Once a gas well is completed, equipment is installed to meter the flow of gas. Engineers then monitor the flow rate and the pressure to evaluate the effectiveness of the completion. They also use this information to forecast future production rates and the amount of gas that can be recovered from the well.
After the natural flow has been established to the satisfaction of the engineer, the next step in production is to install piping to move the gas on each individual lease to a lease facility. At these facilities, condensate and water are separated from the gas. Condensate is an oil-like hydrocarbon that is in a vapor or gaseous state at reservoir temperature and pressure, but it is a liquid at surface temperature and pressure. Condensate is sold separately. If the well is an associated oil/gas well, the oil and gas are separated at the least facility also. The last production function is to meter the gas going off the lease as a basis for compensating individual lease participants and royalty owners. From the lease facilities, the gas enters the gathering pipeline and is moved to a processing facility.