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Nomenclatura Equipos de Perforacion
Nomenclatura Equipos de Perforacion
D e p a r t m e n t o f La b o r
Occu p a t ion a l Sa f e t y & H e a lt h Ad m in ist r a t ion
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Se a r ch Ad v a n ce d Se a r ch | A- Z I ndex
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I llu st r a t e d Glossa r y
26. Annulus
27. Brake
28. Casin g Head
29. Cat head
30. Cat walk
31. Cellar
32. Conduct or Pipe Equ ipm e n t u se d in dr illin g
33. Degasser
34. Desander 48. Ram BOP
35. Desilt er 49. Rat hole
36. Dr aw w or k s 50. Rot ar y Hose
37. Dr ill Bit 51. Rot ar y Table
38. Dr ill Collar s 52. Slips
39. Dr iller 's Console 53. Spinning chain
40. Elev at or s 54. St air w ay s
41. Hoist in g Lin e 55. St andpipe
42. Hook 56. Sur face Casing
43. Kelly 57. Subst r uct ur e
44. Kelly Bushing 58. Swivel
45. Kelly Spin n er 59. Tongs
46. Mousehole 60. Walk w ay s
47. Mud Ret ur n Line 61. Weight I ndicat or
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I llu st r a t e d Glossa r y
Accu m u la t or
An n u la r Blow ou t Pr e v e n t e r
An n u lu s
Br a k e
Bu lk M u d Com p on e n t s in St or a g e
Ca t h e a d
Ca t w a lk
Ch ok e M a n if old
Con d u ct or Pip e
D e g a sse r
D e sa n de r
D e silt e r
D r a w w or k s
D r ill Bit
The cut t ing or bor ing elem ent used in dr illing oil and gas
w ells. Most bit s used in r ot ar y dr illing ar e r oller - cone bit s.
The bit consist s of t he cut t ing elem ent s and t he cir culat ing
elem ent . The cir culat ing elem ent per m it s t he passage of
dr illing fluid and uses t he hy dr aulic for ce of t he fluid
st r eam t o im pr ov e dr illing r at es.
D r ill Colla r
D r ill Pip e
D r illin g Lin e
Ele ct r ic Ca b le Tr a y
Ele v a t or s
En g in e Ge n e r a t or Se t s
H oist in g Lin e
H ook
Ke lly Bu sh in g
Ke lly Sp in n e r
M on k e y b oa r d
The der r ick m an's w or k ing plat for m . Double boar d, t r ibble
boar d, four able boar d; a m onk ey boar d locat ed at a height
in t he der r ick or m ast equal t o t w o, t hr ee, or four lengt hs
of pipe r espect iv ely .
M ou se h ole
M u d Pit s
M u d Pu m p
Pip e Ra ck s
Pip e Ra m p
Ra t h o le
Re se r v e Pit s
Rot a r y H ose
Sh a le Sh a k e r
Slips
Sp in n in g Ch a in
St a ir w a y s
St a n dpipe
Su b st r u ct u r e
Su r f a ce Ca sin g
To n g s
Top D r iv e
Tr a v e lin g Block
W a t e r Ta nk
W e ig h t I n d ica t o r
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Plu g don Well
& Aban don Well
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Gener al Safet y | Addit ion al Refer en ces | View in g/ Pr in t in g I n st r u ct ion s | Cr edit s | JSA edit s | JSA
Safet
Safetyy an
andd Healt
Healthh Topic
Topic || Sit
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Glossaryy || Glossar
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Termmss
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Con t act Us | Fr eedom of I n f or m at ion Act | I n f or m at ion Qu alit y | Cu st om er Su r v ey
Pr iv acy an d Secu r it y St at em en t | Disclaim er s
Occu pat ion al Saf et y & Healt h Adm in ist r at ion
2 0 0 Con st it u t ion Av en u e, NW
Wash in gt on , DC 2 0 2 1 0
U . S. D e p a r t m e n t o f La b o r
Occu p a t ion a l Sa f e t y & H e a lt h Ad m in ist r a t ion
[ sk ip n av ig at ion al lin k s]
Se a r ch Ad v a n ce d Se a r ch | A- Z I ndex
Home General Safety Site Preparation Drilling Well Completion Servicing Plug and Abandon the Well
Glossa r y of Te r m s
A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
a b a n d on v : t o t em por ar ily or per m anent ly cease pr oduct ion fr om a w ell or t o cease fur t her dr illing
oper at ions.
API Am e r ica n Pe t r ole u m I n st it u t e n: a t r ade associat ion and st andar ds or ganizat ion t hat r epr esent s
t he int er est s of t he oil and gas indust r y . I t offer s publicat ions r egar ding st andar ds, r ecom m ended
pr act ices, and ot her indust r y r elat ed infor m at ion. Addr ess: 1220 L St r eet NW; Washingt on, DC 20005;
( 202) 682- 8000
I AD C I n t e r n a t ion a l Associa t ion of D r illin g Con t r a ct or s n: a t r ade associat ion t hat r epr esent s t he
int er est s of m em ber s of t he dr illing segm ent of t he oil and gas indust r y . I t offer s publicat ions r egar ding
r ecom m ended indust r y pr act ices and t r aining m at er ials. Addr ess: 15810 Par k Ten Place. , # 242;
Houst on, TX 77084; ( 281) 578 -7171.
API - m on a g r a m adj ; t he logo of t he Am er ican Pet r oleum I nst it ut e ( API ) t hat is placed on
cer t ain pieces of oilfield equipm ent by t he equipm ent m anufact ur er . API licenses t he use
of t he m onogr am on equipm ent t hat m eet s t he API 's m inim um st andar ds. I t offer s
publicat ions r egar ding st andar ds, r ecom m ended pr act ices, and ot her indust r y r elat ed
infor m at ion. Addr ess: 1220 L St r eet NW; Washingt on, DC 20005; ( 202) 682 -8000
a r t ificia l lift n: any m et hod used t o r aise oil t o t he sur face aft er a w ell ceases t o flow .
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eTool Hom e | Sit e Pr epar at ion | Dr illin g | Well Com plet ion | Ser v icing | Plu g & Aban don Well
Gener al Safet y | Addit ional Ref er en ces | View in g/ Pr in t in g I n st r u ct ion s | Cr edit s | JSA
Safet y an d Healt h Topic | Sit e Map | I llust r at ed Glossar y | Glossar y of Ter m s
[ sk ip n av ig at ion al lin k s]
Se a r ch Ad v a n ce d Se a r ch | A- Z I ndex
Home General Safety Site Preparation Drilling Well Completion Servicing Plug and Abandon the Well
Glossa r y of Te r m s
A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
b a b b it t v : line w it h a Babbit t m et al. n: a lead/ t in alloy w it h som e copper and ant im ony .
b a ck b it e v : r ev er se back lash of t ongs, left on a pipe or collar , dur ing t he pipe spinning oper at ions.
b a ck of f v : t o unscr ew one t hr eaded piece ( such as a sect ion of pipe) fr om anot her .
b a ck - in u n it n: a por t able ser v icing or w or k ov er r ig t hat is self -pr opelled, using t he hoist ing engines for
m ot iv e pow er . Because t he dr iv er 's cab is m ount ed on t he end opposit e t he m ast suppor t , t he unit m ust
be back ed up t o t he w ellhead.
b a il n: 1. a cy lindr ical st eel bar ( sim ilar t o t he handle or bail of a buck et , only m uch lar ger ) t hat suppor t s
t he sw iv el and connect s it t o t he hook .
ba ile r n: a long, cy lindr ical cont ainer fit t ed w it h a v alv e at it s low er end, used t o r em ov e w at er , sand,
m ud, dr illing cut t ings, or oil fr om a w ell in cable- t ool dr illing.
b a ll- a n d - se a t v a lv e n: a dev ice used t o r est r ict fluid flow t o one dir ect ion. I t consist s of a polished
spher e, or ball, usually of m et al, and an annular piece, t he seat , gr ound and polished t o for m a seal w it h
t he sur face of t he ball. Gr av it at ional for ce or t he for ce of a spr ing holds t he ball against t he seat . Flow in
t he dir ect ion of t he for ce is pr ev ent ed, w hile flow in t he opposit e dir ect ion ov er com es t he for ce and
unseat s t he ball.
b a r it e n: bar ium sulfat e, BaSO4 ; a m iner al fr equent ly used t o incr ease t he w eight or densit y of dr illing
m ud. I t s r elat iv e densit y is 4. 2 ( m eaning t hat it is 4. 2 t im es denser t han w at er ) . See bar ium sulfat e,
m ud.
b a r iu m su lf a t e n: a chem ical com pound of bar ium , sulfur , and ox y gen ( BaSO 4 ) , w hich m ay for m a
t enacious scale t hat is v er y difficult t o r em ov e. Also called bar it e.
ba r r e l ( bbl) n: 1. a m easur e of v olum e for pet r oleum pr oduct s in t he Unit ed St at es. One bar r el is t he
equiv alent of 42 U. S. gallons or 0. 15899 cubic m et er s ( 9, 702 cubic inches) .
b a sk e t n: a dev ice placed in t he dr ill or w or k st r ing t hat cat ches debr is w hen a dr illable obj ect is being
m illed or dr illed dow nhole.
b e n t su b n: a shor t cy lindr ical dev ice ( gener ally angular ) inst alled
in t he dr ill st em bet w een t he bot t om m ost dr ill collar and a
dow n h ole m ot or .
bit n: t he cut t ing or bor ing elem ent used in dr illing oil and gas w ells.
b it r e cor d n: a r epor t t hat list s each bit used dur ing a dr illing
oper at ion.
ble e d v : t o dr ain off liquid or gas, gener ally slow ly , t hr ough a v alv e called a bleeder . To bleed dow n, or
bleed off, m eans t o r elease pr essur e slow ly fr om a w ell or fr om pr essur ized equipm ent .
b low ou t p r e v e n t e r con t r ol p a n e l n: cont r ols, opens and closes t he blow out pr ev ent er s. See blow out
pr ev ent er .
b low ou t p r e v e n t e r con t r ol u n it n: a dev ice t hat st or es hy dr aulic fluid under pr essur e in special
cont ainer s and pr ov ides a m et hod t o open and close t he blow out pr ev ent er s.
b ot t om h ole a sse m b ly n: t he por t ion of t he dr illing assem bly below t he dr ill pipe. I t can be v er y sim ple,
com posed of only t he bit and dr ill collar s, or it can be v er y com plex and m ade up of sev er al specialt y
com ponent s.
b ot t om h ole p lu g n: a br idge plug or cem ent plug placed near t he bot t om of t he hole t o shut off a
deplet ed, w at er - pr oducing, or unpr oduct iv e zone.
b ot t om h ole p r e ssu r e t e st n: a t est t hat m easur es t he r eser v oir pr essur e of t he w ell, obt ained at a
specific dept h or at t he m idpoint of t he pr oducing zone. A flow ing bot t om hole pr essur e t est m easur es
pr essur e w hile t he w ell cont inues t o flow ; a shut- in bot t om hole pr essur e t est m easur es pr essur e aft er
t he w ell has been shut in for a specified per iod of t im e. See bot t om hole pr essur e.
b ot t om h ole p u m p n: any of t he r od pum ps, high- pr essur e liquid pum ps, or cent r ifugal pum ps locat ed
at or near t he bot t om of t he w ell and used t o lift t he w ell fluids. See cent r ifugal pum p, hy dr aulic
pum ping, subm er sible pum p, suck er r od pum ping.
b o t t o m p lu g n: a cem ent w iper plug t hat pr ecedes cem ent slur r y dow n t he casing. The plug w ipes
dr illing m ud off t he w alls of t he casing and pr ev ent s it fr om cont am inat ing t he cem ent . See cem ent ing,
w iper plug.
b ox t h r e a d s n pl: t hr eads on t he fem ale sect ion, or box , of a t ool j oint . See t ool j oint .
br a k e n: The br ak ing dev ice on t he dr aw w or k s or air hoist t o st op a load being lift ed.
