This spatial process map models crude transport phenomena from Gas-Oil Separation Plants (GOSP) down to Single Point Mooring (SPM) offshore export terminals. Under hypothetical geopolitical closures within the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint, published hydrocarbon streams rely on two primary overland diversion pathways: westward movement along the East-West Crude Oil Pipeline (Petroline) terminating at Yanbu on the Red Sea, and eastward transport through the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP; Bab-Habshan-Fujairah pipeline) ending at Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman. Spatial nodes represent processing plants, oilfields, marine terminals, and maritime chokepoints, while linear features strictly delineate named mainlines. Selecting any individual node marker or pipeline segment opens an attribute popup detailing specific facility identifiers, trunkline names, nominal pipe diameters, operational nameplate capacities, and crude grade parameters. This visualization serves as a transport architecture model and does not represent Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&ID), mechanical engineering detail drawings, or control alarm setpoints.
From a unit operations perspective, raw production moves sequentially through a fluid handling hierarchy tailored to specific crude assay grades. Production originates at wellhead manifolds, feeding multi-stage GOSP units where flash vaporization vessels depressurize the fluid matrix to evolve dissolved light hydrocarbon gases (C₁–C₄). Ultra-light streams like Shaybah (Arabian Super Light, ~50° API) and Ras Laffan exports (Qatar Condensate, >55° API) require higher-stage gas-separation trains and stabilization columns to strip off volatile fractions and lower the Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP). Conversely, heavy feeds such as Safaniya (Arabian Heavy, ~27° API) require thermal input and specialized electrostatic desalting units to break emulsions and drop out corrosive brine salts. Baseline Arabian Light (~33° API) serves as the regional benchmark, undergoing standard hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) stripping for sweetening before being pressurized via intermediate booster pump stations to coastal terminal custody transfer skids and SPM calm buoys for Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) offloading.
To counter regional security vulnerabilities and potential blockades of the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Aramco maintains strategic operational flexibility by expanding cross-peninsula transmission capacity on the 48/56-inch East-West Petroline corridor, utilizing Drag-Reducing Agents (DRA) to optimize hydraulic throughput, and expanding Red Sea loading berths to divert up to 5.0 to 7.0 million barrels per day (MMbpd) into Red Sea shipping lanes. The underlying network topology and trunkline attributes are derived from the Global Energy Monitor (GEM) Global Oil Infrastructure Tracker (GOIT) dataset (June 2026 metrics; July 21, 2026 spatial geometry, CC BY 4.0), incorporating mainlines such as Petroline, Shaybah-Abqaiq, ADCOP, Abqaiq-Qatif Junction, and Qatif Junction-Juaymah while filtering out dual Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) gathering systems and secondary field lines. Fluid density across these systems is standardly classified using API gravity (°API)—an inverse density scale established by the American Petroleum Institute (API) where a higher °API indicates a lighter, less dense crude while a lower °API signifies a heavier oil (with pure water referenced at 10° API).
To convert API gravity values into dimensionless specific gravity (SG) at standard reference conditions (60 °F / 15.56 °C), thermophysical calculations utilize an empirical hydrometer scale formula. A hydrometer is a weighted, sealed glass instrument calibrated to float vertically in liquid; because dense fluids exert higher buoyancy forces, light oils allow the hydrometer to sink deeper, providing a direct visual specific gravity reading along stem tick marks. The numerical constants 141.5 and 131.5 were derived historically by the API and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to convert non-linear hydrometer scale readings into a linear gravity index that expands numerical scale resolution across lighter crude fractions:
Unlike general physics contexts that utilize water's maximum density state at 4 °C (1000 kg/m³), standard petroleum custody transfer standards—governed by the API Manual of Petroleum Measurement Standards (MPMS) and ASTM International (ASTM D1250)—mandate a reference baseline of 60 °F (15.56 °C). As pure water undergoes slight thermal expansion between 4 °C and 15.56 °C, its density drops to the accepted reference value of 999.016 kg/m³. Hydrocarbon liquid density is evaluated accordingly by scaling stream specific gravity against this exact reference baseline:
Volumetric throughput rates are evaluated exclusively on network segments with confirmed public nameplate capacity data. Linear flow velocities are calculated by applying the fluid continuity equation to trunklines featuring uniform internal diameters and fixed capacities:
Mass balance calculations for internal plant operations omit unpublished inlet rates and stream split ratios at the Abqaiq processing hub, as these metrics rely on proprietary estimates rather than open-source records and are excluded from the Keyhole Markup Language Zip (KMZ) data export layer. Primary infrastructure geometries and attribute tables originate from the GEM GOIT release (`GEM-GOIT-Oil-NGL-Pipelines-2026-06.xlsx` and `GEM-GOIT-Oil-NGL-Pipelines-2026-07-21.gpkg`), distributed under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0, rendered over a standard Google Maps roadmap basemap.