The upstream process in the oil and gas industry (exploration and production) involves locating and confirming crude oil and natural gas fields through exploration and drilling, then extracting resources with the aid of instrumentation to bring them to the surface. Diaphragm seal systems play vital roles in these operations by protecting pressure instruments from corrosive fluids and extreme pressures at wellheads, preventing clogging and corrosion in drilling fluid circuits, ensuring accurate pressure measurement in harsh production facility environments, safeguarding sensors in abrasive pipelines, withstanding high temperatures and corrosive agents in enhanced oil recovery, and enabling safe handling of sour gas by preventing hydrogen ingress in systems.

These demanding applications require robust diaphragm seal systems, often utilizing high-end materials like high-nickel alloys (Alloy 625/825), gold coatings, and pressure ratings per ASME B16.5 RJF/RTJ or API standards.

Badotherm brings extensive experience in delivering reliable solutions for such high-pressure, high-temperature, and corrosive environments.

The midstream process in the oil and gas industry involves the transportation, storage, and wholesale marketing of crude or refined petroleum products. Here are the key activities:

• Transportation: This includes moving crude oil and natural gas from production sites to refineries and processing plants. Transportation methods include pipelines, rail, barge, oil tankers, and trucks.
• Storage: Crude oil, natural gas, and refined products are stored in large tanks or underground facilities until they are needed for further processing or distribution.
• Processing: This involves the purification and treatment of natural gas to remove impurities and separate natural gas liquids (NGLs). It can also include the blending of different crude oils to meet specific market requirements.

In these applications, diaphragm seal systems are being used for monitoring the processes. Often, this is done with standard configurations. However, there are always specific situations where one of our solutions may be applicable.

The downstream oil and gas process focuses on refining crude oil into fuels and petrochemicals, and processing natural gas to extract valuable byproducts. It includes distillation and chemical treatment to produce end products like gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and natural gas liquids (NGLs) such as ethane and propane.

Above sections include processes such as crude distillation, catalytic cracking, and hydrotreating, hydrocrackers, or hydrogen reformers. These processes are full of challenges:
• Temperatures: exceeding 400°C (752°F) or plunge well below 0°C in cryogenic storage or LNG processes.
• Pressures: from deep vacuum in distillation to extreme overpressure in hydrocrackers or hydrogen reformers.
• Materials: Downstream media often include aggressive chemicals, abrasive slurries, or sour gas (H₂S), all of which can corrode or erode standard stainless steel components. Materials like Hastelloy®, Monel®, Inconel®, and Tantalum are critical for resisting Acid gases, Chlorides or High-sulfur crude.

The downstream sector is the final link in the oil and gas supply chain, delivering products that are essential for everyday use, such as fuels, lubricants, and chemicals.

Badotherm diaphragm seal solutions are used in many applications for these processes and all of our 4 pillars may be applicable, but most likely in the field of high end materials or extreme temperatures.