Custom Oil and Gas Production Equipment

Every oil and gas production facility has different operating requirements. Flow rates, pressures, fluid composition, site conditions, available space, transportation requirements, and production goals can vary significantly from one location to another. While standard equipment can work for certain applications, many projects require a solution designed specifically for the conditions at the site.

That is where custom oil and gas production equipment becomes valuable.

Custom fabrication allows operators and engineering teams to specify equipment around actual process requirements rather than trying to adapt a facility around a standard product. From separators and heater treaters to pressure vessels, tanks, piping, and complete modular systems, custom equipment can help improve reliability, simplify field installation, and support long-term production goals.

At Smith Industries, we manufacture custom equipment and integrated solutions for oil and gas operations. Understanding when to choose custom fabrication can help operators make better equipment decisions before their next project begins.

What Is Custom Oil and Gas Production Equipment?

Custom oil and gas production equipment is designed and fabricated according to the requirements of a specific facility, process, or application.

Rather than selecting equipment from a fixed catalog, operators can work with engineers and fabricators to determine the dimensions, capacity, materials, connections, pressure requirements, and other specifications required for the project.

Examples of custom oil and gas production equipment can include:

• 2-phase and 3-phase separators

• Heater treaters

• Gun barrel tanks

• Free water knockouts

• Vapor recovery towers

• Pressure vessels

• Steel storage tanks

• Pipe spools and piping assemblies

• Skid-mounted equipment

• Structural steel

• Modular production systems

• Custom instrumentation and electrical packages

The exact configuration depends on the application. A facility handling high volumes of produced water, for example, may have very different separation requirements than a facility experiencing high gas production.

Why Off-the-Shelf Equipment Is Not Always the Best Fit

Standardized equipment can be useful when project requirements closely match an existing design. The challenge comes when operators begin making compromises to fit standard equipment into a nonstandard application.

Those compromises can affect equipment capacity, site layout, piping configurations, transportation, installation, and future maintenance.

Custom equipment provides an opportunity to start with the actual operating conditions.

Before fabrication begins, project teams can evaluate factors such as operating pressure, temperature, fluid characteristics, flow rates, required retention time, corrosion concerns, available footprint, transportation restrictions, and connection points.

The result is equipment built around the facility rather than a facility built around the equipment.

Custom Equipment for Complex Production Requirements

Oil and gas production involves a wide variety of specialized processes and equipment.

OSHA notes that oil and gas drilling and servicing operations involve many different types of equipment and materials. Production environments can also expose workers to hazards involving high-pressure equipment, flammable gases and vapors, machinery, electrical energy, and moving equipment.

These conditions make proper equipment design and fabrication especially important.

Consider a separator. Its job may sound straightforward, but actual requirements can vary considerably depending on the application. Operators may need to separate oil and gas, oil and water, or oil, gas, and water simultaneously. Vessel dimensions, operating pressure, internals, connections, instrumentation, and capacity can all change depending on production conditions.

A custom approach allows those requirements to be addressed during engineering and fabrication instead of after the equipment reaches the field.

Pressure Vessels Require Careful Consideration

Pressure-containing equipment is one area where selecting the appropriate fabrication partner becomes particularly important.

OSHA has identified mechanical integrity as an important safeguard for pressure vessels used in oil and gas production. Its guidance recognizes hazards associated with pressure vessel failures, including high-energy releases, fires, explosions, and the potential release of hazardous materials. OSHA also points to recognized industry practices concerning the construction and mechanical integrity of pressure vessels.

For operators, this reinforces the importance of understanding exactly what a pressure vessel needs to accomplish before fabrication begins.

Specifications can include:

• Maximum allowable working pressure

• Operating temperature

• Vessel dimensions

• Material selection

• Corrosion allowance

• Nozzle locations

• Internal components

• Testing requirements

• Coating requirements

• Applicable codes and standards

When these requirements fall outside a standard design, custom fabrication gives project teams greater control over the final product.

Custom Fabrication Can Simplify Field Installation

The benefits of custom oil and gas production equipment extend beyond equipment performance.

Field construction can introduce scheduling challenges, labor requirements, weather delays, site congestion, and coordination issues. Moving more fabrication into a controlled shop environment can reduce the amount of assembly required after equipment reaches the site.

For example, individual components can be incorporated into a larger skid or modular package before shipment. Piping, structural supports, vessels, instrumentation, and other components can be coordinated as part of one system.

Instead of receiving numerous individual components that must be assembled in the field, operators can receive larger fabricated systems that are closer to installation-ready.

This can be particularly valuable for remote oil and gas locations where skilled field labor and equipment availability may be limited.

When Should Operators Consider Custom Equipment?

Not every project requires a completely custom solution. However, there are several situations where custom fabrication deserves consideration.

One is when production requirements do not align with standard equipment capacities. Another is when an existing site has tight space limitations or unusual connection requirements.

Operators may also consider custom equipment when:

• Existing equipment is creating production bottlenecks

• A facility is expanding production

• Standard equipment does not meet project specifications

• Transportation dimensions need to be considered

• Multiple components can be combined into a modular system

• Site conditions require specific materials or coatings

• Existing infrastructure requires unusual connection points

• A project has specific pressure or temperature requirements

• The operator wants to reduce field fabrication

Early collaboration with a fabricator can help determine whether an existing design can meet those requirements or whether customization provides a better solution.

Look Beyond the Individual Piece of Equipment

A common mistake during equipment procurement is evaluating every component independently.

A separator may meet its specification. A tank may meet its specification. The piping may meet its specification. However, all of those pieces still need to work together once they reach the facility.

A fabrication partner with broader capabilities can evaluate how individual components fit into the overall project.

That may include pressure vessel fabrication, structural fabrication, pipe fabrication, coatings, assembly, transportation, and field integration. Consolidating these capabilities can reduce the number of vendors involved and simplify communication throughout a project.

For operators managing complex facility builds or expansions, that coordination can be just as valuable as the equipment itself.

Choosing a Custom Oil and Gas Production Equipment Manufacturer

When evaluating a manufacturer, operators should look beyond price alone.

Experience, engineering capabilities, quality control, certifications, fabrication capacity, documentation, project management, transportation capabilities, and schedule should all factor into the decision.

Operators should also ask potential fabrication partners whether they can support the entire scope of the project.

Can they fabricate the vessel? Can they manufacture the structural steel? Can they fabricate the piping? Can they coat the equipment? Can they assemble components into modules? Can they coordinate transportation?

The more work that can be coordinated through one experienced partner, the fewer handoffs a project may require.

Build Equipment Around Your Operation

Oil and gas facilities are not one-size-fits-all, and the equipment supporting them does not always need to be either.

Custom oil and gas production equipment gives operators the flexibility to design equipment around specific production requirements, site limitations, operating conditions, and project goals. It can also create opportunities to move more work into a controlled fabrication environment and deliver more complete systems to the field.

Smith Industries provides custom fabrication capabilities for oil and gas projects, including pressure vessels, separators, tanks, structural steel, piping, modular systems, coatings, and other production equipment.

Whether you need a single custom vessel or a complete integrated production package, Smith Industries can work with your team to develop a solution around the requirements of your project.