Tubing

Drilling Equipment & Components

Tubing is the pipe specifically used to transport oil, gas, or water from the reservoir to the surface after the well has been drilled and cased. Unlike casing, which is cemented permanently in place, production tubing is run inside the casing and can be removed for maintenance or workover operations. It hangs from the wellhead and is often secured at the bottom by a packer.

Sizing the tubing correctly is a critical aspect of production engineering (nodal analysis). If the tubing is too large, the fluid velocity may be too low to lift liquids, causing the well to load up and die. If too small, friction losses will restrict flow rates. Alloy tubing (e.g., Chrome-13) is often used in sour environments (H2S) to prevent corrosion failure.