparently a barrier which renders the gas
injection in the northern wells ineffective for the pressure maintenance of the
central and southern parts of the field. Abnormally high quantities of gas have
been produced from some wells in the southern part of the field in the vicinity of
the major faults Pueblo Viejo and VCL-70, suggesting that these wells are
draining from separate compartments.

I. - Say True (T) or False (F). Explain the false statements.

____ There is a good continuity in the Lower Lagunillas Reservoir of Bloque IV.
____ All of the shale barriers are totally impermeable.

42
____ A 3-D Seismic Survey showed the presence of faults.
____ The wells are draining from a single compartment.

II. Match the words with their definitions.

Anomalously a person or thing that is different from what is

usual, or not in agreement with something else
and therefore not satisfactory

Comprise to have as parts or members, or to be (those

parts or members)

Compartment any of the enclosed parts into which a vehicle,

a space or an object used for storing things is
divided

Render to cause (someone or something) to be in a

particular state

Vicinity the immediately surrounding area

Distinct clearly noticeable; that certainly exists

Areal adjective referring to the measure of a flat

space

III.- Translate these ideas into English.

a).- El yacimiento Lagunillas Inferior, Bloque IV est altamente
sectorizado.
b).- A causa de esto, la historia de produccin de cada pozo es
sumamente
variable.
c).- Un estudio de ssmica 3-D mostr una serie de fallas.
d).- Las grandes cantidades de gas producidas sugieren que estos pozos
drenan
sectores separados.

IV. Classify the following words grammatically speaking,

- Gas-free
- Compartmentalized
- Distinct
- Shale barriers
- highly variable
- 3-D seismic survey
- High gas-free oil production

V. Say the following sentences in another way,

Thus, the production behaviour of individual wells is highly variable, depending
on the compartment and the layer being drained by the well.

43
Abnormally high quantities of gas have been produced from some wells in the
southern part of the field

VI. Translate the first paragraph into Spanish.

15- WATCH AND SAY

I. Say if the following statements about the listening are true or false,
___ The listening is about geology.
___ The listening is about remote control systems.
___ The surveys are used for detecting oil traps.
___ The examples given are about the Gulf of Mexico.
___ There is one kind of survey.

II. List the words related to geology and geology techniques.

III. Fill in the blanks.

Heres how the _______________ looks below the ______________. How can
_______________ fill in ________________ using remote sensing from the
surface? There are ____________________ of remote sensing. Each works by
extending the eyes of the geoscientists ___________________. Surveys of
anomalies and gravity ___________________________, can reveal rock bodies
______________________. Similar _________________________, like this one of
Alaska, taken from an airplane can also ________________________. Likewise,
shallow structures can be discerned with ground penetrating radar. But
perhaps the most ______________________ is the seismic survey, which uses
echoes to map ____________________ as far down as _______________. These
surveys peek the big picture but ___________________. Still,
_____________________ generally find structures that _____________________;
they ____________________________.
IV. Find in the listening the words that match with the following
definitions,
_____ An examination of opinions, behaviour, etc., made by asking people
questions.
_____ Thing that is different from what is usual, or not in agreement with
something else and therefore not satisfactory.
_____ The force which attracts any object of any mass towards any other object
of any mass.
_____ To see, recognize or understand (something that is not clear).
_____ A system which uses radio waves to find the position of objects which
cannot be seen.
_____ Related to earthquakes; technique used to the study the rocks and similar
substances that make up the Earths surface, esp. in order to understand
its structure, origin, etc.
_____ A level of material, such as a type of rock or gas, which is different from
the
material above or below it, or a thin sheet of a substance.

Discern / Layer / Survey / Radar / Gravity / Seismic / Anomaly

44
V. Find the equivalent in Spanish to the words in exercise IV.

VI. Extract from the listening,

- Four regular verbs. Write their past form.
- Two modal auxiliary verbs.
- Three adverbs.
- One sentence in passive voice

16- READING

Dynamics in the Lower Lagunillas Reservoir.

The unexpected proliferation of free gas and water in the highpermeability
zones and the declining production from the Lower Lagunillas reservoir of
Bloque IV, motivated the operator to seek a better understanding of the reservoir
and to evaluate the potential to increase ultimate recovery and offtake rate by
drilling horizontal wells. To quantify the potential benefits of field
redevelopment, Maraven selected a pilot area and, jointly with Schlumberger
formed an interdisciplinary team of geoscientists to study this area.
The first step involved reviewing the production history and pressure response
of the field during the past 37 years. After the successful completion of the first
producer, the field was developed rapidly by drilling additional wells during
1958 and 1959. Production rose rapidly and peaked in November 1959 at
225,000 BOPD from 86 wells. Between 1960 and 1963, the production declined
rapidly due to gas encroachment from the north and subsequent closing of wells
in this sector.
In order to maintain the reservoir pressure, the operator started a gas injection
program in 1965. The rate of pressure decline slowed to 7-8% annually in 1974,
but this was due to shut-down of the fields northern sector and to aquifer
support in the south. The gas injection program has been only partially effective
and both pressure and production rates have shown continuous decline during
the last 30 years.
In October 1989, the production rate jumped to 39,800 BOPD as a result of
acidization and improvement in the lifting method. So far, approximately 45% of
the original oil in place (OOIP) has been recovered and an extra 13% of OOIP is
thought to remain as recoverable reserves. Current production from the field is
18,000 BOPD with a field gas-oil ratio of 1235 scf/ stb and a water cut of 20%.

45
I.- Read the following ideas in Spanish. Give your English version and
organize them. (1st paragraph)
Promovi un estudio profundo del yacimiento.
Maraven seleccion y form un equipo interdisciplinario de cientficos.
El aumento inesperado de gas y agua en zonas de alta permeabilidad.

II.- Read the 2nd paragraph. Answer the following questions.

1.- What was the first step?
2.- What happened in 1958 and 1959?
3.- What happened between 1960 and 1963?
4.- What was the main cause of the declining?

III.-Read the 3rd paragraph again. Rewrite the following sentences using
different words,
In order to maintain the reservoir pressure, the operator started a gas injection
program in 1965.
The gas injection program has been only partially effective and both pressure
and production rates have shown continuous decline during the last 30 years.

VI. - Translate the entire reading into Spanish (Team work, one paragraph
per
team).

17- WRITING

I- Complete the following description of the way drilling occurs

At the surface ________________ are bolted to the ____________. On the __________

floor, theres a _____________: through it passes the top-most length of the
__________ a square section of pipe called the Kelly. The _____________ is gripped
in a square drive brushing in the revolving table trough which it slides down
freely as the hole gets deeper.
The upper end of the Kelly ___________ on the ____________ , the weight of the
whole drilling string is taken through the swivel to a ____________ on the
travelling block and to the ____________ block of the derrick head.
The strong ___________ cables form the block leads to the drum of the __________
where the driller can feed out to control the weight on the bit as it progresses.