I t is a dev ice for ar r est ing t he m ot ion of a m echanism , usually by m eans of fr ict ion,
as in t he dr aw w or k s and air hoist br ak es.
b r e a k cir cu la t ion v : t o st ar t t he m ud pum p for r est or ing cir culat ion of t he m ud colum n. Because t he
st agnant dr illing fluid has t hick ened or gelled dur ing t he per iod of no cir culat ion, higher pum p pr essur e is
usually r equir ed t o br eak cir culat ion.
b r e a k e r p o in t s n: cont act s t hat int er r upt t he cur r ent in t he pr im ar y cir cuit of an elect r ical sy st em such
as in a spar k - ignit ion engine.
b r e a k ou t v : 1. t o unscr ew one sect ion of pipe fr om anot her sect ion, especially dr ill pipe w hile it is being
w it hdr aw n fr om t he w ellbor e. Dur ing t his oper at ion, t he t ongs ar e used t o st ar t t he unscr ew ing
oper at ion. 2. t o separ at e, as gas fr om a liquid or w at er fr om an em ulsion.
b r e a k ou t b lock n: a plat e t hat fit s in t he r ot ar y t able and holds t he dr ill bit w hile it is being unscr ew ed
fr om t he dr ill collar .
b r e a k t ou r ( pr onounced " t ow er " ) v : t o begin oper at ing 24 hour s a day . Mov ing t he r ig and r igging up
ar e usually car r ied on dur ing day light hour s only . When t he r ig is r eady for oper at ion at a new locat ion,
cr ew s br eak t our .
b r id g e p lu g n: a dow nhole t ool, com posed pr im ar ily of slips, a plug m andr el, and a r ubber sealing
elem ent , t hat is r un and set in casing t o isolat e a low er zone w hile an upper sect ion is being t est ed or
cem ent ed.
brine n: w at er t hat has a quant it y of salt , especially sodium chlor ide, dissolv ed in it ; salt w at er .
b u m p e d adj : in cem ent ing oper at ions, per t aining t o a cem ent plug t hat com es t o r est on t he float collar .
b u m p e r b lock n: Tim ber s w r apped w it h w ir e m esh or ot her r et aining m edium locat ed below t he cr ow n
t o act as a cushion in t he ev ent t he block is r aised t oo far .
b u sh in g n: 1. a pipe fit t ing on w hich t he ex t er nal t hr ead is lar ger t han t he int er nal t hr ead t o allow t w o
pipes of differ ent sizes t o be connect ed. 2. a r em ov able lining or sleev e inser t ed or scr ew ed int o an
opening t o lim it it s size, r esist w ear or cor r osion, or ser v e as a guide.
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eTool Hom e | Sit e Pr epar at ion | Dr illin g | Well Com plet ion | Ser v icing | Plu g & Aban don Well
Gener al Safet y | Addit ion al Refer en ces | View in g/ Pr in t in g I n st r u ct ion s | Cr edit s | JSA
Safet y an d Healt h Topic | Sit e Map | I llust r at ed Glossar y | Glossar y of Ter m s
[ sk ip n av ig at ion al lin k s]
Se a r ch Ad v a n ce d Se a r ch | A- Z I ndex
Home General Safety Site Preparation Drilling Well Completion Servicing Plug and Abandon the Well
Glossa r y of Te r m s
A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
ca ble n: 1. a r ope of w ir e, hem p, or ot her st r ong fiber s. 2. br aided w ir e used t o conduct elect r icit y , oft en
called pow er cable.
ca lip e r log n: a r ecor d show ing v ar iat ions in w ellbor e diam et er by dept h, indicat ing
undue enlar gem ent due t o cav ing in, w ashout , or ot her causes. The caliper log also
r ev eals cor r osion, scaling, or pit t ing inside t ubular goods.
ca sin g ce n t r a liz e r n: a dev ice secur ed ar ound t he casing at r egular int er v als t o cent er
it in t he hole.
ca sin g cu t t e r n: a heav y cy lindr ical body , fit t ed w it h a set of k niv es, used t o cut and
fr ee a sect ion of casing in a w ell.
ca sin g cou p lin g ( colla r ) n: a t ubular sect ion of pipe t hat is t hr eaded inside and used t o connect t w o
j oint s of casing.
ca sin g cr e w n: t he em ploy ees of a com pany t hat specializes in pr epar ing and r unning casing int o a w ell.
ca sin g h a n g e r n: a cir cular dev ice w it h a fr ict ional gr ipping ar r angem ent of slips and pack ing r ings used
t o suspend casing fr om a casing head in a w ell.
ca sin g h e a d n: a heav y , flanged st eel fit t ing connect ed t o t he fir st st r ing of casing. I t
pr ov ides a housing for slips and pack ing assem blies, allow s suspension of int er m ediat e
and pr oduct ion st r ings of casing, and supplies t he m eans for t he annulus t o be sealed off.
Also called a casing spool.
ca sin g p oin t n: t he dept h in a w ell at w hich casing is set , gener ally t he dept h at w hich t he casing shoe
rest s.
ca sin g p r e ssu r e n: t he pr essur e in a w ell t hat ex ist s bet w een t he casing and t he t ubing or t he casing
and t he dr ill pipe.
ca sin g t on g s n pl: lar ge w r ench used for t ur ning w hen m ak ing up or br eak ing out casing. See t ongs.
ca sin g - t u b in g a n n u lu s n: in a w ellbor e, t he space bet w een t he inside of t he casing and t he out side of
t he t ubing.
ca t ch sa m p le s v : t o obt ain cut t ings for geological infor m at ion as for m at ions ar e penet r at ed by t he bit .
The sam ples ar e obt ained fr om dr illing fluid as it em er ges fr om t he w ellbor e or , in cable- t ool dr illing,
fr om t he bailer .
ca t lin e boom a n d h oist lin e n: a hoist ing or pulling line pow er ed by t he cat head and
used t o lift heav y equipm ent on t he r ig. A st r uct ur al fr am ew or k er ect ed near t he t op of
t he der r ick for lift ing m at er ial.
ce m e n t n: a pow der consist ing of alum ina, silica, lim e, and ot her subst ances t hat
har dens w hen m ix ed w it h w at er . Ex t ensiv ely used in t he oil indust r y t o bond casing t o t he w alls of t he
w ellbor e.
ce m e n t b on d n: t he adher ence of casing t o cem ent and cem ent t o for m at ion. When casing is r un in a
w ell, it is set , or bonded, t o t he for m at ion by m eans of cem ent .
ce m e n t ca sin g v : t o fill t he annulus bet w een t he casing and w all of t he hole w it h cem ent t o suppor t t he
casing and pr ev ent fluid m igr at ion bet w een per m eable zones.
ce m e n t h y d r a t ion n: r eact ion w it h w at er t hat begins w hen w at er is added t o pow der ed cem ent . The
cem en t gr adu ally set s t o a solid.
ce m e n t in g n: t he applicat ion of a liquid slur r y of cem ent and w at er t o v ar ious point s inside or out side
t he casing.
ce m e n t in g com p a n y n: a com pany w hose specialt y is pr epar ing, t r anspor t ing, and pum ping cem ent
int o a w ell.
ce m e n t in g m a t e r ia ls n pl: a slur r y of cem ent and w at er and som et im es one or m or e addit iv es t hat
affect eit her t he densit y of t he m ix t ur e or it s set t ing t im e. The cem ent used m ay be high ear ly st r engt h,
com m on ( st andar d) , or slow set t ing. Addit iv es include acceler at or s ( such as calcium chlor ide) , r et ar der s
( such as gy psum ) , w eight ing m at er ials ( such as bar ium sulfat e) , light w eight addit iv es ( such as
bent onit e) , or a v ar iet y of lost cir culat ion m at er ials.
ce m e n t p lu g n: 1. a por t ion of cem ent placed at som e point in t he w ellbor e t o seal it . 2. a w iper plug.
See cem ent ing.
ce m e n t in g p u m p n: a high -pr essur e pum p used t o for ce cem ent dow n t he casing and int o t he annular
space bet w een t he casing and t he w all of t he bor ehole.
ce m e n t r e t a in e r n: a t ool set t em por ar ily in t he casing or w ell t o pr ev ent t he passage of cem ent ,
t her eby for cing it t o follow anot her designat ed pat h. I t is used in squeeze cem ent ing and ot her r em edial
cem ent ing j obs.
ch a n n e lin g n: w hen casing is being cem ent ed in a bor ehole, t he cem ent slur r y can fail t o r ise unifor m ly
bet w een t he casing and t he bor ehole w all, leav ing spaces, or channels, dev oid of cem ent . I deally , t he
cem ent should com plet ely and unifor m ly sur r ound t he casing and for m a st r ong bond t o t he bor ehole
w all. See cem ent channeling.
ch e m ica l cu t of f n: a m et hod of sev er ing pipe in a w ell by apply ing high pr essur e j et s of a v er y
cor r osiv e subst ance against t he w all of t he pipe. The r esult ing cut is v er y sm oot h.
ch e m ica l cu t t e r n: a fishing t ool t hat uses high- pr essur e j et s of chem icals t o sev er casing, t ubing, or
dr ill pipe st uck in t he hole.
ch ok e n: a dev ice w it h an or ifice inst alled in a line t o r est r ict t he flow of fluids. Sur face chok es ar e par t
of t he Chr ist m as t r ee on a w ell and cont ain a chok e nipple, or bean, w it h a sm all -diam et er bor e t hat
ser v es t o r est r ict t he flow . Chok es ar e also used t o cont r ol t he r at e of flow of t he dr illing m ud out of t he
hole w hen t he w ell is closed in w it h t he blow out pr ev ent er and a k ick is being cir culat ed out of t he hole.
