Gaging and Storage of Oil in the Mid-Continent Field

Abstract

The methods of handling the oil output of the Mid-Continent fields are notunlike those practised in other oil fields of the United States, and it is notexpected that this paper will present any entirely novel ideas. Some features of the practice of handling this oil may be of interest, however. Wooden Gaging Tanks Practically all of the oil sold to pipe lines and other purchasing agenciesthroughout the Mid-Continent field is gaged from wooden tanks. Steel gagingtanks are slowly coming into use, and are preferable in many ways - leakage andevaporation are reduced, and the strapping and recalculation of capacities areunnecessary. The wooden tanks are slightly coned to facilitate tightening thehoops. The sizes in common use are 250, 500, 800 and 1600 bbl. The number andthe capacity of the gaging tanks upon any producing oil property depend uponits production, and the facilities for disposing of the output. The 1600-bbl.size was the most common in the Cushing field, particularly during the periodof flush production. The tanks are distributed over the leased premises in groups of two, three, andfour tanks each, and these are filled from flow tanks, or through direct pipeconnections with the heads of the wells. Flow tanks are merely temporaryreservoirs to facilitate the transfer of oil from the wells to the gagingtanks. They diminish fire risk, and are considered indispensable on smallproducing properties where water is pumped with the oil, as they permit therefuse and water to ‘settle out’ before the production is run to the gagingtanks. Strapping and Calculations After a gaging tank has been strapped (measured) and its contents computed, adeduction of 3 per cent. is made from its computed volume. AIME 061–57