18- READING AND UNDERSTANDING

I. Scan through the reading below to find out which of these sentences
are
right or wrong. Then correct the wrong ones

46
a) ____ Fossils fuels were originated by the process of ancient living organisms
during
a long period of time and under certain conditions.
b) ____ At room temperature, hydrocarbons can be classified as coal, charcoal,
gasoline and asphalt.
c) ____ Natural gas, Bitumen, Coal and Crude Oil are hydrocarbons.
d) ____ Natural gas is richer in lighter components (i.e. C.) than crude oil and
bitumen.
e) ____According to the percent of H2O contained in either natural gas or crude
oil,
they are known as light or heavy.

Background: fossil fuels- a short science lesson

Natural gas, crude oil and coal are called fossil fuels. Like the fossils we see in
museums, fossil fuels originated as life forms millions of years ago.
The energy in fossil fuels began as solar energy. Plants use sunlight and
chlorophyll in the process of photosynthesis to convert water and carbon dioxide
into sugars, starches, fats and proteins- the building blocks of life. The remains
of primitive plants and animals have been transformed over millions of years by
heat, pressure, water flows, or biological and chemical reactions. This process
results in compounds of hydrogen and carbon known as hydrocarbons trapped
underground.
Fossil hydrocarbons are generally classified according to their physical state at
room temperature natural gas is obviously a gas. Crude oil is liquid. Bitumen is
viscous or semi-solid type of petroleum. Coal is solid.
Chemically natural consists of molecules with more hydrogen than carbon
atoms. The main constituent of natural gas is the simplest hydrocarbon,
Methane (CH4), a molecu1e of one carbon atom and --- hydrogen atoms. Crude
oil and bitumen are generally made up of larger more complex molecules with
more carbon atoms. Depending on density and molecular weight, pelro1eUI11
hydrocarbons are often described as light or heavy.
Hydrocarbons seldom occur in pure forms. Methane, for example, may be found
in coal seams, oil reservoirs, and in mixtures with hydrogen sulphide., carbon
dioxide or other hydrocarbons known as natural gas liquids. Oil and gas
production containing hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is called sour, while production
with little or no sulphur content is termed sweet.
Most oil and gas requires some processing to remove substances such as
hydrogen sulphide, water, carbon dioxide and to separate the naturally
occurring mixtures into the various marketable commodities. Field gathering
pipelines carry oil and gas from wells to processing facilities, although some oil
is transported by truck. Field processing facilities are called batteries, while gas
is processed at gas plants. Some bitumen and heavy oil goes to upgraders,
which alter its chemical composition to produce a marketable commodity called.
The natural gas coming from a gas plant can be used as is by the final
consumer (although an odorant, mercaptan is added for safety reasons in
distribution systems).Crude oil and bitumen require further processing under

47
heat and pressure at a refinery to produce usable products such as gasoline, jet
fuel, diesel, and heating oil in addition to being used as fuels, oil and gas are
also used in manufacturing products such as plastics, pharmaceuticals,
lubricants, textiles, synthetic rubber, antifreeze, fertilizers. chemicals, solvents,
etc. Natural gas liquids-ethane, propane, butane and condensate -are used as
fuels, refinery feedstocks, and raw materials for petrochemicals.

II- Group work:

Discuss the answers to these questions in your group

How many different classifications of hydrocarbons are mentioned in the
reading? What are the criteria followed by each of them?
Are gas and oil ready to be consumed once it has been produced? Why or why
not? Are fossil fuels only important as a source of energy?

19.-HOMEWORK

I- Find in a dictionary, or by consulting a specialist, the English

equivalents for the following words in the text:

domo
perforar
torre de perforacin
hueco
derrumbes
barrena
gastada
reemplazar
bombeado
ductos
combustible
recuperables

20.-SUMMING UP

II- Make a brief summary with what the drilling-exploration-production

stage is and some of its characteristics.

48
Unit 3. Refining

Introductory Activity

Reading:

Workers practice working in an environmental that might contain toxic concentrations of

hydrogen sulphide contained in sour natural gas
Oil & Gas exploration vs. the environment

Oil & Gas exploration and production operations have the potential to cause
significant effects to structures and functions of different types of ecosystems.
It is both easier and cheaper to avoid such effects than trying to reverse them
once they have happened. To achieve that goal we should understand the
different impacts our activities produce. Operations should be planned and
operated in a manner that avoid or, where unavoidable, minimizes direct or
indirect adverse impacts on the environment. Disturbances of the Ecosystems
should be limited through the following measures:
Minimal use of forest.
Minimal interruption of freshwater flows.
Minimal disruption to vegetation.
Minimal disturbance to soils.

49
 Maintenance (where possible) of buffer strips along coastlines, rivers,
streams and creeks.
Control of environmental pollution.

In order to take into account the fragile nature of Ecosystems the operating
company should endeavor to reduce the potential impacts:
Careful planning of Seismic surveys, exploration drilling and the
provision of attendant facilities.
Selecting techniques & equipment which will minimize the need of
supporting infrastructure.
Careful monitoring of activities to identify unexpected impacts at an
early stage.
As a minimum, the Petroleum Industry must adhere to local and national
government rules, regulations, and policies, or apply responsible standards
where such regulations do not exist or are not implemented. Some of the
regulations will relate to land activities, others to marine.
An environmental profile of the proposed site should be produced when
considering the acquisition of an exploration concession.
The Objectives of an Environmental Profile are to:
Assist planning and control of Seismic surveys and exploration drilling
activities.
Provide background to consultations with external bodies.
Select sites avoiding areas of high sensitivity.
Schedule activities avoiding sensitive periods.
Modify or select equipment & techniques to minimize adverse impacts.
Identify specific protection measures.
Preliminary Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report should be
prepared. The purpose of this report is to identify the sensitivity of the
area, including:
Description of the nature, quality and dynamics of the existing
environment.
Project description, including alternative proposals.
Description of the regulatory regime.
Identification of the significant potential impacts of the development
and its alternatives.
Prediction & characterization of each predicted impact for all
alternatives.
Recommended alternative actions or mitigative measures to minimize
adverse impacts and enhance any environmental benefit.
Assessment & evaluation of unavoidable impacts.
Environmental management strategy and plan.
Decommissioning, reclamation & restoration plan.
Proposed monitoring program.