See chok e m anifold.
ch ok e lin e n: a line, or pipe, t hat r uns fr om t he blow out pr ev ent er st ack t o t he chok e m anifold t hr ough
w hich fluid fr om t he hole is flow ed w hen t he w ell is shut in w it h t he blow out pr ev ent er .
ch ok e m a n if old n: t he ar r angem ent of piping and special v alv es, called chok es,
t hr ough w hich dr illing m ud is cir culat ed w hen t he blow out pr ev ent er s ar e closed
t o cont r ol t he pr essur es encount er ed dur ing a k ick .
ch r ist m a s t r e e n: t he cont r ol v alv es, pr essur e gauges, and chok es assem bled
at t he t op of a w ell t o cont r ol flow of oil and/ or gas aft er t he w ell has been
dr illed and com plet ed. I t is used w hen r eser v oir pr essur e is sufficient t o cause
r eser v oir fluids t o r ise t o t he sur face.
cir cu la t e v : t o pass fr om one point t hr oughout a sy st em and back t o t he st ar t ing point . For ex am ple,
dr illing fluid is cir culat ed out of t he suct ion pit , dow n t he dr ill pipe and dr ill collar s, out t he bit , up t he
annulus, and back t o t he pit s w hile dr illing pr oceeds.
coile d t u b in g n: a cont inuous st r ing of flex ible st eel t ubing, oft en hundr eds or t housands of feet long,
t hat is w ound ont o a r eel, oft en dozens of feet in diam et er . The r eel is an int egr al par t of t he coiled
t ubing unit , w hich consist s of sev er al dev ices t hat ensur e t he t ubing can be safely and efficient ly inser t ed
int o t he w ell fr om t he sur face. Also called r eeled t ubing.
coile d - t u b in g u n it n: t he equipm ent for t r anspor t ing and using coiled t ubing, including a r eel for t he
coiled t ubing, an inj ect or head t o push t he t ubing dow n t he w ell, a w ellhead blow out pr ev ent er st ack , a
pow er sour ce ( usually a diesel engine and hy dr aulic pum ps) , and a cont r ol console. A unique feat ur e of
t he unit is t hat it allow s cont inuous cir culat ion w hile it is being low er ed int o t he hole. A coiled t ubing unit
is usually m ount ed on a t r ailer or sk id.
com p a n y r e p r e se n t a t iv e n: an em ploy ee of an oper at ing com pany w ho super v ises t he oper at ions at a
dr illing sit e or w ell sit e and w ho m ay coor dinat e t he hir ing of logging, t est ing, ser v ice, and w or k ov er
com panies. Also called com pany hand, oper at or 's r epr esent at iv e, or com pany m an.
com p le t e a w e ll v : t o finish w or k on a w ell and br ing it t o pr oduct iv e st at us. See w ell com plet ion.
com p le t ion f lu id n : low- solids fluid or dr illing m ud used w hen a w ell is being com plet ed. I t is select ed
not only for it s abilit y t o cont r ol for m at ion pr essur e, but also for t he pr oper t ies t hat m inim ize for m at ion
dam age.
com p r e ssion - ig n it ion e n g in e n: a diesel engine; an engine in w hich t he fuel/ air m ix t ur e inside t he
engine cy linder s is ignit ed by t he heat t hat occur s w hen t he fuel-air m ix t ur e is highly com pr essed by t he
engine pist ons.
com p r e ssor n: a dev ice t hat r aises t he pr essur e of a com pr essible fluid such as air or gas. Com pr essor s
cr eat e a pr essur e differ ent ial t o m ov e or com pr ess a v apor or a gas.
con d u ct iv it y n: 1. t he abilit y t o t r ansm it or conv ey ( as heat or elect r icit y ) . 2. an elect r ical logging
m easur em ent obt ained fr om an induct ion sur v ey , in w hich eddy cur r ent s pr oduced by an alt er nat ing
m agnet ic field induce in a r eceiv er coil a v olt age pr opor t ionat e t o t he abilit y of t he for m at ion t o conduct
elect r icit y . See induct ion log.
con d u ct or ca sin g n: gener ally , t he fir st st r ing of casing in a w ell. I t m ay be low er ed int o a hole dr illed
int o t he for m at ions near t he sur face and cem ent ed in place; it m ay be dr iv en int o t he gr ound by a
special pile dr iv er ( in such cases, it is som et im es called dr iv e pipe) . I t s pur pose is t o pr ev ent t he soft
for m at ions near t he sur face fr om cav ing in and t o conduct dr illing m ud fr om t he bot t om of t he hole t o
t he sur face w hen dr illing st ar t s. Also called conduct or pipe, dr iv e pipe.
con su lt a n t n: a per son w ho cont r act s w it h an oil com pany t o super v ise t he oper at ions at a dr illing sit e
or w ell sit e w ho m ay coor dinat e t he hir ing of logging, t est ing, ser v ice, and w or k ov er com panies.
con t r a ct n: a w r it t en agr eem ent t hat can be enfor ced by law and t hat list s t he t er m s under w hich t he
act s r equir ed ar e t o be per for m ed. A dr illing cont r act m ay cov er such fact or s as t he cost of dr illing t he
w ell ( w het her by t he foot or by t he day ) , t he dist r ibut ion of ex penses bet w een oper at or and cont r act or ,
an d t h e t y pe of equ ipm en t t o be u sed.
cor e n: a cy lindr ical sam ple t ak en fr om a for m at ion for geological analy sis.
cor e a n a ly sis n: labor at or y analy sis of a cor e sam ple t hat m ay det er m ine por osit y , per m eabilit y ,
lit hology , fluid cont ent , angle of dip, geological age, and pr obable pr oduct iv it y of t he for m at ion.
co r e sa m p le n: 1 . a sm all por t ion of a for m at ion obt ained by using a cor e bar r el and cor e bit in an
ex ist ing w ellbor e. See cor e bit . 2. a spot sam ple of t he cont ent s of an oil or oil pr oduct st or age t ank
usually obt ained w it h a t hief, or cor e sam pler , at a giv en height in t he t ank .
cor in g n: t he pr ocess of cut t ing a v er t ical, cy lindr ical sam ple of t he for m at ions encount er ed as a w ell is
drilled.
cor in g bit n: a bit t hat does not dr ill out t he cent er por t ion of t he hole, but allow s t his cent er por t ion
( t he cor e) t o pass t hr ough t he r ound opening in t he cent er of t he bit and int o t he cor e bar r el.
cor r osion n: any of a v ar iet y of com plex chem ical or elect r ochem ical pr ocesses, such as r ust , by w hich
m et al is dest r oy ed t hr ough r eact ion w it h it s env ir onm ent .
cor r osion in h ib it or n: a chem ical subst ance t hat m inim izes or pr ev ent s cor r osion in m et al equipm ent .
cou n t e r b a la n ce w e ig h t n: a w eight applied t o com pensat e for ex ist ing w eight or for ce. On pum ping
unit s in oil pr oduct ion, count er w eight s ar e used t o offset t he w eight of t he colum n of suck er r ods and
fluid on t he upst r ok e of t he pum p, and t he w eight of t he r ods on t he dow nst r ok e.
cou p lin g n: 1. in piping, a m et al collar w it h int er nal t hr eads used t o j oin t w o sect ions of t hr eaded pipe.
2. in pow er t r ansm ission, a connect ion ex t ending bet w een a dr iv ing shaft and a dr iv en shaft .
cr a n e n: a m achine for r aising, low er ing, and r ev olv ing heav y pieces of equipm ent .
cr a n e op e r a t or n: a per son w ho by t r aining and ex per ience is aut hor ized t o oper at e t he cr ane and w ho
m ay be in char ge of t he r oust about cr ew .
cr a n k n: an ar m k ey ed at r ight angles t o a shaft and used for changing r adius of r ot at ion or changing
r ecipr ocat ing m ot ion t o cir cular m ot ion or cir cular m ot ion t o r ecipr ocat ing m ot ion. On a beam pum ping
unit , t he cr ank is connect ed by t he pit m an t o t he w alk ing beam , t her eby changing cir cular m ot ion t o
r ecipr ocat ing m ot ion.
cr a n k a r m n: a st eel m em ber connect ed t o each end of t he shaft ex t ending fr om each side of t he speed
r educer on a beam pum ping unit .
cr ook e d h ole n: a w ellbor e t hat has been dr illed in a dir ect ion ot her t han v er t ical.
cr ossov e r su b n: a sub t hat allow s differ ent sizes and t y pes of dr ill pipe or ot her com ponent s t o be
j oined.
cr u d e oil n: unr efined liquid pet r oleum . I t r anges in gr av it y fr om 9 °API t o 55° API and in color fr om
y ellow t o black .
cu t t in g s n pl: t he fr agm ent s of r ock dislodged by t he bit and br ought t o t he sur face in t he dr illing m ud.
Washed and dr ied cut t ings sam ples ar e analy zed by geologist s t o obt ain infor m at ion about t he
for m at ions dr illed.
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eTool Hom e | Sit e Pr epar at ion | Dr illin g | Well Com plet ion | Ser v icing | Plu g & Aban don Well
Gener al Safet y | Addit ion al Refer en ces | View in g/ Pr in t in g I n st r u ct ion s | Cr edit s | JSA
Safet y an d Healt h Topic | Sit e Map | I llust r at ed Glossar y | Glossar y of Ter m s
[ sk ip n av ig at ion al lin k s]
Se a r ch Ad v a n ce d Se a r ch | A- Z I ndex
Home General Safety Site Preparation Drilling Well Completion Servicing Plug and Abandon the Well
Glossa r y of Te r m s
A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
d a ily d r illin g r e p or t n: a r ecor d m ade each day of t he oper at ions on a w or k ing dr illing r ig and,
t r adit ionally , phoned, fax ed, em ailed, or r adioed in t o t he office of t he dr illing com pany and possibly t he
oper at or ev er y m or ning.
d a m p e n e r n: an air or iner t gas dev ice t hat m inim izes pr essur e sur ges in t he out put line of a m ud
pum p. Som et im es called a sur ge dam pener .
d a y lig h t t ou r ( pr onounced " t ow er " ) n: in ar eas w her e t hr ee eight- hour t our s ar e w or k ed, t he shift of
dut y on a dr illing r ig t hat st ar t s at or about day light . Com par e ev ening t our , m or ning ( gr av ey ar d) t our .
d a y t ou r ( pr onounced " t ow er " ) n: in ar eas w her e t w o 12 -hour t our s ar e w or k ed, a per iod of 12 hour s,
usually dur ing day light , w or k ed by a dr illing or w or k ov er cr ew w hen equipm ent is being r un ar ound t he
clock .
de nsit y n: t he m ass or w eight of a subst ance per unit v olum e. For inst ance, t he
densit y of a dr illing m ud m ay be 10 pounds per gallon, 74. 8 pounds/ cubic foot , or
1, 198. 2 k ilogr am s/ cubic m et er . Specific gr av it y , r elat iv e densit y , and API gr av it y ar e
ot her unit s of densit y .
d e n sit y log n: a special r adioact iv it y log for open -hole sur v ey ing t hat r esponds t o v ar iat ions in t he
specific gr av it y of for m at ions. I t is a cont act log ( i. e. , t he logging t ool is held against t he w all of t he
hole) . I t em it s neut r ons and t hen m easur es t he secondar y gam m a r adiat ion t hat is scat t er ed back t o t he
det ect or in t he inst r um ent . The densit y log is an ex cellent por osit y -m easur e dev ice, especially for shaley
sands. Som e t r ade nam es ar e For m at ion Densit y Log, Gam m a -Gam m a Densit y Log, and Densilog.
de r r ick n: a lar ge load- bear ing st r uct ur e, usually of bolt ed const r uct ion. I n dr illing,
t he st andar d der r ick has four legs st anding at t he cor ner s of t he subst r uct ur e and
r eaching t o t he cr ow n block . The subst r uct ur e is an assem bly of heav y beam s used t o
elev at e t he der r ick and pr ov ide space t o inst all blow out pr ev ent er s, casingheads, and
so for t h.
d e sa n d e r n: a cent r ifugal dev ice for r em ov ing sand fr om dr illing fluid t o pr ev ent
abr asion of t he pum ps. I t m ay be oper at ed m echanically or by a fast -m ov ing st r eam
of fluid inside a special cone- shaped v essel, in w hich case it is som et im es called a
hy dr ocy clone.
d ia m on d b it n: a dr ill bit t hat has sm all indust r ial diam onds em bedded in it s cut t ing
sur face.
die s n: a t ool used t o shape, for m , or finish ot her t ools or pieces of m et al. For ex am ple, a t hr eading die
is used t o cut t hr eads on pipe.
d ie in se r t n: a r em ov able, har d- st eel, ser r at ed piece t hat fit s int o t he j aw s of t he t ongs and fir m ly gr ips
t he body of t he dr ill pipe, dr ill collar s, or casing w hile t he t ongs ar e m ak ing up or br eak ing out t he pipe.
