Prefabricated platform, ''beached'' stock tanks used in south Louisiana field

Production from 2 gas-condensate zones and 1 oil reservoir is being handled on a prefabricated platform in South Chauvin Field, Terrebonne Parish, near Houma, La. Heaters, 2 stages of separation, a glycol dehydrator, and associated control equipment installed by Placid Oil Co., are all located above ground level in an area where surface-installed equipment would gradually sink out of sight. The prefabricated platform is approximately 25 by 30 ft, including walkways, and was built in 2 sections to permit trucking. An unusual feature of this crude-oil-handling system is the tank battery. Two 1,000- bbl tanks are located on the deck of a barge, and the barge is located in a niche dredged out of the side of a canal, about 300 ft from the production platform. The barge contains 4 compartments, each with a 1,000-bbl capacity, so total storage is about 6,000 bbl. The barge was floated into place empty, but normally rests on bottom when any oil is in the tanks.