50
 Environmental Monitoring is done to identify the actual impacts arising
from the project so that remedial measures can be taken as soon as
possible. The elements to be monitored include:
Air quality.
Water quality.
Land-use & clearance.
Hydrological integrity.
Animal migrations.
Erosion & sedimentation associated with dredging.
Maintenance of environmental resources.
Environmental Audit should be conducted by the operator to ensure
that applicable environmental standards are being maintained and that
company policies and the environmental management plan are being
followed ()

Vocabulary:
Goal: target, aim; destination; purpose.
Flow: flujo
Disruption: upset; interruption, disturbance; division
Buffer strip: muro de contencin, separador
Endeavor: attempt, try hard, make an effort to achieve a goal
Assessment: estimation
Dredge: search; dig, remove earth

I- Answer the following questions:

Can we start operating without taking into account the adverse impacts on
the environment? Why?
Which rules does the Petroleum Industry have to follow?
Who should conduct the environmental audit?

II- Find in the text:

All the modal verbs.
As much pairs of adjectives and nouns as you can
Underline the sentences in passive voice that contain the doer and put it
into active voice.

III- What do you think about the following statement?

It is both easier and cheaper to avoid such effects than trying to reverse them
once they have happened.

IV- Write a short paragraph (about 4-6 sentences) about what you just
read. You can consult other materials related to the topic and
dictionaries.

51
 1. SPARK

ESTIMATIONS OF THE 21st CENTURY

Global energy consumption will grow About 90% of the energy is projected
about 50% by the end of the first to be supplied by fossil fuels such as
quarter of this century. oil, natural gas, and coal.
The existing peak in conventional oil The production of oil from residua,
production will decline within the heavy oil, and tar sand bitumen will
next two to three decades. increase significantly.
As in the 1940s and 1950s, the next The need continues for the
two decades will see a surge in development of upgrading processes
upgrading technologies to produce in order to fulfill the market demand
marketable products from residua. as well as to satisfy environmental
regulations.
Source: Adapted from Petroleum Refining Processes.

Vocabulary:

Tar sand bitumen: arenas bituminosas/ petrolferas.

Residuum: (Lat.) plural-residua.

I- Talk about these questions:

Does any of this information surprise you? Why?
Which one do you think is imminent?
Will they affect your country or everyday life?
Which of them do you consider to be dangerous? Support your answer.

52
II- Group Work:

Choose one of the sections and translate it with your team.

YOU ALREADY KNOW

Scientifically, petroleum is a mixture of gaseous, liquid, and solid

hydrocarbon compounds that occur in sedimentary rock deposits throughout
the world. It contains small quantities of nitrogen-, oxygen-, and sulfur-
containing compounds as well as trace amounts of metallic constituents.
Petroleum is a naturally occurring mixture of hydrocarbons, generally in a
liquid state, and may also include compounds of sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen,
metals, and other elements. Petroleum has also been defined as:

1. .Any naturally occurring hydrocarbon, whether in a liquid, gaseous, or

solid state

2. Any naturally occurring mixture of hydrocarbons, whether in a liquid,

gaseous, or solid state

3. Any naturally occurring mixture of one or more hydrocarbons, whether

in a liquid, gaseous, or solid state, plus hydrogen sulfide and/or
helium and/or carbon dioxide

Crude petroleum is a mixture of compounds that boil at different

temperatures and can be separated into a variety of generic fractions by
distillation

53
2- OIL LINGO
Atmospheric and Vacuum Distillation Unit

3 7

6
1
4

Match the Atmospheric and Vacuum Distillation Units parts with the concepts below.

I- Complete the statements below with the following parts of the

vacuum distillation unit.
1. Vacuum furnace
2. Atmospheric distillation tower
3. Vacuum distillation tower
4. Feedstock to the vacuum distillation tower (also called atmospheric
residue)
5. Coolers
6. Naphtha stabilizer tower
7. Pipe lines.

Due to their high boiling points, some oil cuts cannot be separated in the
atmospheric distillation tower. Lowering the systems pressure also leads to
lower boiling temperatures of each of these cuts, which are later distilled in
the _______________ to be able to separate the heaviest cuts and this way
obtain some products as VGO, Fuel Oil and asphalts. Vacuum distillation
is also known as reduced-pressure distillation.

54
 The purpose of the _______________ is heating and partially vaporizing the
atmospheric residue, called reduced crude, to later be distilled in the
vacuum distillation tower.

_______________ work is to refrigerate those products resulted from

distillation until they reach the required temperature to be pumped to the
storing tanks.

The naphtha obtained through the distillation process is full of gases. The
function of the _______________ is to separate naphtha from gas.

_______________ is the crude cut that cannot be distilled in the atmospheric

section. It comes from the bottom of the atmospheric distillation tower; it
goes through the vacuum furnace and into the vacuum distillation tower.

The purpose of the _______________ is to separate, at atmospheric pressure,

the different cuts of the crude so as to obtain naphthas, jet, fuel oil, diesel,
etc.

The _______________ are tubes made of a metal, clay plastic, wood or

concrete used to conduct crude oil or other fluids, as well as gas or finely
divided solid.

II- Lets translate (each student will translate different definition from
the chart)

III- Choose at least 3 terms from the chart and write a paragraph with
them.

55
3-
Reading.

Oil Refining and Fractional oil, which are then processed and
Distillation
put to a wide range of uses
Crude oil is refined into products
such as gasoline, asphalt, and Alkylation and Catalytic Cracking
Two additional basic processes,
waxes by a process called fractional
alkylation and catalytic cracking,
distillation. During the process, the
were introduced in the 1930s and
parts, or fractions, of crude oil are
further increased the gasoline yield
divided out successively by their
from a barrel of crude oil. In
increasing molecular weight. For
alkylation small molecules
instance, gasoline has a low
produced by thermal cracking are
molecular weight and vaporizes at a
recombined in the presence of a
fairly low temperature. This means
catalyst. This produces branched
that at the appropriate
molecules in the gasoline boiling
temperature, while all of the rest of
range that have superior
the oil is still in liquid form,
propertiesfor example, higher
gasoline may be separated out. The
antiknock ratingsas a fuel for
remaining oil goes through the
high-powered engines such as
same process at a slightly higher
those used in todays commercial
temperature, and jet fuel is divided
planes.
out. Repeating the distillation
process several times will separate In the catalytic-cracking process,
out several constituents of crude the crude oil is cracked in the

56
presence of a finely divided catalyst.
This permits the refiner to produce
many diverse hydrocarbons that
can then be recombined by
alkylation, isomerization, and
catalytic reforming to produce high
antiknock engine fuels and
specialty chemicals. The production
of these chemicals has given birth
to the gigantic petrochemical
industry, which turns out alcohols,
detergents, synthetic rubber,
glycerin, fertilizers, sulfur, solvents,
and the feedstocks for the
manufacture of drugs, nylon,
plastics, paints, polyesters, food
additives and supplements,
explosives, dyes, and insulating
materials.

I- Vocabulary:
Wax: cera

Slightly: ligeramente, levemente

Further: farther, more distant; additional

Yield: product; income, profit

Antiknock: fuel additive used to prevent or minimize detonation in an

internal-combustion engine

II- After reading the text, answer the following sentences:

What have you discovered about gasoline?

