G L O S S A R Y

of petroleum terms
acidise injecting solution down a well to dissolve carbonate rocks in a reservoir and
improve the flow of hydrocarbons to the well

acoustic log a measurement of the velocities of sound waves imparted to a

formation in a well and used mainly for determination of rock
porosity.

anomaly a divergence from the background levels of physical or chemical

properties of an area under survey.

anticline an upfold in rock strata producing an arch or dome structure. One of the most
common hydrocarbon traps.

API American Petroleum Institute. API gravity is a standard method of measuring

density of crude oil and is expressed in degrees.

appraisal well a well or wells drilled to follow up a discovery and evaluate its commercial
potential.

aquapulse a mix of oxygen and propane detonated in a rubber sleeve which is used as an
energy source in marine seismic surveys.

ballast extra weight taken on to increase a ship’s stability to prevent rolling and
pitching. Most ships use seawater as ballast. Empty tank space is filled with
inert (non-combustible) gas to prevent the possibility of fire or explosion.

barrel (bbl) measure crude oil equal to 42 US gallons, 35 Imperial gallons or 159 litres.
Takes it name because the first oil produced in the US was stored and
transported in wooden barrels.

barytes a sulphate of barium used to add weight to drilling fluids.

basin a dip in the earth’s crust usually filled or being dilled with sediment. It is a basic
concept in petroleum geology.

bentonite a type of clay often added to drilling fluid because of its swelling properties
when added to water.

bit the cutting part of the drilling equipment.

blowout when downhole pressure overcomes the weight of drilling fluid and rises in a
well to the surface out of control. An underground blowout is where the
overpressuring entered another formation higher in the well, but before it
reaches the surface.

blowout preventer a system of valves an rams set in a well which can be closed successively to
counteract the uncontrolled rise of oil or gas from a reservoir below.
bright spot a point on a seismic profile which shows up brighter than surrounding traces
because of an increase in amplitude of seismic waves passing from
hydrocarbons to water within the pores of a rock.

calliper log a measurement of the diameter of a well.

cap rock an impermeable layer of rock that traps or holts the upward movement of oil and
gas, forming the top or cap of a reservoir.

casing steel pipe screwed together to line the inside of a well bore and cemented into
place.

cat cracking a secondary refining process which uses heat and the presence of a catalyst to
‘crack’ apart the molecules of the various components of crude oil obtained
from the primary distillation process to form refined petroleum products.

cement bond log a measurement of the strength and bonding of cement to the casing in a well.

choke a valve or valves used to control the flow of hydrocarbons from a well by
changing the diameter of the orifice.

christmas tree the system if valves and controls placed at the wellhead.

closure a term used to indicate that a trap exists in the subsurface and there are no
avenues for hydrocarbons (if present) to escape.

completion the final preparations to ready a well for production.

condensate hydrocarbons which are gaseous in a reservoir, but condense to

form a liquid as they rise to the surface were the pressure is much less.

conductor the first casing string in a well.

coring an operation whereby a sample of rock being drilled is allowed to pass through
the centre of a special bit and be collected in a core barrel mounted directly
behind it.

crown block an assembly of sheaves at the top of the drilling derrick of a rig over which the
hoist lines are passed.

darcy the unit of measurement of permeability of rock.

delineation well (see appraisal well.)

development well a well drilled specifically into previously discovered field for the purpose of
producing oil or gas.

diamond bit a drill bit with impregnated diamonds as the cutting edge.

dipmeter an instrument lowered down the well to measure the dip of the drilled
formations relative to the well.

directional drilling intentional deviation of a well from the vertical.

distillation the refining process of separating crude oil components by heating and
subsequently condensing of the fractions by cooling. The basic principle in
refining is that of heating crude oil until various vapours or gases ‘boil off’, and
the condensing then to form a condensate or distillate. The first to boil are the
very light, dry gases; then highly volatile natural gasoline, kerosene, gas oil,
light lube oil stock, and so on until heavy resin is left. This resin is broken up by
other, more sophisticated processing.

downtime the time an operation is postponed, usually due to bad weather or mechanical
failure.

draw-works the hoisting winch for handling drill pipe and casing on a rig.

drill collar the top of a well, usually a cemented section from which the conductor pipe is
hung.

drill pipe steel pipe screwed together and used to carry and rotate the frilling tools in a
well an to permit the circulation of drilling fluid.

drilling fluid (see mud).

drillship a ship-shaped marine exploration drilling vessel usually with its own means of
locomotion.

drillstem test a valved test tool is lowered down a well on the end of the drill string to a
specific reservoir formation and the valve opened to admit formation fluids.

drill string the column of drill pipe lengths screwed together.

dynamic positioning a method of keeping an offshore drilling rig on location without anchors using
computer-controlled propellers around the vessel’s hull.

