A tank battery is a grouping of surface storage tanks together with associated equipment — separators, heater-treaters and gauges — located near the wellhead or a gathering point. Produced oil is collected, separated and stored in the tank battery before it is sold and transferred to a pipeline or truck.
A grouping of storage tanks and processing equipment near a well or gathering point where produced oil is collected, separated and stored before sale.
What's in a tank battery
A typical battery combines the separation and treating equipment that conditions the produced stream with the storage tanks that hold finished crude. Gauges and instrumentation track tank levels and fluid quality. Once oil meets sales specifications, it is ready to leave the lease — and that handoff is carefully measured.
The LACT unit — Lease Automatic Custody Transfer — is often called the "cash register of the oilfield" because it automatically measures and transfers custody of crude to the buyer.
LACT units and BS&W monitoring
The LACT unit (Lease Automatic Custody Transfer) is an automated metering skid that measures, samples and transfers custody of crude oil to a pipeline or truck. Because it determines exactly how much salable oil changes hands, it is sometimes called the "cash register of the oilfield."
Crude quality is verified by a BS&W monitor, which checks basic sediment and water content. If the oil contains too much water or sediment, the LACT system can divert it back for further treating, ensuring only on-spec crude is sold. This combination of automated measurement and quality control protects both the operator and the buyer.
Tank batteries are a core part of surface production operations and feed crude into the midstream gathering and transport network.
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Frequently asked
A tank battery is a grouping of storage tanks and equipment — such as separators and heater-treaters — near a well where produced oil is collected, separated and stored before sale.
A LACT (Lease Automatic Custody Transfer) unit is an automated metering skid that measures, samples and transfers custody of crude oil to a pipeline or truck. It's often called the cash register of the oilfield.
A BS&W monitor measures basic sediment and water content in crude oil to ensure only on-spec oil — low in water and sediment — is sold.