What were the processes that allowed increasing the gasoline yield from a
barrel of crude oil?

What chemicals have given birth to the gigantic petrochemical industry?

III- Is it true or false?

___ Distillations should be done just once to obtain several constituents of

crude oil.
___ Alkylation and catalytic cracking were introduced in the first half of the
20th century.
___ Alkylation and isomerisation allows the refiner to produce many diverse
Hydrocarbons

IV- Extract from the text the description of fractional distillation.

V- Underline the subject, the verbal form and the expression that marks
the time within the sentence.

57
VI- Is the verbal form in passive or active voice? Identify the doer of the
action.

VII- Team work

Team A will work with the first text. They will try to explain what it is about
using their own words.

Team B will work with the second text. They will try to explain what it is about
using their own words.

4- Reading.

Pollution Problems

In its early days, the oil industry generated considerable environmental

pollution. Through the years, however, under the dual influences of improved
technology and more stringent regulations, it has become much cleaner. The
effluents from refineries have decreased greatly and, although well blowouts
still occur, new technology has tended to make them relatively rare. The
policing of the oceans, on the other hand, is much more difficult. Oceangoing
ships are still a major source of oil spills. In 1990 the Congress of the United
States passed legislation requiring tankers to be double hulled by the end of
the decade.

Another source of pollution connected with the oil industry is the sulfur in
crude oil. Regulations of national and local governments restrict the amount of
sulfur dioxide that can be discharged by factories and utilities burning fuel oil.
Because removing sulfur is expensive, however, regulations still allow some
sulfur dioxide to be discharged into the air.

Many scientists believe that another potential environmental problem from

refining and burning large amounts of oil and other fossil fuels (such as coal
and natural gas) occurs when carbon dioxide (a by-product of the burning of
fossil fuels), methane (which exists in natural gas and is also a by-product of
refining petroleum), and other by-product gases accumulate in the
atmosphere. These gases are known as greenhouse gases, because they trap
some of the energy from the Sun that penetrates Earths atmosphere. This
energy, trapped in the form of heat, maintains Earth at a temperature that is
hospitable to life. Certain amounts of greenhouse gases occur naturally in the

58
atmosphere. However, the immense quantities of petroleum, coal, and other
fossil fuels burned during the worlds rapid industrialization over the last 200
years are a contributing source of higher levels of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere. During that time period, these levels have increased by about 28
percent. This increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, coupled with the
continuing loss of the worlds forests (which absorb carbon dioxide), has led
many scientists to predict a rise in global temperature. This increase in global
temperature might disrupt weather patterns, disrupt ocean currents, lead to
more violent storms, and create other environmental problems.

In 1992 representatives of over 150 countries convened in Rio de Janeiro,

Brazil, and agreed on the need to reduce the worlds emissions of greenhouse
gases. In 1997 world delegations again convened, this time in Kyto, Japan.
During the Kyto meeting, representatives of 160 nations, including the
United States, signed an agreement known as the Kyto Protocol, which would
require 38 industrialized nations to limit emissions of greenhouse gases to
levels that are an average of 5 percent below the emission levels of 1990. In
order to reduce their fossil fuel emissions to achieve these levels, the
industrialized nations would have to shift their energy mix toward energy
sources that do not produce as much carbon dioxide, such as natural gas, or
to alternative energy sources, such as hydroelectric energy, solar energy, wind
energy, or nuclear energy. While the governments of some industrialized
nations have ratified the Kyto Protocol, others have not. A major blow to the
protocol came in March 2001 when United States president George W. Bush
rejected it, saying it would damage the U.S. economy. Under the previous
administration of President Bill Clinton, the United States had volunteered to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 7 percent below 1990 levels. Bushs
rejection meant that the worlds largest consumer of fossil fuels would not
participate in the Kyto Protocol

Vocabulary:

Stringent: severe, strict, demanding

Policing: keep watch, guard, supervise; patrol, maintain law and order

Oceangoing ships: built or equipped for sailing on the ocean

Oil spills: derrame de aceite.

Double hulled: doble casco

59
 Utilities: a business organization (as an electric company) performing a public
service and subject to special governmental regulation

by-product: a secondary and sometimes unexpected or unintended product in

addition to the principal product

Greenhouse gases: any of several types of gases that are thought to cause
global warming

I- Answer the following question

What has happened with the effluents from refineries during the years?
Why?

Why did the USA congress pass legislation requiring tankers to be double
hulled by the end of the decade?

What gases are known as greenhouse gases?

What is the position of the USA regarding greenhouse gas emissions with
the current administration of President George W. Bush?

II- True or false?

____In its early days, the oil industry generated almost non-existent
environmental pollution.

____National and local governments are not interested in the amount of sulfur
dioxide that can be discharged by factories and utilities burning fuel oil.

____Carbon dioxide is a result of the burning of fossil fuels.

____The Kyto Protocol was signed by representatives of 160 nations, including

the United States.

60
5- OIL LINGO

I- Match the word with their definitions.

Definitions: Refining and Processing Terms

1. Kerosene 9. Cat Cracking

2. Catalysts 10.Octane
3. Shrinkage 11.Naphtha
4. Coking 12.Dry Gas
5. Lease Separator 13.Cracking
6. Downstream 14.Sweeten
7. Hydrotreating 15.Desulphurization
8. Synthetic Crude Oil 16.Pipe line Quality Gas
____A refinery process that uses catalysts in addition to pressure and heat to
convert heavier fuel oil into lighter products such as diesel fuel.
____The refining and marketing sector of the petroleum industry.
____A facility installed on a leased area for the purpose of separating gases
and/or water from liquid hydrocarbons.
____Natural gas from the well that is free of liquid hydrocarbons, or gas that
has been treated to remove all liquids; pipeline gas.
____The process of adding hydrogen to heavy oil or bitumen molecules during
the upgrading process.
____A term used to indicate that natural gas has been processed sufficiently
to meet the standards of a system.
____The reduction in volume of wet natural gas due to the extraction of some
of its constituents, such as hydrocarbon products, sulphide, carbon dioxide,
nitrogen, helium and water vapor.
____A mixture of hydrocarbons produced by distilling petroleum, which is
used as a lamp oil or jet fuel
____Remove hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide from sour gas to make it
marketable.
____A light fraction of crude oil used to make gasoline.
____A refining process for increasing the yield of gasoline from crude oil;
cracking involves breaking down the larger, heavier and hydrocarbon
molecules into simpler and lighter molecules use of heat and pressure, and
sometimes a catalyst.
____The process of removing sulfur and sulfur compounds from gases or
liquid hydrocarbon mixes.
____Materials that assist chemical reactions.

