The facilities that are used in the oil and gas industry are defined according to their use in the production stream:
Exploration
This is the search for a field that take into account prospecting, seismic and drilling activities until the right field is found.
Upstream
Typically, this refers to all the facilities for production and stabilization of oil and gas.
Midstream
This is the process of gas treatment< production of LNG and regasification plants along with oil and gas pipeline systems.
Refining
Oil and condensates are processed into products which can be sold such as gasoline, diesel or feedstock for the petrochemical industry. Tank Storage and distribution terminals are included in this segment or are categorized into a separate distribution’s operation.
Petrochemicals
Chemical products, mainly hydrocarbons. Some examples are plastic, fertilizer and other industrial chemicals.
Exploration
Back in the day surface features such as tar seeps or gas pockmarks were the clues to the location of shallow hydrocarbons. These days we have geological mapping using advanced method such as passive seismic, reflective seismic, magnetic and gravitational techniques give data to analysis tools which can identify the potential candidates for hydrocarbons
Exploration is of utmost importance. An offshore well costs around $30 million, most fall in the $10-$100 million range. Rig leases would be around $200,000-$700,000 per day. Smaller firms exploring onshore fields can drill shallow wells for as little as $100,000. So, it is vital to spend a lot of time on analyzing land and exploring the surroundings, which will help you find a location with a good probability of finding oil or gas is essential before the drilling process begins. “Wildcats” are the first wells in certain regions and pose potential dangers such as downhole pressures, these require extra attention and precaution. It is a dangerous environment and may even strip people of their lives. Even when a location is found (also known as a strike, penetration) more characterization of the reservoir takes place such as production testing, appraisal wells etc. These are needed to understand the size and production capacity of the reservoir in order to understand if it would be profitable overall in the long run.