d ie se l e n g in e n: a high -com pr ession, int er nal-com bust ion engine used ex t ensiv ely for pow er ing dr illing
r igs. I n a diesel engine, air is dr aw n int o t he cy linder s and com pr essed t o v er y high pr essur es; ignit ion
occur s as fuel is inj ect ed int o t he com pr essed and heat ed air . Com bust ion t ak es place w it hin t he cy linder
abov e t he pist on, and ex pansion of t he com bust ion pr oduct s im par t s pow er t o t he pist on.
die se l fu e l n: a light hy dr ocar bon m ix t ur e for diesel engines; it has a boiling r ange j ust abov e t hat of
k er osene.
dipm e t e r su r v e y n: an oilw ell- sur v ey ing m et hod t hat det er m ines t he dir ect ion and angle of for m at ion
dip in r elat ion t o t he bor ehole. I t r ecor ds dat a t hat per m it com put at ion of bot h t he am ount and dir ect ion
of for m at ion dip r elat iv e t o t he ax is of t he hole and t hus pr ov ides infor m at ion about t he geologic
st r uct ur e of t he for m at ion. Also called dipm et er log or dip log.
d ir e ct ion a l d r illin g n: 1. int ent ional dev iat ion of a w ellbor e fr om t he v er t ical. Alt hough w ellbor es ar e
nor m ally dr illed v er t ically , it is som et im es necessar y or adv ant ageous t o dr ill at an angle fr om t he
v er t ical. Cont r olled dir ect ional dr illing m ak es it possible t o r each subsur face ar eas lat er ally r em ot e fr om
t he point w her e t he bit ent er s t he ear t h.
d ir e ct ion a l h ole n: a w ellbor e int ent ionally dr illed at an angle fr om t he v er t ical. See dir ect ional dr illing.
d isp la ce m e n t f lu id n: in w ell cem ent ing, t he fluid, usually dr illing m ud or salt w at er , t hat is pum ped
int o t he w ell aft er t he cem ent is pum ped int o it t o for ce t he cem ent out of t he casing and int o t he
annulus.
d issolv e d g a s n: nat ur al gas t hat is in solut ion w it h cr ude oil in t he r eser v oir .
dissolv e d - g a s d r iv e n: a sour ce of nat ur al r eser v oir ener gy in w hich t he dissolv ed gas com ing out of
t he oil ex pands t o for ce t he oil int o t he w ellbor e. Also called solut ion - gas dr iv e. See r eser v oir dr iv e
m echanism .
dogle g n: 1. an abr upt change in dir ect ion in t he w ellbor e, fr equent ly r esult ing in t he
for m at ion of a k ey seat . 2 . a shar p bend per m anent ly put in an obj ect such as a pipe, w ir e
r ope, or a w ir e r ope slin g.
d ou b le n: a lengt h of dr ill pipe, casing, or t ubing consist ing of t w o j oint s scr ew ed t oget her .
d ow n h ole m ot or n: a dr illing t ool m ade up in t he dr ill st r ing dir ect ly abov e t he bit . I t causes t he bit t o
t ur n w hile t he dr ill st r ing r em ains fix ed. I t is used m ost oft en as a deflect ion t ool in dir ect ional dr illing,
w her e it is m ade up bet w een t he bit and a bent sub ( or , som et im es, t he housing of t he m ot or it self is
bent ) . Tw o pr incipal t y pes of dow nhole m ot or ar e t he posit iv e- displacem ent m ot or and t he dow nhole
t ur bine m ot or .
dr ill v : t o bor e a hole in t he ear t h, usually t o find and r em ov e subsur face for m at ion fluids such as oil and
gas.
dr illa ble adj : per t aining t o pack er s and ot her t ools left in t he w ellbor e t o be br ok en up lat er by t he dr ill
bit . Dr illable equipm ent is m ade of cast ir on, alum inum , plast ic, or ot her soft , br it t le m at er ial.
dr ill bit n: t he cut t ing or bor ing elem ent used in dr illing oil and gas w ells. Most
bit s used in r ot ar y dr illing ar e r oller - cone bit s. The bit consist s of t he cut t ing
elem ent s and t he cir culat ing elem ent . The cir culat ing elem ent per m it s t he
passage of dr illing fluid and ut ilizes t he hy dr aulic for ce of t he fluid st r eam t o
im pr ov e dr illing r at es.
d r ill colla r su b n: a sub m ade up bet w een t he dr ill st r ing and t he dr ill collar s t hat is used t o ensur e t hat
t he dr ill pipe and t he collar can be j oined pr oper ly .
dr ille r n: t he em ploy ee nor m ally in char ge of a specific ( t our ) dr illing or w or k ov er cr ew . The dr iller ’s
m ain dut y is oper at ion of t he dr illing and hoist ing equipm ent , but t his per son m ay also be r esponsible for
dow nhole condit ion of t he w ell, oper at ion of dow nhole t ools, and pipe m easur em ent s.
d r ill f loor n: also called r ig floor or der r ick floor . See r ig floor .
d r ill in v : t o penet r at e t he pr oduct iv e for m at ion aft er t he casing is set and cem ent ed on t op of t he pay
zone.
d r illin g con t r a ct n: an agr eem ent m ade bet w een a dr illing com pany and an oper at ing com pany t o dr ill
a w ell. I t gener ally set s for t h t he obligat ion of each par t y , com pensat ion, ident ificat ion, m et hod of
dr illing, dept h t o be dr illed, and so on.
d r illin g e n g in e n: an int er nal - com bust ion engine used t o pow er a dr illing r ig. These engines ar e used on
a r ot ar y r ig and ar e usually fueled by diesel fuel, alt hough liquefied pet r oleum gas, nat ur al gas, and, v er y
r ar ely , gasoline can also be used.
d r illin g f lu id n: cir culat ing fluid, one funct ion of w hich is t o lift cut t ings out of t he
w ellbor e and t o t he sur face. I t also ser v es t o cool t he bit and t o count er act dow nhole
for m at ion pr essur e.
d r illin g m u d n: a specially com pounded liquid cir culat ed t hr ough t he w ellbor e dur ing
r ot ar y dr illing oper at ions. See dr illing fluid, m ud.
d r ill st e m t e st ( D ST) n: a m et hod of for m at ion t est ing. The basic dr ill st em t est t ool consist s of a
pack er or pack er s, v alv es or por t s t hat m ay be opened and closed fr om t he sur face, and t w o or m or e
pr essur e - r ecor ding dev ices. The t ool is low er ed on t he dr ill st r ing t o t he zone t o be t est ed. The pack er or
pack er s ar e set t o isolat e t he zone fr om t he dr illing fluid colum n.
d r ille r ' s con sole n: t he cont r ol panel, w her e t he dr iller cont r ols dr illing oper at ions.
dr illin g ou t n: t he oper at ion dur ing t he dr illing pr ocedur e w hen t he cem ent is dr illed out
of t he casing.
d r ill st r in g n: t he colum n, or st r ing, of dr ill pipe w it h at t ached t ool j oint s t hat t r ansm it s fluid and
r ot at ional pow er fr om t he k elly t o t he dr ill collar s and t he bit . Oft en, t he t er m is loosely applied t o include
bot h dr ill pipe and dr ill collar s.
d r iv e - in u n it n: a t y pe of por t able ser v ice or w or k ov er r ig t hat is self -pr opelled, using pow er fr om t he
hoist ing engines. The dr iv er ’ s cab and st eer ing w heel ar e m ount ed on t he sam e end as t he m ast suppor t ;
t hus t he unit can be dr iv en st r aight ahead t o r each t he w ellhead.
dr y h ole n: any w ell t hat does not pr oduce oil or gas in com m er cial quant it ies. A dr y hole m ay flow
w at er , gas, or ev en oil, but not in am ount s lar ge enough t o j ust ify pr oduct ion.
d u a l com p le t ion n: a single w ell t hat pr oduces fr om t w o separ at e for m at ions at t he sam e t im e.
Pr oduct ion fr om each zone is segr egat ed by r unning t w o t ubing st r ings w it h pack er s inside t he single
st r ing of pr oduct ion casing, or by r unning one t ubing st r ing w it h a pack er t hr ough one zone w hile t he
ot her is pr oduced t hr ough t he annulus. I n a m iniat ur ized dual com plet ion, t w o separ at e casing st r ings
ar e r un and cem ent ed in t he sam e w ellbor e.
d u m p b a ile r n: a bailing dev ice w it h a r elease v alv e, usually of t he disk or flapper t y pe, used t o place,
or spot , m at er ial ( such as cem ent slur r y ) at t he bot t om of t he w ell.
TOP
eTool Hom e | Sit e Pr epar at ion | Dr illin g | Well Com plet ion | Ser v icing | Plu g & Aban don Well
Gener al Safet y | Addit ion al Refer en ces | View in g/ Pr in t in g I n st r u ct ion s | Cr edit s | JSA
Safet y an d Healt h Topic | Sit e Map | I llust r at ed Glossar y | Glossar y of Ter m s
[ sk ip n av ig at ion al lin k s]
Se a r ch Ad v a n ce d Se a r ch | A- Z I ndex
Home General Safety Site Preparation Drilling Well Completion Servicing Plug and Abandon the Well
Glossa r y of Te r m s
A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
e le ct r ic su b m e r sib le p u m p in g n: a for m of ar t ificial lift t hat ut ilizes an elect r ic subm er sible m ult ist age
cent r ifugal pum p. Elect r ic pow er is conduct ed t o t he pum p by a cable at t ached t o t he t ubing.
e le ct r ic w e ll log n: a r ecor d of cer t ain elect r ical char act er ist ics ( such as r esist iv it y and conduct iv it y ) of
for m at ions t r av er sed by t he bor ehole. I t is m ade t o ident ify t he for m at ions, det er m ine t he nat ur e and
am ount of fluids t hey cont ain, and est im at e t heir dept h. Also called an elect r ic log or elect r ic sur v ey .
e le v a t or lin k s n pl: cy lindr ical bar s t hat suppor t t he elev at or s and at t ach t hem t o t he hook .
e n gin e n: a m achine for conv er t ing t he heat cont ent of fuel int o r ot ar y m ot ion
t hat can be used t o pow er ot her m achines. Com par e m ot or .
e x t e r n a l cu t t e r n: a fishing t ool cont aining m et alcut t ing k niv es t hat is low er ed int o t he hole and ov er
t he out side of a lengt h of pipe t o cut it . The sev er ed par t of t he pipe can t hen be br ought t o t he sur face.
Also called an out side cut t er . Com par e int er nal cut t er .