61
____A performance rating of gasoline; the higher the octane number, the
greater the anti-knock quality of the gasoline.
____A process used to break down heavy oil molecules into lighter ones by
removing the carbon that remains as a coke residue.
____A mixture of hydrocarbons, similar to crude oil, derived by upgrading
bitumen from oil sands.

Team Work
II- Translate some of the definitions

6- Reading

The wonderful distilling process by which we get petroleum products.

()The manufacture of all these petroleum products illustrates the marvels of

modern industrial chemistry. In its simplest form the production of the
principal product, gasoline, consists of heating the crude -oil mixture to the
point where it gives off vapors just as boiling water gives oil steam. The lightest
hydrocarbon molecules vaporize first, and when the vapor is passed through
cooled pipes it condenses to form gasoline. As the temperature of the crude oil
is raised by stages the other, heavier, hydrocarbon molecules are vaporized in
the order of their volatility (Lightness), and are condensed by cooling to form
other products: kerosene, gas oil, lubricating oil and fuel oil. This is called
straight-run refining, or fractional distillation.

About 1915, with the demand for motor fuel rapidly increasing, petroleum
refiners began to use a new process-"cracking". Cracking is a good name for
the process. After the straight-run refining, the heavier products (gas oil and
fuel oil) are put under high pressure and very great heat is applied until the
heavy molecules split, or crack, into lighter ones. Gasoline and other products
the separated out of the cracked oil by a process similar to straight-run
refining. Cracking has practically doubled the amount of gasoline obtainable
from a forty- two gallon barrel of crude oil. Today a barrel of crude oil yields
nearly a half-barrel of gasoline.

During the cracking process, gases are generated which formerly were wasted
or used as fuel in the refinery. Now these gases can be turned into gasoline by
polymerization.

This is almost the reverse of cracking. Instead of splitting heavy molecules into

62
lighter ones, polymerization takes the light gas molecules and synthesizes
them (welds them together). This creates the more complex molecules of
gasoline. In this way more gasoline can be obtained from a barrel of crude oil
()

I- Answer the following questions according to the text:

How does the production of gasoline take place?

In your own words, what is cracking?

How were gases treated before? And, how are they treated now?

How can we obtain more gasoline from a barrel of crude oil?

II- Find in the text 5 sentences in passive voice and change them into
active voice. Translate them.

III- After reading this text, suggest two more titles for it and support your
ideas.

IV- Class Activity:

a) What do you think about this statement?

The manufacture of all these petroleum products illustrates the marvels of

modern industrial chemistry.

b) Provide additional details of the statement above in a written form.

63
7- Reading

Pretreatment and Distillation

Petroleum in the unrefined state is of limited value and of limited use. Refining is
required to obtain products that are attractive to the marketplace. Thus petroleum
refining is a series of steps by which the crude oil is converted into salable products
with the desired qualities and in the amounts dictated by the market.

Modern petroleum refineries are much more complex operations than refineries of
the early 1900s and even of the years immediately following World War II Early
refineries were predominantly distillation units, perhaps with ancillary units to
remove objectionable odors from the various product streams. The refinery of the
1930s was somewhat more complex but was essentially a distillation unit. At this
time cracking and coking units were starting to appear in the scheme of refinery
operations. These units were not what we imagine today as a cracking and coking
unit but were the forerunners of today's units. Also at this time, asphalt was
becoming a recognized petroleum product. Finally, current refineries are a result of
major evolutionary trends and are highly complex operations. Most of the
evolutionary adjustments to refineries have occurred during the decades since the
commencement of World War II. In the petroleum industry, as in many other
industries, supply and demand are key factors in efficient and economic operation.
Innovation is also a key.

64
A refinery is an integrated group of manufacturing plants that vary in number with
the variety of products. Refinery processes must be selected and products
manufactured to give a balanced operation; that is, crude oil must be converted into
products according to the rate of sale of each. For example, the manufacture of
products from the lower boiling portion of petroleum automatically produces a
certain amount of higher boiling components. If the latter cannot be sold as, say,
heavy fuel oil, they accumulate until refinery storage facilities are full. To prevent
the occurrence of such a situation, the refinery must be flexible and able to change
operations as needed. This usually means more processes to accommodate the ever-
changing demands of the market. This could be reflected by the inclusion of a
cracking process to change an excess of heavy fuel oil into more gasoline, with coke
as the residual product, or the inclusion of a vacuum distillation process to
separate the heavy oil into lubricating oil stocks and asphalt.

Thus, to accommodate the sudden changes in market demand, a refinery must

include the following:

1. All necessary nonprocessing facilities

2. Adequate tank capacity for storing crude oil, intermediate, and finished
products
3. A dependable source of electrical power
4. Material-handling equipment
5. Workshops and supplies for maintaining a continuous 24 hours a day, 7
days a week operation
6. Waste disposal and water-treating equipment
7. Product-blending facilities
8. Petroleum refining as we know it is a very recent science, and many
innovations evolved during the twentieth century. The first processes are
focused on the cleanup of the feedstock, particularly the removal of the
troublesome brine constituents. This is followed by distillation to remove the
volatile constituents with the concurrent production of a residuum that can
be used as a cracking (coking) feedstock or as a precursor to asphalt. In the
case of tar sand bitumen, the distillation step is unnecessary because of the
low amount of feedstock that would be volatile under distillation conditions.
Current methods of bitumen processing involve direct use of the bitumen as
feedstock for delayed or fluid coking.

65
 Vocabulary:

- Ancillary: secondary, subordinate; auxiliary; assistant

- Forerunners: ancestor

- Current: present

- Trends: tendency

- Waste disposal: botadero de desperdicios

- Brine: salmuera

I- Answer the following questions according to the text,:

a. What is refining?

b. How were refineries in the first half of the last century?

c. What are the main aspects to be taken into account within the petroleum
industry?

d. What is a modern refinery?

e. After removing the feedstocks undesirable particles, what do we do?

II- Say if it is true (T) or false (F). Give reasons for false statements.

In the unrefined state, petroleum is highly valuable and useful. _______

Refineries were always refining units. ________

Tar sand bitumen has not much feedstock. _________

III- In the first three paragraphs of the text, find synonyms of the
following words:

Secondary Change

Ancestors Degree

Beginning Happening

Nowadays Requirements

66
IV- Find in the text:

A sentence in passive voice: ______________________________

A past participle functioning as an adjective: __________________

A sentence representing an action that started in the past and has a continuity or
repercussion in the present. _____________________

CLASS ACTIVITY:

V- Read carefully the following statements and give your personal

opinion.

Refining is required to obtain products that are attractive to the marketplace

Thus petroleum refining is a series of steps by which the crude oil is converted
into salable products with the desired qualities and in the amounts dictated by
the market.

