It is generally the case that larger production systems with larger diameter tubings and pipelines have greater deliverability and can therefore produce more oil and gas in a given day.  It follows therefore, that larger production systems imply greater flow rates and hence revenues.  However, the capital investment also increases with size meaning that the production system becomes more costly.  It is the Flow Assurance engineer’s job to size the well tubings and pipelines and hence determine the overall system deliverability, but how does one chose the best size?  Clearly this is a techno-economic decision which should be made by trading the benefits of increasing the production system size against the increased costs.

It is often the case that the fluid temperatures inside a production system have to be maintained above a minimum value to avoid problems associated with wax deposition or hydrate formation, which can block the production system curtailing production and hence revenues.  Usual practice is to apply insulation to the production  system to limit heat loss and thus maintain temperatures.  However, the cost of insulation usually increases with the required thickness (or performance).  Unfortunately, the selection of insulation thickness can be subjective due to differing perceptions about its effect on the overall operability and risk.  Therefore, the selection of insulation thickness usually amounts to the trade-off between increased cost of insulation and reduced perceived future risk to operations.  Once again, this is a risk-based techno-economic decision.