TOP
eTool Hom e | Sit e Pr epar at ion | Dr illin g | Well Com plet ion | Ser v icing | Plu g & Aban don Well
Gener al Safet y | Addit ion al Refer en ces | View in g/ Pr in t in g I n st r u ct ion s | Cr edit s | JSA
Safet y an d Healt h Topic | Sit e Map | I llust r at ed Glossar y | Glossar y of Ter m s
[ sk ip n av ig at ion al lin k s]
Se a r ch Ad v a n ce d Se a r ch | A- Z I ndex
Home General Safety Site Preparation Drilling Well Completion Servicing Plug and Abandon the Well
Glossa r y of Te r m s
A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
f in g e r b oa r d n: a r ack t hat suppor t s t he st ands of pipe being st ack ed in t he der r ick or m ast . I t has
sev er al st eel finger lik e pr oj ect ions t hat for m a ser ies of slot s int o w hich t he der r ick m an can place a st and
of dr ill pipe or collar s aft er it is pulled out of t he hole and r em ov ed fr om t he dr ill st r ing.
f ir e f lood in g n: a t her m al r ecov er y m et hod in w hich t he oil in t he r eser v oir is ignit ed, t he heat
v apor izes light er hy dr ocar bons and w at er pushes t he w ar m ed oil t ow ar d a pr oducing w ell. Also called in
sit u com bust ion. See t her m al r ecov er y .
fish n: an obj ect t hat is left in t he w ellbor e dur ing dr illing or w or k ov er oper at ions and t hat m ust be
r ecov er ed befor e w or k can pr oceed. I t can be any t hing fr om a piece of scr ap m et al t o a par t of t he dr ill
st em .
f ish in g m a g n e t n: a pow er ful m agnet designed t o r ecov er m et allic obj ect s lost in a w ell.
f ish in g - t ool op e r a t or n: t he per son ( usually a ser v ice com pany em ploy ee) in char ge of dir ect ing fishing
oper at ions.
fit t in g n: a sm all, oft en st andar dized, par t ( such as a coupling, v alv e, or gauge) inst alled in a lar ger
appar at us.
floa t colla r n: a special coupling dev ice inser t ed one or t w o j oint s abov e t he bot t om of t he casing st r ing
t hat cont ains a check v alv e t o per m it fluid t o pass dow nw ar d but not upw ar d t hr ough t he casing. The
float collar pr ev ent s dr illing m ud fr om ent er ing t he casing w hile it is being low er ed, allow ing t he casing t o
float dur ing it s descent and t hus decr easing t he load on t he der r ick or m ast .
f loa t sh oe n: a shor t , heav y , cy lindr ical st eel sect ion w it h a r ounded bot t om t hat is at t ached t o t he
bot t om of t he casing st r ing. I t cont ains a check v alv e and funct ions sim ilar ly t o t he float collar but also
ser v es as a guide shoe for t he casing.
f lood v : 1. t o dr iv e oil fr om a r eser v oir int o a w ell by inj ect ing w at er under pr essur e int o t he r eser v oir
for m at ion. See w at er flooding. 2. t o dr ow n out a w ell w it h w at er .
flow in g w e ll n: a w ell t hat pr oduces oil or gas by it s ow n r eser v oir pr essur e r at her t han by use of
ar t ificial m eans ( such as pum ps) .
f low lin e n: t he sur face pipe t hr ough w hich oil or gas t r av els fr om a w ell t o pr ocessing equipm ent or t o
st or age.
f lu id in j e ct ion n: inj ect ion of gases or liquids int o a r eser v oir t o for ce oil t ow ar d and int o pr oducing
w ells.
f lu id loss n: t he unw ant ed m igr at ion of t he liquid par t of t he dr illing m ud or cem ent slur r y int o a
for m at ion, oft en m inim ized or pr ev ent ed by t he blending of addit iv es w it h t he m ud or cem ent .
f or m a t ion f lu id n: fluid ( such as gas, oil, or w at er ) t hat ex ist s in a subsur face for m at ion.
f or m a t ion p r e ssu r e n: t he for ce ex er t ed by fluids or gas in a for m at ion, r ecor ded in t he hole at t he
lev el of t he for m at ion w it h t he w ell shut in. Also called r eser v oir pr essur e or shut - in bot t om hole pr essur e.
f or m a t ion t e st in g n: t he gat her ing of pr essur e dat a and fluid sam ples fr om a for m at ion t o det er m ine it s
pr oduct ion pot ent ial befor e choosing a com plet ion m et hod.
fr a c fluid n: a fluid used in t he fr act ur ing pr ocess ( for ex am ple, a m et hod of st im ulat ing pr oduct ion by
opening new flow channels in t he for m at ion sur r ounding a pr oduct ion w ell) . Under ex t r em ely high
hy dr aulic pr essur e, fr ac fluids ( such as dist illat e, diesel fuel, cr ude oil, dilut e hy dr ochlor ic acid, w at er , or
k er osene) ar e pum ped dow nw ar d t hr ough pr oduct ion t ubing or dr ill pipe and for ced out below a pack er
or bet w een t w o pack er s. The pr essur e causes cr ack s t o open in t he for m at ion, and t he fluid penet r at es
t he for m at ion t hr ough t he cr ack s. Sand gr ains, alum inum pellet s, w alnut shells, or sim ilar m at er ials
( pr opping agent s) ar e car r ied in suspension by t he fluid int o t he cr ack s. When t he pr essur e is r eleased at
t he sur face, t he fr act ur ing fluid r et ur ns t o t he w ell but leav es behind t he pr opping agent s t o hold open
t he for m at ion cr ack s.
f r a ct u r e a cid iz in g n: a pr ocedur e by w hich acid is for ced int o a for m at ion under
pr essur e high enough t o cause t he for m at ion t o cr ack . The acid act s on cer t ain k inds of for m at ions,
usually car bonat es, t o incr ease t he per m eabilit y of t he for m at ion. Also called acid fr act ur ing.
f r a ct u r in g n: shor t ened for m of for m at ion fr act ur ing. See for m at ion fr act ur ing.
f r a ct u r in g f lu id n: a fluid, such as w at er , oil, or acid, used in hy dr aulic fr act ur ing. The fluid car r ies
pr opping agent s t hat hold open t he for m at ion cr ack s aft er hy dr aulic pr essur e dissipat es. See acid
fr act ur ing, hy dr aulic fr act ur ing, pr opping agent s.
fr e e - poin t in dica t or n: a dev ice r un on w ir eline int o t he w ellbor e and inside t he fishing st r ing and fish
t o locat e t he ar ea w her e a fish is st uck . When t he dr ill st r ing is pulled and t ur ned, t he elect r om agnet ic
fields of fr ee pipe and st uck pipe differ . The fr ee -point indicat or is able t o dist inguish t hese differ ences,
w hich ar e r egist er ed on a m et er ing dev ice at t he sur face.
f r ict ion n: r esist ance t o m ov em ent cr eat ed w hen t w o sur faces ar e in cont act . When fr ict ion is pr esent ,
m ov em ent bet w een t he sur faces pr oduces heat .
fu ll - g a u g e h ole n: a w ellbor e dr illed w it h a full- gau ge bit . Also called a t r u e- to- gauge hole.
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Glossa r y of Te r m s
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* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
g a s a n ch o r n: a t ubular , per for at ed dev ice at t ached t o t he bot t om of a suck er r od pum p t hat helps t o
pr ev ent gas lock . The dev ice w or k s on t he pr inciple t hat gas, being light er t han oil, r ises. As w ell fluids
ent er t he anchor , gas br eak s out of t he fluid and ex it s fr om t he anchor t hr ough per for at ions near t he
t op. Rem aining fluids ent er t he pum p t hr ough a m osquit o bill ( a t ube w it hin t he anchor ) , w hich has an
opening near t he bot t om . I n t his w ay , all or m ost of t he gas escapes befor e t he fluids ent er t he pum p.
g a s ca p n: a fr ee-gas phase ov er ly ing an oil zone and occur r ing w it hin t he sam e pr oducing for m at ion as
t he oil. See r eser v oir .
gas - cu t m u d n: a dr illing m ud t hat cont ains ent r ained for m at ion gas, giv ing t he m ud a char act er ist ically
fluffy t ex t ur e. Gas cut m ud m ay cause a low er ing of m ud w eight .
g a s d r iv e n: t he use of t he ener gy t hat ar ises fr om t he ex pansion of com pr essed gas in a r eser v oir t o
m ov e cr ude oil t o a w ellbor e. Also called deplet ion dr iv e. See dissolv ed -gas dr iv e, gas- cap dr iv e,
r eser v oir dr iv e m echanism .
ga s in j e ct ion n: t he inj ect ion of gas int o a r eser v oir t o m aint ain for m at ion pr essur e by gas dr iv e and t o
r educe t he r at e of decline of t he or iginal r eser v oir dr iv e. One t y pe of gas inj ect ion uses gas t hat does not
m ix ( is not m iscible) w it h t he oil. Ex am ples of t hese gases include nat ur al gas, nit r ogen, and flue gas.
Anot her t y pe uses gas t hat does m ix ( is m iscible) w it h t he oil. The gas m ay be nat ur ally m iscible or
becom e m iscible under high pr essur e. Ex am ples of m iscible gases include pr opane, m et hane enr iched
w it h ot her light hy dr ocar bons, m et hane under high pr essur e, and car bon diox ide under pr essur e.
Fr equent ly , w at er is also inj ect ed in alt er nat ing st eps w it h t he gas.
g a s in j e ct ion w e ll n: a w ell int o w hich gas is inj ect ed for t he pur pose of m aint aining or supplem ent ing
pr essur e in an oil r eser v oir .
g a sk e t n: any m at er ial ( such as paper , cor k , asbest os, st ainless st eel or ot her t y pes of m et al, or r ubber )
used t o seal t w o essent ially st at ionar y sur faces.
ga s lift n: t he pr ocess of r aising or lift ing fluid fr om a w ell by inj ect ing gas dow n t he w ell t hr ough t ubing
or t hr ough t he t ubing -casing annulus. I nj ect ed gas aer at es t he fluid t o m ak e it ex er t less pr essur e t han
t he for m at ion does; t he r esult ing higher for m at ion pr essur e for ces t he fluid out of t he w ellbor e. Gas m ay
be inj ect ed cont inuously or int er m it t ent ly , depending on t he pr oducing char act er ist ics of t he w ell and t he
ar r angem ent of t he gas -lift equipm ent .
gas - lif t m a n dr e l n: a dev ice inst alled in t he t ubing st r ing of a gas-lift w ell ont o w hich or int o w hich a
gas- lift v alv e is fit t ed. Ther e ar e t w o com m on t y pes of m andr el. I n t he conv ent ional gas-lift m andr el, t he
gas- lift v alv e is inst alled as t he t ubing is placed in t he w ell. Thus, t o r eplace or r epair t he v alv e, t he
t ubing st r ing m ust be pulled. I n t he sidepock et m andr el, how ev er , t he v alv e is inst alled and r em ov ed by
w ir eline w hile t he m andr el is st ill in t he w ell, elim inat ing t he need t o pull t he t ubing t o r epair or r eplace
t he v alv e.
gas - lif t v a lv e n: a dev ice inst alled on a gas-lift m andr el, w hich in t ur n is put on t he t ubing st r ing of a
gas- lift w ell. Tubing and casing pr essur es cause t he v alv e t o open and close, t hus allow ing gas t o be
inj ect ed int o t he fluid in t he t ubing t o cause t he fluid t o r ise t o t he sur face. See gas- lift m andr el.
gas - lif t w e ll n: a w ell in w hich r eser v oir fluids ar e ar t ificially lift ed by t he inj ect ion of gas.
g a s lock n: 1. a condit ion som et im es encount er ed in a pum ping w ell w hen dissolv ed gas, r eleased fr om
solut ion dur ing t he upst r ok e of t he plunger , appear s as fr ee gas bet w een t he v alv es. I f t he gas pr essur e
is sufficient , t he st anding v alv e is lock ed shut , and no fluid ent er s t he t ubing. 2. a dev ice fit t ed t o t he
gauging hat ch on a pr essur e t ank t hat enables m anual dipping and sam pling w it hout loss of v apor . 3. a
condit ion t hat can occur w hen gas- cu t m u d is cir cu lat ed by t h e m u d pu m p. Th e gas br eak s ou t of t h e
m ud, ex pands, and w or k s against t he oper at ion of t he pist on and v alv es.
g a s w e ll n: a w ell t hat pr im ar ily pr oduces gas. Legal definit ions v ar y am ong t he st at es.
g e l n: a sem isolid, j elly lik e st at e assum ed by som e colloidal disper sions at r est .
g e olog ist n: a scient ist w ho gat her s and int er pr et s dat a per t aining t o t he for m at ions of t he ear t h’s
crust .
g o n e t o w a t e r adj : per t aining t o a w ell in w hich pr oduct ion of oil has decr eased and pr oduct ion of w at er
has incr eased ( for ex am ple, “ t he w ell has gone t o w at er ” ) .
g oose n e ck n: t he cur v ed connect ion bet w een t he r ot ar y hose and t he sw iv el. See sw iv el.
gr a v e l n: sand or glass beads of unifor m size and r oundness used in gr av el pack ing.
g r a v e l p a ck in g n: a m et hod of w ell com plet ion in w hich a slot t ed or per for at ed liner , oft en w ir e-
w r apped, is placed in t he w ell and sur r ounded by gr av el. I f open hole, t he w ell is som et im es enlar ged by
under r eam ing at t he point w her e t he gr av el is pack ed. The m ass of gr av el ex cludes sand fr om t he
w ellbor e but allow s cont inued pr oduct ion.
g u id e sh oe n: 1. a shor t , heav y , cy lindr ical sect ion of st eel filled w it h concr et e and r ounded at t he
bot t om , w hich is placed at t he end of t he casing st r ing. I t pr ev ent s t he casing fr om snagging on
ir r egular it ies in t he bor ehole as it is low er ed.
