what is difference between the upstream and downstream in the oil industry course hero

by Prof. Leonel Mann 6 min read

Upstream oil and gas production is conducted by companies who identify, extract, or produce raw materials. Downstream oil and gas production engages in anything related to the post-production of crude oil and natural gas activities. Midstream links upstream and downstream and includes transportation and storage services.

What Is the Difference Between Upstream and Downstream in the Oil and Gas Industry? Upstream oil companies are involved primarily with oil discovery, extraction, and production. Downstream oil companies instead deal with refining and delivering petroleum products to consumers.

Full Answer

What is the difference between upstream and downstream in the oil industry?

Simply put, upstream works include the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas, whilst downstream refers to the processes applied after extraction through to it being delivered to the customer in whatever format required.

What is the difference between downstream and upstream?

It's not unusual to hear people involved in production make frequent reference to "upstream" and "downstream" parts of the process. Upstream refers to the material inputs needed for production, while downstream is the opposite end, where products get produced and distributed.

What is the difference between upstream midstream and downstream in oil and gas?

'Upstream' is about extracting oil and natural gas from the ground; 'midstream' is about safely moving them thousands of miles; and 'downstream' is converting these resources into the fuels and finished products we all depend on.

What is upstream and downstream in manufacturing?

The upstream supply chain includes all activities related to the organization's suppliers: those parties that source raw material inputs to send to the manufacturer. The downstream supply chain refers to activities post-manufacturing, namely distributing the product to the final customer.

What is the difference between upstream and downstream supply chain?

The upstream portion of the supply chain includes the organization's suppliers and the processes for managing relationships with them. The downstream portion consists of the organizations and processes for distributing and delivering products to the final customers.

What is upstream and downstream example?

Downstream means towards where the flow ends, at the opposite end of the waterway from the source. If you are boating from Kingston to Toronto, for example, you are heading upstream. If you are going from Kingston to Cornwall, you are travelling downstream.

What is downstream in the oil and gas industry?

Downstream operations are the processes involved in converting oil and gas into the finished product. These include refining crude oil into gasoline, natural gas liquids, diesel, and a variety of other energy sources.

What is upstream and downstream systems?

An upstream system is any system that sends data to the Collaboration Server system. A downstream system is a system that receives data from the Collaboration Server system. You can load data into the Collaboration Server system at regular intervals (weekly, daily, or hourly) from an upstream system.

What is upstream and downstream in fluid mechanics?

Upstream means that the object is going opposite to the flow of the river. In this case you have to subtract the speed of the given object in still water from the speed of flow of the stream. Downstream means that the object is flowing along the river and in this case you have to add the speed.

What are the basic difference between upstream and downstream processing?

Upstreaming processing refers to the generation of biomass at a large scale and downstream processing refers to the extraction and separation of the desired products produced in the upstream processing.

What is an upstream process?

Upstream process is the first step of bioprocess from early cell isolation and cultivation, to cell banking and culture development of the cells until final harvest where the desired quantity is reached. Since this is the early stage of bioprocessing, the quality of the product is of critical importance.

What is the purpose of downstream manufacturing?

The purpose of downstream processing is to isolate, purify and concentrate the previously synthesized drug substance or other product from the complex bulk matrix.

What is the difference between upstream and downstream Internet speed?

Many internet plans have different "downstream" and "upstream" speeds. Downstream is data that is download from the internet to your device. Upstream is data that is uploaded from your device to the Internet.

What is upstream and downstream in project?

An upstream job is a configured project that triggers a project as part of its execution. A downstream job is a configured project that is triggered as part of a execution of pipeline.

What does upstream and downstream mean in healthcare?

Upstream services focus on macro level factors such as structures that impact health whereas downstream services focus on providing equitable access to care.

What is the difference between upstream and downstream sale?

Upstream and Downstream sales are normally associated with inter-company sales. Upstream is a subsidiary selling into the parent entity; while downstream sales are from parent to subsidiary. Financially, it usually refers to loans, since dividends and interest generally flow upstream.