electric logs measurement of the resistivity of rock formations down a well which leads to
determination of the rock types.

ethane a component of natural gas and the basic feedstock for petrochemical industries.

farm-in/out an arrangement between one or more parties and the company or group holding
a lease title to an exploration or production area whereby the former pays to earn
an interest in the permit. Payment may be in cash or in the form of a work
program.

fault a break or fracture in the earth’s sub-strata where one side of the break moves
relative to the other.

fishing to retrieve equipment which has fallen into or is caught in the well.

flaring the practise of burning off waste gas or oil during a teat of production cycle
formation interval test –(see wireline test).

fraccing a process used to improve the permeability of a tight reservoir. A specially

blended fluid, charged with propants like sand or aluminium pellets, is pumped
down a well at high pressure to force passageways into the rock. The propants
keep them open once the pressure is released.
gas/oil ratio (GOR) the ratio of gas to oil by volume, measured during a production test.

gazetted the advertisement of permits by the government calling for applications for
exploration licences.

geophones microphones used in seismic survey to electronically pick up returning shock

waves and pass them on to the recording equipment.

gross pay the total thickness of a reservoir rock, including the impervious layers which do
not contain hydrocarbons.

heli-rig a land rig capable of being broken down into loads small enough to be carried
by a helicopter. Usually used in inaccessible terrain to replace land transport.

hydrocarbon kitchen the part of a sedimentary basin containing mature petroleum source rocks.
General term to denote the place where temperatures and pressures are optimum
for the generation of oil or gas.

hydrophones the marine equivalent of geophones.

in-situ (in place) refers to total oil or gas reserves contained in a reservoir in the ground
as opposed to those reserves which may be recovered.

jacket the leg section of a production platform offshore, so called because it surrounds
and protects the well conductors as well as supporting the deck and its
equipment.

jack-up a type of mobile drilling rig which jacks its legs down to the seabed and then
hoists its deck and drill floor above the sea surface.

jet bit a drilling bit with nozzles though which fluids like air, mud or water are forced
under pressure, thus breaking up the formation to be penetrated.

joint venture a group of companies or individuals who share the cost and rewards of exploring
for and producing oil or gas from a permit.

kelly hexagonal or square pip about 15m long attached to the top of the drills string
and turned by the rotary table. It is used to transmit the twisting movement from
the rotary machinery to the drill string and thus the bit.

kelly bushing a piece of equipment which fits around the kelly at the point where it passes
through the rotary table. It is often used as a datum from which to measure depth
of a well.

kerogen the organic matter which is the base for the formation of oil or gas.

kick a sudden influx of high pressure into a well, usually experienced while drilling.

kill the process of increasing drilling fluid weight to control a potential blowout.

liner steel tube of small diameter extending into a producing reservoir from the
bottom of the last string of casing in a well.

lithology a study of the rock types in a given region, including descriptions of mineral
content.
logging tools devices lowered down a well to measure various parameters and properties of
the formations being drilled.

marine riser the conductor pipe for offshore wells. It extends from the drill floor to the
seabed.

marker crude a commonly traded crude oil in a particular region that is used as a quality
standard to price the other crudes.

migration the movement of oil/gas form a petroleum source rock into and the within a
reservoir rock.

monkey board the small platform high in the derrick of a rig occupied by the derrickman when
guiding stands of drill pipe and casing to and from storage racks during drilling
operations.

mud (drilling fluid) is the suspension of minerals and chemicals in oil or water which forms the well
circulatory system.

mud logging this includes routine geological examination of drilling cuttings from a well,
plus a record of the variations in drilling rate, mud pumping pressure, depths of
formation changes and an analysis of the mud for oil and gas traces.

net pay the aggregate thickness of only those parts of the reservoir which contain and
produce hydrocarbons.

nuclear logs a measurement of gamma rays and thermal neutrons from downhole formations
which can be used to determine rock porosity and lithology.

on stream in production.

open hole refers to a well which is only cased to the tope of the reservoir section.

operator the company which organises the exploration and production programs in a
permit on behalf of all the interest holders in the permit.

packer a devise (often rubber) which seals off a section of the well during testing.

paper crude crude oil which is sold on the futures market, but which will not physically
produced for several months or longer.

percussion drilling a system whereby the drill bit penetrates rock with a hammer action. The drill
can either be dropped using its own weight and gravity or it can be pressure
driven into a rock face.

permit an area of specified size within a sedimentary basin which is licensed or

allocated to a company or companies by the government for the purpose of
exploring for and producing oil and gas. In Australia separate licences are issued
for exploration and production.

