Receives or collects fluid and establishes the common pressure source.
Course map
Eight lessons. One pressure boundary.
Tick a lesson when you can trace its flow paths and explain its safe state. Progress syncs when connected and remains available offline.
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Lesson 01
Read the paths before the handles
A manifold is a compact network of passages and valves sharing one or more headers. Its job is not simply to “open” or “close”: it establishes which inventories communicate, where pressure is contained, and where energy can be released.
Distributes flow to an instrument, actuator, well, separator or return.
Isolation valves and rated bodies contain pressure; vents and drains deliberately cross that boundary.
Relief and pressure-control devices prevent credible pressure from exceeding the protected system limit.
Interactive cutaway
Open a valve to trace its live path
Select a valve. Amber passages are pressurised; dashed passages are isolated. Never infer a real line-up from handle direction alone.
Block A is open: the common header is pressurised.
Lesson 02
Instrument manifolds protect the measurement
A two-valve manifold normally provides process isolation and vent/test access for a pressure instrument. A three-valve DP manifold adds one equaliser. A five-valve manifold adds two vents or test connections so each side can be isolated and verified.
| Arrangement | Functions | Typical application |
|---|---|---|
| 2-valve | Block + bleed | Pressure transmitter or gauge |
| 3-valve | HP block + LP block + equalise | DP transmitter |
| 5-valve | Two blocks + equalise + two vents/tests | DP calibration and verification |
Selector
Choose an arrangement
DP isolation simulator
Place a transmitter into a protected zero-check state
Use the ordered actions. The simulator rejects a step that could expose the cell to full static pressure on one side. This generic sequence does not replace the device manufacturer’s instructions or the approved site procedure.
HP OPENLP OPEN
Normal measurement: both blocks open; equaliser and vents closed.
Lesson 03
Hydraulic power is controlled stored energy
A hydraulic manifold connects pressure, tank return and working ports through relief, directional, flow and load-control valves. In an open-centre system neutral flow returns to tank; in a closed-centre system neutral blocks flow and the pump unloads or destrokes through its control system.
Circuit builder
Protect and move the actuator
Select components in flow order.
Counterbalance or pilot-operated checks may be needed where gravity or external force can move a load.
Unequal piston areas or trapped volumes can create pressure above pump setting.
Particles, water, aeration and heat damage valves, seals and fluid.
Stored pressure remains after the pump stops; isolate and discharge by an approved method.
Safety framework: ISO 4413. Subsea and wellhead control applications additionally depend on the approved system design, API 6A/ISO 10423 and API 17D requirements where applicable.
Lesson 04
Pneumatic logic must reach a defined failure state
Instrument air passes through isolation and preparation, then through regulators, solenoids or pilot valves to actuator ports. Exhaust paths are as important as supply paths: a blocked exhaust can trap pressure and prevent a valve from moving to its intended state.
- Fail-open
- Loss of motive energy drives the final element open.
- Fail-closed
- Loss of motive energy drives it closed.
- Fail-in-place
- The design traps or balances pressure to hold position, subject to leakage and stored-energy controls.
Fault simulator
What happens at the actuator?
Check pressure drop, peak simultaneous demand, receiver capacity, regulator droop, water carryover, freezing and silencer condition. Safety framework: ISO 4414.
Lesson 05
Route each well without connecting incompatible inventories
Production manifolds gather wells into common headers. Test manifolds route one well to measurement while others remain in production. Injection, choke, kill and chemical manifolds perform different duties and may have different ratings, materials and safeguards.
Well routing board
Route Well A
Well A is isolated. Select a destination and verify compatibility.
Gas fraction, liquid holdup and slug arrival change pressure drop and separator load.
High velocity and changes of direction concentrate wear at chokes, tees and valve trims.
Hydrates, wax and scale restrict flow, trap pressure and can defeat expected isolation.
H₂S toxicity and cracking risk require suitable materials, containment and exposure controls.
Lesson 06
Selection starts with the design envelope
Pressure and temperature
Establish design pressure, MAWP, full temperature range, credible transients and pressure-temperature derating. The lowest-rated connected component governs.
Fluid and material
Check corrosion, erosion, permeation, cleanliness, seal compatibility and ISO 15156/NACE MR0175 requirements for H₂S service.
Capacity
Bore and valve Cv affect pressure loss, response time and velocity. Small passages plug more readily and may make venting dangerously slow.
Integrity
Confirm applicable ASME B31.3/B16.34, valve testing, fire-safe, fugitive-emission, hazardous-area and inspection requirements.
Human factors
Readable tags, unambiguous handles, access, drain direction, lockout provisions and maintainable spacing reduce line-up error.
Educational estimate
Compare relative liquid pressure drop
For water-like liquids, ΔP ≈ SG × (Q/Cv)². This simplified comparison excludes choking, flashing, cavitation, viscosity corrections, compressible or multiphase flow.
Training boundary: never use this estimate to rate equipment or establish an operating or test limit. Use the approved process basis, applicable code, manufacturer data and a competent engineering calculation.
Lesson 07
Prove the line-up, then prove the result
- Identify. Match tag, service, drawing revision, valve identity and intended destination.
- Authorise. Confirm procedure, permit, isolation boundary, overrides and affected parties.
- Verify state. Read position indication, try locks where authorised, compare pressures and account for trapped sections.
- Move deliberately. Use the approved sequence, correct rate and position confirmation; stop on unexpected resistance or response.
- Prove and record. Confirm pressure, flow, leak tightness, control response, safeguards and final tagging.
Select a symptom to build a diagnostic path.
Lesson 08
Stop before the stored energy chooses the path
Trapped inventory
Do not loosen fittings or crack connections. Re-establish the approved depressurisation path and independently prove zero energy.
Injection injury
Never search for a pinhole with a hand. Treat suspected injection as an immediate surgical emergency even if the wound looks small.
Release or H₂S
Raise the alarm, move according to the site emergency plan and wind indication, use required escape equipment and do not attempt an unprotected rescue.
Unexpected movement
Stay clear of the line of fire. Isolate every motive and stored-energy source before approaching an actuator or load.
Blocked relief path
Do not create an improvised release. Follow the approved shutdown or pressure-reduction response and escalate immediately.
Knowledge check
Choose the controlled response
A hydraulic gauge reads zero after pump shutdown. What proves the accumulator is safe?
A closed production branch is slowly gaining pressure. What is the first interpretation?
Principles travel. Sequences do not.
This course draws on ISO 4413 and ISO 4414; ASME B31.3 and B16.34; API 6A/ISO 10423, API 14C and API 17D; API 598/ISO 5208; API 607/API 6FA; API 624/ISO 15848; IEC 61511; and ISO 15156/NACE MR0175. Apply the edition adopted by the site and jurisdiction. Exact valve order, allowable pressure, test method, material and fail action come only from approved site documents and manufacturer instructions.
Training boundary: General learning material only. It does not replace approved drawings, operating procedures, permits, isolations, engineering calculations, manufacturer instructions or competency assessment.