What is upstream and downstream oil?

The terms upstream and downstream oil and gas production refer to an oil or gas company's location in the supply chain. Companies in the oil and gas industry are usually divided into one of three groups, upstream, downstream, and midstream. Some companies are considered to be "integrated" because they combine the functions of two or three of the groups.

What is upstream oil and gas?

Upstream oil and gas production and operations identify deposits, drill wells, and recover raw materials from underground. They are also often called exploration and production companies. This sector also includes related services such as rig operations, feasibility studies, machinery rental, and extraction of chemical supply.

What are some examples of downstream companies?

Examples of downstream companies include leading U.S. refiners Marathon Petroleum ( MPC) and Phillips 66 ( PSX ). Phillips 66 was initially part of parent company ConocoPhillips ( COP) until the larger oil company opted to spin off ...

What is downstream oil and gas production?

Downstream oil and gas production engages in anything related to the post-production of crude oil and natural gas activities.

What is downstream oil?

Simply put, the downstream oil and gas market is anything that has to do with the post-production of crude oil and natural gas activities. Many of the products that consumers use every day come directly from downstream production, including diesel, natural gas, gasoline, heating oil, lubricants, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and propane.

What are some examples of large companies that focus on upstream services?

China National Offshore Oil Corporation and Schlumberger ( SLB) are examples of large companies that focus on upstream services. Many of the largest upstream operators are the major diversified oil and gas firms, such as Exxon-Mobil ( XOM ).

What is midstream operations?

Midstream operations link the upstream and downstream entities and mostly include resource transportation and storage services for resources , such as pipelines and gathering systems.

What are some examples of final oil and gas products produced under downstream activities?

Other examples of final oil and gas products produced under downstream activities include lubricants, waxes, asphalt, and plastics, as well as other petrochemicals such as olefins, aromatics, methanol, formaldehyde, methane, ethane, propane, and butane.

What is the upstream sector?

The upstream sector includes all activities that are further categorized either as exploration activities or production activities. This sector is also known as the exploration and production or E&P sector.

What is midstream oil?

The midstream sector centers on moving the oil or gas products from the production sites or oil fields to the market and further to the consumers. This sector essentially connects the upstream sector to the downstream sectors.

What is transportation in oil and gas?

Transportation is a midstream activity. The industry uses different modes of transportation to move oil and gas products such as pipeline and pipeline networks, rails and trucks for land transportation, and barge and tanker for maritime transportation.

What are some examples of downstream companies?

Based on the different types of downstream activities, some examples of companies involved in the downstream sector are oil refineries, natural gas processing plants, petrochemical companies, energy trading and marketing companies, retailers, electricity distributors, utility providers, and manufacturers of hydrocarbon byproducts, among others .

What are the three main parts of oil and gas?

Oil and Gas: Upstream, Midstream, and Downstream. The oil and gas industry is divided into three components or sectors: the upstream, midstream, and downstream.

What are the activities of production?

Specific activities include drilling projects, facilities engineering, and other construction projects. Project closure activities commence once all reserves have been effectively extracted. These activities include plugging and abandoning of fields and well, as well project reevaluation.

Upstream vs. Downstream Oil and Gas Production: An Overview

Upstream Oil and Gas Production

  • Upstreamoil and gas production is conducted by companies who identify, extract, or produce raw materials. Downstream oil and gas production companies are closer to the end-user or consumer. Here's a look at upstream and downstream oil and gas production, their individual functions, and what role they play in the broader supply chain. Upstream oil a...
See more on investopedia.com

Downstream Oil and Gas Production

  • The closer an oil and gas company is to supplying consumers with petroleum products, the further downstreamit is said to be in the industry. Downstream operations are oil and gas processes that occur after the production phase to the point of sale. This sector of the oil and gas industry—the final step in the production process—is represented by refiners of petroleum crude …
See more on investopedia.com