In the petroleum industry, as in many other industries, supply and demand are
key factors in efficient and economic operation. Innovation is also a key.

7- Answer the following questions about the lecture:

Where is ico Lpez Oil Refinery located? Explain briefly its origins.

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________

Which are the resulting products destined to go to the market that appear in the
diagram?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________

67
Is Plant # 1 a Catalytic Cracking Unit? Justify your answer.

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

What is the storing capacity in the refinery?

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

Are all jetties on service? Which one is not?

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

Mention all the means of transportation used in the Refinery.

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

68
Unit 4: Trading, Transporting and Storing.

1. SPARK

1.) _____ 2.) _____

3.) _____ 4.) ______

Pair Work.

I- Match each picture with the corresponding word or group of words.

a) Truck b) Pipelines c) Rail tank car d) Tanker

II- Could you mention any other modes of transporting oil?

III- Does CUPET use all these modes of transportation?

IV- Which of them do you think are used for large-scale transportation
and which ones for smaller-scale distribution?

69
2- COMPLETE

Use the words from the list.

Tanker near the Port of New York

Petroleum____________ worldwide by___________ such as this one near the Port of

New York. Most modern tanker ships are supertankers that ___________ more than
450 m (1500 ft) long and carry over 200,000 _________ (220,000 short tons) of oil.
List: metric tons / tanker ships/ is transported / measure/.

3. READING

Most oil fields are a considerable distance from the refineries that convert crude
oil into usable products, and therefore the oil must be transported in pipelines and
tankers. However, most crude oil needs some form of treatment near the reservoir
before it can be carried considerable distances through the pipelines or in the
tankers. Railroad cars and motor vehic1es are also used to a large extent for the
transportation of petroleum products. (paragraph.1)

Fluids produced from a well are seldom pure crude oil. In fact, the oil often contains
quantities of gas, saltwater, or even sand. Separation must be achieved before
transportation. Separation and c1eaning usually take place at a central facility that
collects the oil produced from several wells. Gas can be separated conveniently at
the wellhead. When the pressure of the gas in the crude oil as it comes out at the
surface is not too great, a simple flow tank can be used to separate the gas from the
oil at atmospheric pressure. If a considerable amount of gas is present, particularly
if the crude oil is under considerable pressure, a series of flow tanks is necessary.

70
The natural gas itself may contain as impurities one or more nonhydrocarbon
substances. The most abundant of these impurities is hydrogen sulfide, which
imparts a noticeable odor to the gas. A small amount of this compound is
considered advantageous as it gives an indication of leaks and where they occur, as
mentioned. (paragraph.2)

Another step that needs to be taken in the preparation of crude oil for
transportation is the removal of excessive quantities of water. Crude oil at the
wellhead usually contains emulsified water in proportions that may reach amounts
approaching 80-90%. It is generally required that crude oil to be transported by
pipeline contain substantially less water than may appear in the crude at the
wellhead. In fact, water contents from 0.5 to 2.0% have been specified as the
maximum tolerable amount in a crude oil to be moved by pipeline. It is therefore
necessary to remove the excess water from the crude oil before transportation.
(Paragraph 3)

The transportation of crude oil may be further simplified by blending crude oils from
several wells, thereby homogenizing the feedstock to the refinery. It is usual
practice, however, to blend crude oils of similar characteristics although
fluctuations in the properties of the individual crude oils may cause significant
variations in the properties of the blend over a period of time. However, the
technique of blending several crude oils before transportation, or even after
transportation but before refining, may eliminate the frequent need to change the
processing conditions that would perhaps be required to process each of the crude
oils individually.(p.4)

Large-scale transportation of crude oil, refined petroleum products, and natural gas
is usually accomplished by pipelines and tankers, while smaller-scale distribution,
especially of petroleum products, is carried out by barges, trucks, and rail tank
cars. In fact, the transportation from the source of the crude oil to the market is as
old as the industry itself. (p.5)

In more modern times, the transportation of crude oil from fields to refineries and of
products to market centers was at one time essentially dependent upon rail
transportation. By the early 1970s, the use of railroad tank cars had diminished to
the point at which only a little over 1 % of the total petroleum tonnage was hauled

71
by the railroads. Pipeline mileage increased to become the major means of
transportation. (p.6)

Pipelines may be used to transport different types of crude oil (batch

transportation). When the different batches must be kept separated to prevent
mixing, slugs of kerosene, water, or occasionally inflatable rubber balls are used to
separate the batches. However, there is also the possibility that the batches can be
transported through the pipelines without such separators. The properties of each
batch may be such that mixing, other than to form a narrow interface, is prevented.
It is frequently necessary to pass cylindrical steel cleaners (pigs) through the pipe-
lines, between pumping stations, to maintain the pipeline clear of deposits. (p.7)

Tank trucks are used for both lock and intermediate hauling from manufacturing
and distance hauling from manufacturing and terminal points to individual
domestic, commercial, and industrial consumers that maintain storage tanks on
their premises. Because of costs, most bulk deliveries by truck fall within a radius
of 300 miles. Seagoing tankers, on the other hand, can be sent to any destination
where a port can accommodate them and can be shifted to different routes
according to need. (p.8)

The seagoing tanker fleets that are owned, or used, by the worlds oil companies are
also responsible for the movement of a considerable portion of the worlds crude oil.
In fact, seagoing tankers form one of the most characteristic features associated
with the transportation of petroleum. Many of these ships are of such a size that
there are few ports that can handle them. Instead these large ships (VLCCs, very
large crude carriers, and ULCCs, ultra large crude carriers) spend their time sailing
the seas between different points, filling up and off-loading without ever entering
port. Special loading jetties, artificial islands, or large buoys moored far offshore
have been developed to load or off-load these tankers. In general, the larger the
tanker the lower its unit cost of transportation. (p.9)

One other aspect of transportation is the shipment of bitumen (or the whole oil sand
or even bitumen-enriched oil sand, produced by, say, a less efficient once-through
hot water separation) in trucks or trains. Currently, economic constraints related to
the amount of material that would have to be moved to enable even a nominal
conversion or upgrading operating to run continuously (hazards of weather and

72
mechanical constraints notwithstanding) have caused these types of operation to be
downgraded in priority. (p.10)

Natural gas presents different transportation requirements problems.

Because of its lower density natural gas is much more expensive to ship than crude
oil.
Most natural gas moves by pipeline, but in the late 1960s tanker shipment of
cryogenically liquefied natural gas (LNG) began, particularly from the producing
nations in the Pacific to Japan. Special alloys are required to prevent the tanks from
becoming brittle at the low temperatures (-161C, - 258F) required to keep the gas
liquid. (p.10)

Thus, the means by which natural gas is transported depends upon several
factors:

l. the physical characteristics of the gas to be transported, whether in the

gaseous or the liquid phase;
2. the distance over which the gas will be moved;
3. such features as the geological and geographic characteristics of the terrain,
inc1uding land and sea operations;
4. the complexity of the distribution systems; and
5. Any environmental regulations relevant to with the mode of
transportation.

