| (1) Where individual lease oil production, or authorized
commingled oil production, separator, treating, and/or storage vessels,
other than conventional emulsion breaking treaters, are connected
to a gas gathering system so that heat or vacuum may be applied prior
to oil measurement for Commission-required production reports, the
operator may, at the operator's option, apply heat or vacuum to the
oil only to the extent the average gravity of the stock tank oil will
not be reduced below a limiting gravity for each lease as established
by an average oil gravity test conducted under the following conditions
(Reference Order Number 20-55, 647, effective 4-1-66):
(A) the separator or separator system, which shall
include any type vessel that is used to separate hydrocarbons, shall
be operated at not less than atmospheric pressure;
(B) no heat shall be applied;
(C) the test interval shall be for a minimum of 24
hours, and the average oil gravity after weathering for not more than
24 hours shall then become the limiting gravity factor for applying
heat or vacuum to unmeasured oil on the tested lease.
(2) Initial gravity tests shall be made by the operator
when such separator, treating, and/or storage vessels are first used
pursuant to this section. Subsequent tests shall be made at the request
of either the Commission or any interested party; and such subsequent
tests shall be witnessed by the requesting party. Any interested party
may witness the tests.
(3) Each operator shall enter on the required production
report the gravity of the oil delivered to market from the lease reported,
and it is provided that should a volume of oil delivered to market
from such lease separation facilities not meet the gravity requirement
established by the described test, adjustment shall be made by charging
the allowable of the lease on the relationship of the volume and the
gravity of the particular crude.
(4) Where a conventional heater treater is required
and is used only to break oil from an emulsion prior to oil measurement,
this section will not be applicable; provided, however, that by this
limitation on the section, it is not intended that excessive heat
may be used in conventional heater treater, and in circumstances where
such heater treater is connected to a gas gathering system and it
is found by Commission investigation made on its own volition or on
complaint of any interested party that excessive heat is used, either
the provisions of this section or special restrictive regulation may
be made applicable.
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| Source Note: The provisions of this §3.26 adopted January 1, 1976; amended to be effective February 23, 1979, 4 TexReg 436; amended to be effective March 10, 1986, 11 TexReg 901; amended to be effective February 18, 1994, 19 TexReg 783; amended to be effective June 23, 1997, 22 TexReg 5747; amended to be effective May 1, 2000, 25 TexReg 3741; amended to be effective November 24, 2004, 29 TexReg 10728; amended to be effective April 28, 2015, 40 TexReg 2275; amended to be effective February 25, 2019, 44 TexReg 812 |