petroleum resource rent tax (PRRT) a form of profit-based tax which, in Australia, applies after a
producing oil/gas project has reached a rate of return equal to the government
bond rate plus 15% for exploration programs and the bond rate 5% for
production. The tax itself is levied at 40%. Exploration and development costs
can be deducted from cash flow as they are recouped before tax trigger or
threshold is reached.
pig a mechanical device sent through a pipeline to scour the inside walls or to run
internal checks on the integrity of the line.

plug a seal deliberately placed in a well to prevent escape of high pressure material
from the substance after it has been abandoned. Usually plugs are of cement.

porosity a measure of the pore space within a rock and expressed as a percentage of
volume.

production platform a structure which is working stage for conducting operations offshore. It usually
carries the wellheads and oil/gas production equipment, plus accommodation for
a field. (see also jacket).

production well (see development well).

recovery factor the amount of oil or gas that can be recovered from a reservoir is considerably
less than the total volume of hydrocarbons actually in place. Recovery factor is
expressed as a percentage of the total reserves believes to be in place.

refinery an installation that manufactures finished petroleum products from crude oil,
unfinished oils, natural gas liquids and other hydrocarbons.

reservoir a rock or formation which holds hydrocarbons within the pore spaces between
individual grains.

rolling cutter bit a bit with hardened steel or tungsten carbide teeth of varying lengths and
spacings mounted on three roller cones.

rotary drilling a system whereby a bit is forced against a rock face and mechanically rotated to
penetrate the various formation.

rotary swivel the part of a rotary drilling rig which connects the travelling block to the frill
string.

rotary table a flat plate in the drill floor which is turned mechanically at varying speeds and
directions imparting the rotary action to the drill string which passes though its
centre.

roughneck a rig worker who handles the drill pip and other equipment on the drill floor.

round trip the complete operation pulling out the drill string from a well (for instance to
change a bit) and then running it back into the well.

Roustabout a general labourer on a rig.

sedimentary cycle the period encompassing an encroachment of the sea over the land and then a
subsequent withdrawal of the sea.

seep a point where migrating oil or gas, not already trapped, reaches the earth’s
surface.

seismic survey a method of determining the sub-surface features by sending shock waves into
the various buried rock layers in the earth and measuring the time they take to
return to the surface.
semi-submersible an offshore drilling vessel which has its deck supported by columns fixed to
pontoons which can be ballasted below the wave action and provide a stable
drilling base.

shale shaker equipment near the rig floor which separates the drill cuttings from the drilling
mud.

sidetracking when a well is deliberately deviated around an obstruction or branched off part
way down a completed well to reach another part of the reservoir.

sour crude crude oil that contains appreciable amounts of sulphur compounds.

spot market the sale of individual shipments of crude oil priced at the international market
rate at the time of sale.

spud in to begin drilling. To start a well.

spud date the date when drilling of a well begins.

stratigraphy a description of the rock formations in sequence from top to bottom in a

sedimentary basin.

streamer the string of capable with hydrophones attached which is towed behind a vessel
during an offshore seismic survey.

structure in oil industry terms it refers to a feature within the earth’s crust with the
potential to trap migrating hydrocarbons.

submersible a form of floating drill rig which can be ballasted down to sit on the seafloor or
lakefloor during marine drilling mode. The term can also refer to a remote-
controlled or a manned submarine used in inspection an maintenance offshore.

sub-sea completion a production wellhead which is placed on the seabed instead of on a platform at
the surface.

sweet crude crude oil that is free of sulphur compounds.

three dimensional seismic survey (3-D) a survey with seismic lines set out in close grid pattern
to gain better resolution of detail in an area.

tight a term indicating that a formation has little permeability.

time map a plan of mapped horizons form the seismic sections where the contours
connecting equal values in times of wavers reaching the geophones are plotted
on the grid map for the survey. To convert this to a geological map, velocity
measurements are used to change time of depth values.

toothpusher the chief driller in charge of operations on the rig floor.

top drive a drilling system where a motor is attached to the top of the drill string in the rig
derrick to impart a rotary action directly, rather than use a kelly and rotary table.

trap a formation in the earth’s sub-surface which prevents the onward migration of
hydrocarbons.

tri-cone bit (see rolling cutter it).

tubing (see liner).

turbo drill a drill bit which is rotated via a multi-stage turbine mounted at the bottom of the
drill pipe. Power to rotate is supplied by the drilling fluid bring pumped down
hole from the surface.

vibroseis a form of survey where the seismic waves are created by mechanically vibrating
a steel pad or plate on the earth’s surface.

wildcat the first well drilled in a new area. But it can also mean the first well in a new
structure or prospect.

wireline test a test for hydrocarbons in a formation by lowering a chamber downhole on the
end of a wire and allowing reservoir fluids to flow into it.

workover the re-entry into a completed well for modification or repair and maintenance
work.