The trend in recent years has been to expand the pipeline system into marine
environments where the pipeline is actually under a body of water. This has arisen
mainly because of the tendency for petroleum and natural gas companies to expand
their exploration programs to the sea. Lines are now laid in marine locations where
depths exceed 500 feet and cover distances of several hundred miles to the shore.
Excellent examples of such operations inc1ude the drilling operations in the Texas
gulf and in the North Sea. (p.11)

Natural gas is also transported by seagoing vessels. The gas is either transported
under pressure at ambient temperatures (e.g., propane and butanes) or at
atmospheric pressure but with the cargo under refrigeration (e.g., liquefied
petroleum gas). For safety reasons, petroleum tankers are constructed with several
independent tanks so that rupture of one tank will not necessarily drain the whole

73
ship, unless it is a severe bow-to-stem (or stem-to-bow) rupture. Similarly, gas
tankers also contain several separate tanks. (p.12)

I. Answer the following questions about the text:

a) What are the main ways of transporting oil?(p.1)

b) In what condition is, most of the times, the oil extracted from the wells? Justify
your answer(p.2)

c) What should be taken into account for the transportation of crude oil?(p.2/3)

d) Does the transportation of crude oil and natural gas need the same
requirements? Why? Why not?

e) What do VLCCs and ULCCs stand for?

II. Say true (T) or false (F). Give reasons for false statements.

1. _____ We frequently find oil fields near the refineries.

2. _____ Substances such as gas, salt water and sand are usually separated
from crude oil just at the wellheads.

3._____ It is necessary to remove excess water from the crude oil before
transportation.

4._____ Hydrogen sulfide is an impurity abundantly present in

natural gas.

5. _____ Rail tank cars have become the major means of transportation
nowadays.

III. Find in the text:

a) The Spanish equivalents for all words or group of words in bold face. Classify
them as nouns, verbs, adjectives or adverbs.

b) Three connective words.

c) A synonym of rarely.

d) A sentence in present perfect.

74
e) Two sentences in passive voice.(p.1)

f) A sentence in past perfect.(p.6)

g) A gerund. Translate the sentence into Spanish.

IV. Team work.

a) Translate paragraphs 1 and 11.

V. Class activity.

Giving opinions.

a) Is there any connection between this text and your job?

b) Has this text been of any help for you? In what way?

4- READING

Pipelines are the safest, most efficient and least expensive means of overland
energy transportation. Most pipelines are out of sight, buried a metre or more below
the surface. These steel arteries are a vital component of a nations transportation
system, comparable to the networks of roads, railways, ports, air services and
electrical transmission lines.

Unlike other modes of transportation, pipelines represent a very large up- front
investment. Capital costs include pipe, related facilities, construction and right-of
way acquisition. Pipeline construction and operation generate billions of dollars of
economic activity in Canada annually. Pipelines are also a significant source of tax
revenue.

When new oil or gas is found, producers and pipe liners start looking for the most
economical way to deliver the commodity to market.

This task is complicated by several factors. The ultimate size and lifespan of newly
discovered oil and gas reserves can not be known with certainty. Subsequent
discoveries elsewhere may be able to supply the market more economically.
Investors and regulators demand some assurance that sufficient reserves exist to
supply any pipeline during the time needed to pay off the capital cost of

75
construction. Natural gas pipelines have high capital costs but relatively low
operating costs. Oil pipelines have lower capital costs but somewhat higher
operating costs.

Once the pipeline route and volume have been determined, engineers must decide
on the size of pipe and amount of horsepower. A large-diameter pipe is expensive to
install but comparatively cheap to operate it can operate at lower pressure, with less
friction and a smaller energy requirement for pumping or compression. With more
compression or horsepower at pumping stations or compressor stations, smaller
pipes can be used, but the system will be more costly to operate. These same
decisions arise if additional capacity is needed later. More pipes can be laid or more
horsepower can be added. The decision depends on such factors as energy costs,
environmental impacts, safety, steel prices and financing costs.
Taken front Petroleum Communication Foundation (CPI).

Vocabulary
up- front: Sp. inversin a riesgo

Group work

I- Prepare a list of all possible questions about the text. Be ready to ask them
to other teams.

E.g.1. - Why are pipelines a vital component of a nations transportation system in

Canada? Do you think this system have the same importance in Cuba? Why? Why
not?

II- Write a brief paragraph about Pipelines based on the information given in
the complementary text. (TBHI).

76
5- WORD FORMATION
ion is a suffix used to form nouns such as fabrication, invention, etc.

I- Complete the following chart with the corresponding words. Write

sentences with them.

Verb Noun
fabricate fabrication
connection
accumulate
construction
locate

6- OIL STORAGE

Every facility involved in the production of petroleum and related products requires
some type of storage.

The arrival of large quantities of petroleum oil at import and refining centers has
brought about the need for storage facilities. The usual form of crude oil storage is
the collection of large cylindrical steel storage tanks (tank farm) that are a familiar
sight at most refineries and shipping terminals. The tanks vary in size, but some are
capable of holding up to 950,000 barrels of oil. Crude oil may also be stored in such
geological features as salt domes.

77
The domes have been previously leached or hollowed out into huge underground
caves, such as those used by the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve in Louisiana and
Texas. Other underground storage facilities inc1ude disused coal mines and
artificial caverns. Natural gas is, on occasion, stored in old reservoirs from which
the gas has been recovered. The gas is pumped under pressure into the reservoir at
times of low gas demand so that it can be retrieved later to meet peak demand.

During the early days of oil production, the method of storing was almost
exclusively white-pine wooden tanks, which were followed by cypress tanks, and
then redwood tanks. However, because of the constant and steep rise in the cost of
redwood lumber and the diminution of skilled erectors required, the installation of
new wooden tanks is nearly nonexistent. The bolted-steel tank was developed next
and virtually replaced the wooden tank.

Types of tanks for oil storing.

Bolted-Steel Tanks

Bolted tanks are designed and furnished as segmental elements assembled on

location to provide complete vertical, cylindrical, aboveground, closed- and open-top
steel storage tanks. Standard API bolted tanks are available in nominal capacities of
100 to 10,000 bbl, and are designed for approximately atmospheric internal
pressures. Bo1ted tanks offer the advantage of being easily transported to desired
locations and erected by hand. To meet changing requirements for capacity of
storage, bolted tanks can be easi1y dismantled and re-erected at new locations. If a
tank develops a hole from corrosion or becomes damaged, a single sheet or more
may be replaced. A complete tan k bottom may be replaced in the field without
dismantling the tank. Also, a section may be removed from the tank, a new
connection installed in the sheet, and the section replaced without danger. No
special equipment (cranes, etc.) is required for the erection of bolted tanks. These
tanks are erected by nonspecialized crews using hand tools and usually an impact
wrench.
Bolted tanks are available with painted, galvanized, and special coatings,
including factory-baked coatings. Painting on both sides of the sheets during
fabrication gives the inside of the tank some corrosion protection. Galvanizing the
sheets and all tank parts by the "hot-dip" process or applying a factory-baked
coating affords high corrosion protection.