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Home General Safety Site Preparation Drilling Well Completion Servicing Plug and Abandon the Well
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A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
h a n g r o d s v : t o suspend suck er r ods in a der r ick or m ast on r od hanger s r at her t han t o place t hem
hor izont ally on a r ack .
h e a d a ch e n: ( slang) t he posit ion in w hich t he m ast on a m obile r ig is r est ing hor izont ally ov er t he
dr iv er ’s cab.
h oist n: 1. an ar r angem ent of pulley s and w ir e r ope used for lift ing heav y obj ect s; a w inch or sim ilar
dev ice. 2. t he dr aw w or k s. v : t o r aise or lift .
h oist in g com p on e n t s n pl: dr aw w or k s, dr illing line, and t r av eling and cr ow n block s. Aux iliar y hoist ing
com ponent s include cat heads, cat shaft , and air hoist .
h oist in g d r u m n: t he lar ge, flanged spool in t he dr aw w or k s on w hich t he hoist ing cable is w ound. See
dr aw w or k s.
h ook loa d n: t he w eight of t he dr ill st em and associat ed com ponent s t hat ar e suspended fr om t he hook .
h op p e r n: a lar ge funnel - or cone- shaped dev ice int o w hich dr y com ponent s ( such as pow der ed clay or
cem ent ) can be pour ed t o lat er m ix w it h w at er or ot her liquids. The dr y com ponent is educt ed t hr ough a
nozzle at t he bot t om of t he hopper .
h or se h e a d n: t he gener ally hor sehead -shaped st eel piece at t he fr ont of t he beam of a pum ping unit t o
w hich t he br idle is at t ached in suck er r od pum ping.
h or se p ow e r n: a unit of m easur e of w or k done by a m achine.
h or iz on t a l d r illin g n: dev iat ion of t he bor ehole fr om v er t ical so t hat t he bor ehole penet r at es a
pr oduct iv e for m at ion in a m anner par allel t o t he for m at ion.
h y d r a u lic adj : 1. of or r elat ing t o w at er or ot her liquid in m ot ion. 2. oper at ed, m ov ed, or effect ed by
w at er or liquid.
h y d r a u lic f lu id n: a liquid of low v iscosit y ( such as light oil) t hat is used in sy st em s act uat ed by liquid
( such as t he br ak e sy st em in a car ) .
h y d r a u lic f r a ct u r in g n: an oper at ion in w hich a specially blended liquid is pum ped dow n a w ell and int o
a for m at ion under pr essur e high enough t o cause t he for m at ion t o cr ack open, for m ing passages t hr ough
w hich oil can flow int o t he w ellbor e.
h y d r a u lic p u m p in g n: a m et hod of pum ping oil fr om w ells by using a dow nhole pum p w it hout suck er
r ods. Subsur face hy dr aulic pum ps consist of t w o r ecipr ocat ing pum ps coupled and placed in t he w ell. One
pum p funct ions as an engine and dr iv es t he ot her pum p ( t he pr oduct ion pum p) . The dow nhole engine is
usually oper at ed by clean cr ude oil under under pr essur e ( pow er oil) t hat is dr aw n fr om a pow er- oil
set t ling t ank by a t r iplex plunger pum p on t he sur face. I f a single st r ing of t ubing is used, pow er oil is
pum ped dow n t he t ubing st r ing t o t he pum p, w hich is seat ed in t he st r ing, and a m ix t ur e of pow er oil
and pr oduced fluid is r et ur ned t hr ough t he casing- t ubing annulus. I f t w o par allel st r ings ar e used, one
supplies pow er oil t o t he pum p w hile t he ot her r et ur ns t he ex haust and pr oduced oil t o t he sur face. A
hy dr aulic pum p m ay be used t o pum p sev er al w ells fr om a cent r al sour ce.
h y d r o ca r b o n s n pl: or ganic com pounds of hy dr ogen and car bon w hose densit ies, boiling point s, and
fr eezing point s incr ease as t heir m olecular w eight s incr ease. Alt hough com posed of only t w o elem ent s,
hy dr ocar bons ex ist in a v ar iet y of com pounds, because of t he st r ong affinit y of t he car bon at om for ot her
at om s and for it self. The sm allest m olecules of hy dr ocar bons ar e gaseous; t he lar gest ar e solids.
Pet r oleum is a m ix t ur e of m any differ ent hy dr ocar bons.
h y d r ost a t ic p r e ssu r e n: t he for ce ex er t ed by a body of fluid at r est . I t incr eases dir ect ly w it h t he
densit y and t he dept h of t he fluid and is ex pr essed in m any differ ent unit s, including pounds per squar e
inch or k ilopascals.
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Home General Safety Site Preparation Drilling Well Completion Servicing Plug and Abandon the Well
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A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
im pe lle r n: a set of m ount ed blades used t o im par t m ot ion t o a fluid air or gas ( such as, t he r ot or of a
cent r ifugal pum p) .
im p e r m e a b le adj : pr ev ent ing t he passage of fluid. A for m at ion m ay be por ous y et im per m eable if t her e
is an absence of connect ing passages bet w een t he v oids w it hin it . See per m eabilit y .
im p r e ssion b lock n: a block w it h lead or anot her r elat iv ely soft m at er ial on it s bot t om . I t is m ade up on
dr ill pipe or t ubing at t he sur face, r un int o a w ell, and set dow n on t he obj ect t hat has been lost in t he
w ell. The block is r et r iev ed and t he im pr ession is ex am ined. The im pr ession is a m ir r or im age of t he t op
of t he fish; it also indicat es t he fish ’s posit ion in t he hole, for ex am ple, w het her it is cent er ed or off t o
one side. Fr om t his infor m at ion, t he cor r ect fishing t ool m ay be select ed.
in d u ct ion log n: an elect r ic w ell log in w hich t he conduct iv it y of t he for m at ion r at her t han t he r esist iv it y
is m easur ed. Because oil - bear ing for m at ions ar e less conduct iv e of elect r icit y t han w at er-bear ing
for m at ions, an induct ion sur v ey , w hen com par ed w it h r esist iv it y r eadings, can aid in det er m inat ion of oil
and w at er zones.
in fla t a ble pa ck e r n: a pack er w it h an elem ent t hat inflat es by m eans of gas or liquid pum ped fr om t he
sur face t hr ough a line. I t is deflat ed by m eans of slot s t hat can be opened t o allow t he gas or liquid t o
flow out . They ar e used w hen a t em por ar y pack er is needed in a hole.
in j e ct ion g a s n: 1. a high - pr essur e gas inj ect ed int o a for m at ion t o m aint ain or r est or e r eser v oir
pr essur e. 2 . gas inj ect ed in gas-lift oper at ions.
in j e ct ion log n: a sur v ey used t o det er m ine t he inj ect ion pr ofile, t hat is, t o assign specific v olum es or
per cent ages t o each of t he for m at ions t ak ing fluid in an inj ect ion w ell. The inj ect ion log is also used t o
check for casing or pack er leak s, pr oper cem ent j obs, and fluid m igr at ion bet w een zones.
in j e ct ion w a t e r n: w at er t hat is int r oduced int o a r eser v oir t o help dr iv e hy dr ocar bons t o a pr oducing
well.
in j e ct ion w e ll n: a w ell t hr ough w hich fluids ar e inj ect ed int o an under gr ound st r at um t o incr ease
r eser v oir pr essur e and t o displace oil. Also called input w ell.
in j e ct or h e a d n: a cont r ol head for inj ect ing coiled t ubing int o a w ell t hat seals off t he t ubing and
m ak es a pr essur e t ight connect ion.
in la n d b a r g e r ig n: an off shor e dr illing st r uct ur e consist ing of a bar ge on w hich t he dr illing equipm ent
is const r uct ed. I t is posit ioned on locat ion, t hen t he bar ge is sunk .
in se r t n: 1. a cy lindr ical obj ect , r ounded, blunt , or chisel - shaped on one end and usually m ade of
t ungst en car bide, t hat is inser t ed in t he cones of a bit , t he cut t er s of a r eam er , or t he blades of a
st abilizer t o for m t he cut t ing elem ent of t he bit or t he r eam er or t he w ear sur face of t he st abilizer . Also
called a com pact .
in t e r m e d ia t e ca sin g st r in g n: t he st r ing of casing set in a w ell aft er t he sur face casing but befor e
pr oduct ion casing is set t o k eep t he hole fr om cav ing and t o seal off for m at ions. I n deep w ells, one or
m or e int er m ediat e st r ings m ay be r equir ed.
in t e r n a l cu t t e r n: a fishing t ool cont aining m et al - cut t ing k niv es t hat is low er ed int o t he inside of a
lengt h of pipe st uck in t he hole t o cut t he pipe. The sev er ed por t ion of t he pipe can t hen be r et ur ned t o
t he sur face. Com par e ex t er nal cut t er .
I n t e r n a t ion a l Associa t ion of D r illin g Con t r a ct or s ( I AD C) n: an or ganizat ion of dr illing cont r act or s,
oil and gas com panies, and ser v ice com panies t hat sponsor s or conduct s r esear ch on educat ion, accident
pr ev ent ion, dr illing t echnology , and ot her m at t er s of int er est t o it s m em ber ship and t heir em ploy ees. I t s
official publicat ion is The Dr illing Cont r act or . Addr ess: Box 4287; Houst on, TX 77210; ( 281) 578 - 7171;
fax ( 2 8 1 ) 5 7 8 -0589.
