Глоссарий по нефтегазовой терминологии. Русско-английский - стр. 2

Stage 2: Midstream is the secondary stage. Midstream mostly refers to the processing, storing, and transporting of oil and gas products. Processing is the midstream stage, where oil and natural gas are separated, then transferred to the gas processing plants, where unnecessary products and nonhydrocarbon gases are removed. Storing the products is essential to keep up with the domestic and international demand, prevent shortages and discrepancies in supply, and ensure safety for all the workers and people involved in the industry. Natural gases are usually stored in underground spaces such as depleted reservoirs, while finished oil products, crude oil, and refined oil commonly use above-ground tanks. Transportation is an all-encompassing process for the industry. It starts when oil and gas are extracted and brought to the processing plants, transferred to companies and businesses across the nation and other countries, and finally to the general public or primary consumers. Unrefined oil is transported via tankers and pipelines, while final petroleum products travel to the market through trucks, railroad cars, tankers, and more pipelines.

Stage 3: Downstream refers to the third and final process of refining and distributing petroleum products. Refining is converting oil and natural gas into finished petroleum products that can be used for various reasons, such as transportation and electricity fuels, asphalt and road oils, kerosene, or as raw materials for making plastic and synthetic materials. Oil refining also involves several processes depending on the desired end product. This process commonly includes distillation units, cracking, coking, reforming, and post-treatment. Distribution is the final step, where the finished petroleum products are transported and distributed to businesses, government agencies, and the general public composed of industrial consumers, electrical providers, and heating of residential and commercial establishments, among others.

Oil and gas production is complex and involves multiple processes broken down into smaller steps. Some of the primary industry equipment and assets include tank vessels – storage tanks and gas condensers; heat exchangers – shell and tube, plate, regenerative, and adiabatic wheel heat exchangers; evaporators – natural/forced circulation, rising/falling film, climbing and a falling-film plate, multiple-effect, and agitated thin film evaporators; air coolers, towers, steel pipes, geophysical prospecting equipment, drilling and production equipment, refinery and chemical equipment, logging equipment, offshore engineering equipment, and others.