78
Generally, bolted tanks are fabricated from 12- or l0-gauge steel and, if not
galvanized or furnished with a protective coating for corrosion protection, they do
not have the expected life of the welded-steel tanks, which are usually constructed
of heavier steel.

Welded-Stee1 Tanks

Shop-fabricated welded, cylindrical-shape tanks are available in a large variety of

sizes as shop-fabricated items... Shop-welded tanks provide the oil production
industry with tanks of adequate safety and reasonable economy for use in the
storage of crude petroleum and other liquids commonly handled and stored by the
production segment of the industry. The heavier steel also affords a corrosion
allowance. Shop fabrication permits testing in the shop for leaks and also provides
immediate storage. Tanks are merely up-ended from a truck on the location.

Flat-Sided Tanks (Non-API)

Although cylindrical-shape tanks may be structurally best for tank construction,
rectangular tanks frequently are preferred. When space is limited, such as offshore,
requirements favour flat-sided tank construction because several cells of flat-sided
tanks can be fabricated easily and arranged in less space than other types of tanks.
Flat-sided or rectangular tanks normally are used as atmospheric type storage.

Field-Welded Tanks
Field-welded tanks provide large storage capacities in a single unit. These field-
welded tanks are of heavier gauge steel with a minimum thickness of 1/4 inch for
the tank bottom and 3/16 in. for the shell and deck.
Larger field-welded tanks providing storage capacities of 150,000 bbl or more have
become quite prevalent for use in the storage of oil and petroleum products. Field
welded tanks, particularly those larger than 10,000 bbl, frequently are designed
and erected in accordance with API Standard 650. This standard covers material,
design, fabrication, erection, and testing requirements for welded steel storage
tanks. It also includes an alternative basis for shell design, as well as one for
calculating tank-shell thickness. The API Standard 650 also may be used to govern
the design and fabrication of the smaller shop welded tanks.

79
 Fixed Roof

Fixed roofs are permanently attached to the tank shell. Welded tanks of 500-bbl
capacity and larger may be provided with a frangible roof (designed for safety
release of the welded deck-to-shell joint in the event excess internal pressure
occurs). In this case, the design pressure should not exceed the equivalent
pressure of the dead weight of the roof including rafters, if external.
Floating Roof Storage tanks may be furnished with floating roofs where, by the tank
roof floats on the stored contents. This tanks type is used primarily for storage near
atmospheric pressure. Floating roofs are designed to move vertically within the tank
shell to provide a constant minimum void between the surface of the stored product
and the roof. Floating roofs normally are designed to provide a constant seal 00-
tween the periphery of the floating roof and the tan k shell. They can be fabricated
in a type that is exposed to the weather or a type that is under a fixed roof. Internal
floating-roof tanks, with an external fixed roof, are used in areas of heavy snowfall
since accumulations of snow or water on the floating roof affect the operating
buoyancy. These can be installed in existing tanks as well as new tanks. Both
floating roofs and internal floating roofs are used to reduce vapor losses and to aid
in conservation programs. Fig. 11.3 is a schematic of a typical internal floating-roof
tank.

Floating Roof

Storage tanks may be furnished with floating roofs

where-by the tank roof floats on the stored contents.
This tank type is used primarily for storage near
atmospheric pressure. Floating roofs are designed to
move vertically within the tank shell to provide a constant minimum void between
the surface stored product and the roof.

80
Internal floating-roof tanks, with an external fixed roof, are used in areas of heavy
snowfall since accumulations of snow or water on the floating roof affect the
operating buoyancy. These can be installed in existing tanks as well as new tanks.
Both floating roofs and internal floating roofs are used to reduce vapor losses and to
aid in conservation programs.

Cone-Bottom Tanks
The cone bottom in either the bolted or the welded tank offers a means of draining
and removing water, or watercut oil, from only the bottom of the tank, leaving the
marketable oil above. The drain line from a sump-equipped cone bottom must be
equipped with a vortex breaker to drain off most of the water without coning oil into
the drain. With a flat-bottom tank, some of the marketable oil must be removed if
all the water is removed from the tank. Corrosion on the tan k bottom is kept to a
minimum by keeping all water removed. A cone bottom can be kept clean without
having to open the tank if 1 or 2 bbl are drained off once or twice weekly and
pumped back through the treating system. If this is not done and the bottom
solidifies, the tank must be opened. The conebottom tank can be cleaned without
entering. A water hose, handled just outside the cleanout opening, can be used to
flush the solids to the center of the cone and drain connection.

Pipe Storage
Pipe that is used specifically for storing and handling liquid petroleum components
should be designed and constructed in accordance with applicable codes. Pipe
storage consists of any number of sections of line pipe laid parallel to each other
and interconnected to operate as a single unit. The size and length depend on the
capacity required and economics. The exterior of buried-pipe storage should be
coated and wrapped for corrosion protection. It also is recommended that any
coated, wrapped, and buried carbon steel pipe be protected cathodically against the
possibility of eventual holidays (imperfections) in the coating.

Underground Storage
Underground storage is most advantageous when large volumes are to be stored.
Underground storage is especially advantageous for high-vapor-pressure products.
Solution-mined and conventionally mined caverns are not typically used for
underground storage of refrigerated products Underground storage allows most of
the surface area (except for the entry wells) to be used for other purposes. This is

81
especially beneficial in high-value, congested areas.

Vocabulary
Bolted-Steel Tanks: Sp Tanques de perno.
Welded-Stee1 Tanks: Sp.
Flat-Sided Tanks: Sp. Tanques rectangulares.
Field-Welded Tanks: Sp.
Void: emptiness, empty space, gap.

I- Answer the following questions based on the text:

1) How can petroleum and its related products be stored?
2) Which is more advantageous overground or underground storage? Explain.
3) What are floating roofs designed for?
4) What is the advantage of bo1ted tanks?
5) Mention the advantages and disadvantages (if stated in the text) of flat-sided
tanks, cone bottom tanks and field welded tanks?

II- Look at this sentence:

Crude oil may also be stored in such geological features as salt domes.
a) Underline the subject of the sentence. What kind of sentence is this, active or
passive?
b) Find in the text other sentences of the same type.

III- Find in the text:

a) Five noun modifiers. Translate the nouns modified by them.
b) All regular and irregular verbs.

82