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Glossa r y of Te r m s
A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
j a r n: a per cussion t ool oper at ed m anually or hy dr aulically t o deliv er a heav y upw ar d or dow nw ar d blow
t o fish st uck in t he bor ehole. v : t o apply a heav y blow t o t he dr ill st em by use of a j ar or bum per sub.
j a r a cce le r a t or n: a hy dr aulic t ool used in conj unct ion w it h a j ar and m ade up on t he fishing st r ing
abov e t he j ar t o incr ease t he pow er of t he j ar r ing for ce.
j e r k lin e n: a w ir e r ope, one end of w hich is connect ed t o t he end of t he t ongs and t he ot her end of
w hich is at t ached t o t he cat head.
j e t n: 1 . a hy dr aulic dev ice oper at ed by a cent r ifugal pum p used t o clean t he m ud pit s, or t ank s, and t o
m ix m ud com ponent s. 2. in a per for at ing gun using shaped char ges, a highly penet r at ing, fast - m oving
st r eam of ex ploded par t icles t hat for m s a hole in t he casing, cem ent , and for m at ion.
j e t cu t off n: a pr ocedur e for sev er ing pipe st uck in a w ell by det onat ing special shaped - char ge
ex plosiv es sim ilar t o t hose used in j et per for at ing. The ex plosiv e is low er ed int o t he pipe t o t he desir ed
dept h and det onat ed. The for ce of t he ex plosion m ak es r adiat ing hor izont al cut s ar ound t he pipe, and t he
sev er ed por t ion of t he pipe is r et r iev ed.
j e t cu t t e r n: a fishing t ool t hat uses shaped char ges t o sev er casing, t ubing, or dr ill pipe st uck in t he
hole. See j et cut off. Com par e chem ical cut t er .
j e t gu n n: an assem bly , including a car r ier and shaped char ges, t hat is used in j et per for at ing.
j e t- pe r for a t e v : t o cr eat e holes t hr ough t he casing w it h a shaped char ge of high ex plosiv es inst ead of a
gun t hat fir es pr oj ect iles. The loaded char ges ar e low er ed int o t he hole t o t he desir ed dept h. Once
det onat ed, t he char ges em it shor t , penet r at ing j et s of high - v elocit y gases t hat m ak e holes in t he casing
and cem ent for som e dist ance int o t he for m at ion. For m at ion fluids t hen flow int o t he w ellbor e t hr ough
t hese per for at ions. See bullet per for at or , gun- per for at e.
j ou r n a l b e a r in g n: a m achine par t in w hich a r ot at ing shaft ( a j our nal) r ev olv es or slides. Also called a
plain bear ing.
j u n k n: m et al debr is lost in a hole. Junk m ay be a lost bit , pieces of a bit , pieces of pipe, w r enches, or
any r elat iv ely sm all obj ect t hat im pedes dr illing or com plet ion and m ust be fished out of t he hole. v : t o
abandon ( as a nonpr oduct iv e w ell) .
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Home General Safety Site Preparation Drilling Well Completion Servicing Plug and Abandon the Well
Glossa r y of Te r m s
A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
k e lly cock n: a v alv e inst alled at one or bot h ends of t he k elly . When a high -pr essur e
back flow occur s inside t he dr ill st em , t he v alv e is closed t o k eep pr essur e off t he sw iv el and r ot ar y hose.
k e lly d r iv e r n: a dev ice t hat fit s inside t he head and inside of w hich t he k elly fit s. The k elly dr iv er
r ot at es w it h t he k elly .
k e lly sa v e r su b n: a heav y and r elat iv ely shor t lengt h of pipe t hat fit s in t he dr ill st em bet w een t he
k elly and t he dr ill pipe. The t hr eads of t he dr ill pipe m at e w it h t hose of t he sub, m inim izing w ear on t he
k elly .
k ick n: an ent r y of w at er , gas, oil, or ot her for m at ion fluid int o t he w ellbor e dur ing
dr illing. I t occur s because t he pr essur e ex er t ed by t he colum n of dr illing fluid is not
gr eat enough t o ov er com e t he pr essur e ex er t ed by t he fluids in t he for m at ion dr illed. I f
pr om pt act ion is not t ak en t o cont r ol t he k ick , or k ill t he w ell, a blow out m ay occur .
k ick f lu id s n pl: oil, gas, w at er , or any com binat ion t hat ent er s t he bor ehole fr om a per m eable
for m at ion.
k ick of f v : 1. t o br ing a w ell int o pr oduct ion; used m ost oft en w hen gas is inj ect ed int o a gas lift w ell t o
st ar t pr oduct ion. 2. in w or k ov er oper at ions, t o sw ab a w ell t o r est or e it t o pr oduct ion. 3. t o dev iat e a
w ellbor e fr om t he v er t ical, as in dir ect ional dr illing.
k ick of f p oin t ( KOP) n: t he dept h in a v er t ical hole at w hich a dev iat ed or slant hole is st ar t ed; used in
dir ect ional dr illing.
k ill v : 1. in dr illing, t o cont r ol a k ick by t ak ing suit able pr ev ent iv e m easur es ( for ex am ple, t o shut in t he
w ell w it h t he blow out pr ev ent er s, cir culat e t he k ick out , and incr ease t he w eight of t he dr illing m ud) . 2.
in pr oduct ion, t o st op a w ell fr om pr oducing oil and gas so t hat r econdit ioning of t he w ell can pr oceed.
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[ sk ip n av ig at ion al lin k s]
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Home General Safety Site Preparation Drilling Well Completion Servicing Plug and Abandon the Well
Glossa r y of Te r m s
A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
la t ch su b n: a dev ice, usually w it h segm ent ed t hr eads, r un w it h seal subs on t he bot t om of a t ubing
st r in g an d lat ch ed in t o a per m an en t pack er t o pr ev en t t u bin g m ov em en t .
la y d o w n p ip e v : t o pull dr ill pipe or t ubing fr om t he hole and place it in a hor izont al posit ion on a pipe
r ack . Com par e set back .
lea d - t on g h a n d ( pr onounced “leed” ) n: t he cr ew m em ber w ho oper at es t he lead t ongs w hen dr ill pipe
and dr ill collar s ar e being handled. Also called lead- t ong m an.
le a d t o n g s ( pr onounced “leed” ) n pl: t he pipe t ongs suspended in t he der r ick or m ast and oper at ed by a
chain or a w ir e r ope connect ed t o t he m ak eup cat head or t he br eak out cat head.
lif t in g su b n: a t hr eaded dev ice placed in t he end of t ubular s, such as dr ill collar s t o aid in lift ing; also
called hoist ing plug .
lin e r n: 1. a st r ing of pipe used t o case open hole below ex ist ing casing. A liner ex t ends fr om t he set t ing
dept h up int o anot her st r ing of casing, usually ov er lapping about 100 feet ( 30. 5 m et er s) abov e t he low er
end of t he int er m ediat e or t he oil st r ing. Liner s ar e near ly alw ay s suspended fr om t he upper st r ing by a
hanger dev ice. 2. a r elat iv ely shor t lengt h of pipe w it h holes or slot s t hat is placed opposit e a pr oducing
for m at ion. Usually , such liner s ar e w r apped w it h specially shaped w ir e t hat is designed t o pr ev ent t he
ent r y of loose sand int o t he w ell as it is pr oduced. They ar e also oft en used w it h a gr av el pack . 3. in j et
per for at ion guns, a conically shaped m et allic piece t hat is par t of a shaped char ge. I t incr eases t he
efficiency of t he char ge by incr easing t he penet r at ing abilit y of t he j et . 4. a r eplaceable t ube t hat fit s
inside t he cy linder of an engine or a pum p. See cy linder liner .
lin e r com p le t ion n: a w ell com plet ion in w hich a liner is used t o obt ain com m unicat ion bet w een t he
r eser v oir and t he w ellbor e.
lin e r h a n g e r n: a slip dev ice t hat at t aches t he liner t o t he casing. See liner .
loca t ion n: t he place w her e a w ell is dr illed. Also called w ell sit e.
log n: a sy st em at ic r ecor ding of dat a, such as a dr iller ’s log, m ud log, elect r ical w ell log, or r adioact iv it y
log. Many differ ent logs ar e r un in w ells t o discer n v ar ious char act er ist ics of dow nhole for m at ion. v : t o
r ecor d dat a.
log a w e ll v : t o r un any of t he v ar ious logs used t o ascer t ain dow nhole infor m at ion about a w ell.
log g in g d e v ice s n pl: any of sev er al elect r ical, acoust ical, m echanical, or r adioact iv it y dev ices t hat ar e
used t o m easur e and r ecor d cer t ain char act er ist ics or ev ent s t hat occur in a w ell t hat has been or is
being dr illed.
lon g st r in g n: 1. t he last st r ing of casing set in a w ell. 2. t he st r ing of casing t hat is set at t he t op of or
t hr ough t he pr oducing zone, oft en called t he oil st r ing or pr oduct ion casing.
lost cir cu la t ion n: t he quant it ies of w hole m ud lost t o a for m at ion, usually in cav er nous, pr essur ed, or
coar sely per m eable beds. Ev idenced by t he com plet e or par t ial failur e of t he m ud t o r et ur n t o t he sur face
as it is being cir culat ed in t he hole.
lost p ip e n: dr ill pipe, dr ill collar s, t ubing, or casing t hat has becom e separ at ed in t he hole fr om t he par t
of t he pipe r eaching t he sur face, necessit at ing it s r em ov al befor e nor m al oper at ions can pr oceed; for
ex am ple, a fish.
lost t im e in cid e n t n: an incident in t he w or k place t hat r esult s in an inj ur y ser ious enough t hat causes
t he per son inj ur ed t o be unable t o w or k for a day or m or e.
lu br ica t or n: a specially fabr icat ed lengt h of casing or t ubing usually placed t em por ar ily abov e a v alv e
on t op of t he casinghead or t ubing head. I t is used t o r un sw abbing or per for at ing t ools int o a pr oducing
w ell and pr ov ides a m et hod for sealing off pr essur e and t hus should be r at ed for highest ant icipat ed
pr essur e.
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[ sk ip n av ig at ion al lin k s]
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Home General Safety Site Preparation Drilling Well Completion Servicing Plug and Abandon the Well
Glossa r y of Te r m s
A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
m a k e a con n e ct ion v : t o at t ach a j oint or st and of dr ill pipe ont o t he dr ill st em suspended in t he
w ellbor e t o per m it deepening t he w ellbor e by t he lengt h of t he pipe.
m a k e u p v : 1. t o assem ble and j oin par t s t o for m a com plet e unit ( for ex am ple, t o m ak e up a st r ing of
dr ill pipe) . 2. t o scr ew t oget her t w o t hr eaded pieces. Com par e br eak out . 3. t o m ix or pr epar e ( for
ex am ple, t o m ak e up a t ank of m ud) . 4 . t o com pensat e for ( for ex am ple, t o m ak e up for lost t im e) .
m a k e u p t on g s n pl: t ongs used for scr ew ing one lengt h of pipe int o anot her for m ak ing up a j oint .
Com par e br eak out t ongs. See also t ongs.
m a le con n e ct ion n: a pipe, coupling, or t ool t hat has t hr eads on t he out side so t hat it can be j oined t o
a fem ale connect ion.
m a n d r e l n: a cy lindr ical bar , spindle, or shaft ar ound w hich ot her par t s ar e ar r anged or at t ached or t hat
fit s inside a cy linder or t ube.
m a st n: a por t able der r ick t hat is capable of being r aised as a unit , as dist inguished fr om a
st andar d der r ick , w hich cannot be r aised t o a w or k ing posit ion as a unit . For t r anspor t ing by
land, t he m ast can be div ided int o t w o or m or e sect ions t o av oid ex cessiv e lengt h ex t ending
fr om t r uck beds on t he highw ay .
m a st e r bu sh in g n: a dev ice t hat fit s int o t he r ot ar y t able t o accom m odat e t he slips and
dr iv e t he k elly bushing so t hat t he r ot at ing m ot ion of t he r ot ar y t able can be t r ansm it t ed t o
t he k elly .
m a st e r v a lv e n: 1. a lar ge v alv e locat ed on t he Chr ist m as t r ee and used t o cont r ol t he flow of oil and
gas fr om a w ell. Also called m ast er gat e.
m e ch a n ica l j a r n: a per cussion t ool oper at ed m echanically t o giv e an upw ar d t hr ust t o a fish by t he
sudden r elease of a t r ipping dev ice inside t he t ool. I f t he fish can be fr eed by an upw ar d blow , t he
m echanical j ar can be v er y effect iv e.
m e ch a n ica l log n: a log of, for inst ance, r at e of penet r at ion or am ount of gas in t he m ud, obt ained at
t he sur face by m echanical m eans. See m ud logging.
m e ch a n ica l r ig n: a dr illing r ig in w hich t he sour ce of pow er is one or m or e int er nal -com bust ion engines
and in w hich t he pow er is dist r ibut ed t o r ig com ponent s t hr ough m echanical dev ices ( such as chains,
spr ock et s, clut ches, and shaft s) . Also called a pow er r ig. Com par e elect r ic r ig.
m ill n: a dow nhole t ool w it h r ough, shar p, ex t r em ely har d cut t ing sur faces for r em ov ing m et al, pack er s,
cem ent , sand, or scale by gr inding or cut t ing.
m iscib le d r iv e n: a m et hod of enhanced r ecov er y in w hich v ar ious hy dr ocar bon solv ent s or gases ( such
as pr opane, LPG, nat ur al gas, car bon diox ide, or a m ix t ur e t her eof) ar e inj ect ed int o t he r eser v oir t o
r educe int er facial for ces bet w een oil and w at er in t he por e channels and t hus displace oil fr om t he
r eser v oir r ock . See chem ical flooding, gas inj ect ion.
m ix in g t a n k n: any t ank or v essel used t o m ix com ponent s of a subst ance ( as in t he m ix ing of addit iv es
w it h dr illing m ud) .
m on it or n: an inst r um ent t hat r epor t s t he per for m ance of a cont r ol dev ice or signals if unusual
condit ions appear in a sy st em .
m on k e y b oa r d n: t he der r ick hand’ s w or k ing plat for m . As pipe or t ubing is r un int o or out
of t he hole, t he der r ick hand m ust handle t he t op end of t he pipe, w hich m ay be as high
as 90 feet ( 27 m et er s) or higher in t he der r ick or m ast .
m ot or n: any of v ar ious pow er unit s, such as a hy dr aulic, int er nal com bust ion, air , or elect r ic dev ice,
t hat dev elops ener gy or im par t s m ot ion. Com par e engine.
m ot or m a n n: see m ot or hand.
m u d ce n t r if u g e n: a dev ice t hat uses cent r ifugal for ce t o separ at e sm all solid com ponent s fr om liquid
dr illing fluid.
m u d cle a n e r n : a con e-shaped dev ice, a hy dr ocy clone, designed t o r em ov e v er y fine solid par t icles fr om
t he dr illing m ud.
m u d e n g in e e r n: an em ploy ee of a dr illing fluid supply com pany w hose dut y it is t o t est and m aint ain
t he dr illing m ud pr oper t ies t hat ar e specified by t he oper at or .
m u d h op p e r n: see hopper .
m u d lin e n: a m ud r et ur n line.
m u d log g in g n: t he r ecor ding of infor m at ion der iv ed fr om ex am inat ion and analy sis of for m at ion
cut t ings m ade by t he bit and of m ud cir culat ed out of t he hole. A por t ion of t he m ud is div er t ed t hr ough
a gas -det ect ing dev ice. Cut t ings br ought up by t he m ud ar e ex am ined under ult r av iolet light t o det ect
t he pr esence of oil or gas. Mud logging is oft en car r ied out in a por t able labor at or y set up at t he w ell sit e.
m u d pit n: or iginally , an open pit dug in t he gr ound t o hold dr illing fluid or w ast e
m at er ials discar ded aft er t he t r eat m ent of dr illing m ud. For som e dr illing oper at ions,
m ud pit s ar e used for suct ion t o t he m ud pum ps, set t ling of m ud sedim ent s, and
st or age of r eser v e m ud. St eel t ank s ar e m uch m or e com m only used for t hese
pur poses now , but t hey ar e st ill usually r efer r ed t o as pit s.
m u d p u m p n: a lar ge, high-pr essur e r ecipr ocat ing pum p used t o cir culat e t he m ud
on a dr illing r ig. A t y pical m ud pum p is a t w o or t hr ee- cy linder pist on pum p w hose
r eplaceable pist ons t r av el in r eplaceable liner s and ar e dr iv en by a cr ank shaft
act uat ed by an engine or a m ot or .
m u d t a n k n: one of a ser ies of open t ank s, usually m ade of st eel plat e, t hr ough
w hich t he dr illing m ud is cy cled t o r em ov e sand and fine sedim ent s.
m u d w e ig h t n: a m easur e of t he densit y of a dr illing fluid ex pr essed as pounds per gallon, pounds per
cubic foot , or k ilogr am s per cubic m et r e. Mud w eight is dir ect ly r elat ed t o t he am ount of pr essur e t he
colum n of dr illing m ud ex er t s at t he bot t om of t he hole.
m u lt ip le com p le t ion n: an ar r angem ent for pr oducing a w ell in w hich one w ellbor e penet r at es t w o or
m or e pet r oleum -bear ing for m at ions. I n one t y pe, m ult iple t ubing st r ings ar e suspended side by side in
t he pr oduct ion casing st r ing, each a differ ent lengt h and each pack ed t o pr ev ent t he com m ingling of
differ ent r eser v oir fluids. Each r eser v oir is t hen pr oduced t hr ough it s ow n t ubing st r ing. Alt er nat iv ely , a
sm all diam et er pr oduct ion casing st r ing m ay be pr ov ided for each r eser v oir , as in m ult iple m iniat ur ized
or m ult iple t ubingless com plet ions. See dual com plet ion.
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[ sk ip n av ig at ion al lin k s]
Se a r ch Ad v a n ce d Se a r ch | A- Z I ndex
Home General Safety Site Preparation Drilling Well Completion Servicing Plug and Abandon the Well
Glossa r y of Te r m s
A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
n e u t r o n lo g n: a r adioact iv it y w ell log used t o det er m ine for m at ion por osit y . The logging t ool bom bar ds
t he for m at ion w it h neut r ons. When t he neut r ons st r ik e hy dr ogen at om s in w at er or oil, gam m a r ay s ar e
r eleased. Since w at er or oil ex ist s only in por e spaces, a m easur em ent of t he gam m a r ay s indicat es
for m at ion por osit y . See r adioact iv it y w ell logging.
n ig h t t oolp u sh e r n: an assist ant t oolpusher w hose dut y hour s ar e t y pically dur ing night t im e hour s. Also
k now n as a t our pusher .
n ipple n: a t ubular pipe fit t ing t hr eaded on bot h ends used for m ak ing connect ions bet w een pipe j oint s
and ot her t ools.
n ipple u p v : in dr illing, t o assem ble t he blow out pr ev ent er st ack on t he w ellhead at t he sur face.
n it r o sh oot in g n: a for m at ion- st im ulat ion pr ocess fir st used about 1 0 0 y ear s ago in Pennsy lv ania.
Nit r ogly cer ine is placed in a w ell and ex ploded t o fr act ur e.
n or m a l cir cu la t ion n: t he sm oot h, unint er r upt ed cir culat ion of dr illing fluid dow n t he dr ill st em , out t he
bit , up t he annular space bet w een t he pipe and t he hole, and back t o t he sur face.
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[ sk ip n av ig at ion al lin k s]
Se a r ch Ad v a n ce d Se a r ch | A- Z I ndex
Home General Safety Site Preparation Drilling Well Completion Servicing Plug and Abandon the Well
Glossa r y of Te r m s
A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
Occu p a t ion a l Sa f e t y a n d H e a lt h Ad m in ist r a t ion ( OSH A) n: a U. S. gov er nm ent enfor cem ent agency
t hat conduct s w or k sit e inspect ions and incident inv est igat ions, r esear ch int o t he causes of occupat ional
diseases and accident s. Addr ess: Depar t m ent of Labor ; 200 Const it ut ion Av enue, NW; Washingt on, DC
2 0 2 1 0 ; ( 8 0 0 ) 3 2 1 -OSHA.
oil n: a sim ple or com plex liquid m ix t ur e of hy dr ocar bons t hat can be r efined t o y ield gasoline, k er osene,
diesel fuel, and v ar ious ot her pr oduct s.
oil - b a se m u d n: a dr illing or w or k ov er fluid in w hich oil is t he cont inuous phase and w hich cont ains fr om
less t han 2 per cent and up t o 5 per cent w at er . This w at er is spr ead out , or disper sed, in t he oil as sm all
dr oplet s. See oil m ud.
oil - e m u lsion m u d n: a w at er -base m ud in w hich w at er is t he cont inuous phase and oil is t he disper sed
phase.
oilfie ld n: t he sur face ar ea ov er ly ing an oil r eser v oir or r eser v oir s. The t er m usually includes not only
t he sur face ar ea, but also t he r eser v oir , t he w ells, and t he pr oduct ion equipm ent .
oil m ud n: a dr illing m ud, such as, oil- base m u d an d in v er t- em ulsion m ud, in w hich oil is t he cont inuous
phase. I t is useful in dr illing cer t ain for m at ions t hat m ay be difficult or cost ly t o dr ill w it h w at er base m ud.
Com par e oil- em ulsion m ud.
oil sa n d n: 1 . a sandst one t hat y ields oil. 2 . ( by ex t ension) any r eser v oir t hat y ields oil, w het her or not
it is sandst one.
oil sa v e r n: a gland ar r angem ent t hat m echanically or hy dr aulically seals by pr essur e. I t is used t o
pr ev ent leak age and w ast e of gas, oil, or w at er ar ound a w ir eline ( as w hen sw abbing a w ell) .
oil sp ot t in g n: pum ping oil, or a m ix t ur e of oil and chem icals, t o a specific dept h in t he w ell t o lubr icat e
st uck dr ill collar s.
oil st r in g n: t he final st r ing of casing set in a w ell aft er t he pr oduct iv e capacit y of t he for m at ion has
been det er m ined t o be sufficient . Also called t he long st r ing or pr oduct ion casing.
oil z on e n: a for m at ion or hor izon of a w ell fr om w hich oil m ay be pr oduced. The oil zone is usually
im m ediat ely under t he gas zone and on t op of t he w at er zone if all t hr ee fluids ar e pr esent and
segr egat ed.
op e n f or m a t ion n: a pet r oleum - bear ing r ock w it h good por osit y and per m eabilit y .
op e n h ole n: 1. any w ellbor e in w hich casing has not been set . 2. open or cased hole in w hich no dr ill
pipe or t ubing is suspended. 3. t he por t ion of t he w ellbor e t hat has no casing.
op e n - h ole com ple t ion n: a m et hod of pr epar ing a w ell for pr oduct ion in w hich no pr oduct ion casing or
liner is set opposit e t he pr oducing for m at ion. Reser v oir fluids flow unr est r ict ed int o t he open w ellbor e.
op e n - h ole fish in g n: t he pr ocedur e of r ecov er ing lost or st uck equipm ent in an uncased w ellbor e.
op e r a t or n: t he per son or com pany , eit her pr opr iet or or lessee, act ually oper at ing a w ell or lease,
gener ally t he oil or gas com pany t hat engages t he dr illing, ser v ice, and w or k ov er cont r act or s.
ou t - of - g a u g e h ole n: a hole t hat is not in gauge; t hat is, it is sm aller or lar ger t han t he diam et er of t he
bit used t o dr ill it .
ov e r sh ot n: a fishing t ool t hat is at t ached t o t ubing or dr ill pipe and low er ed ov er t he out side w all of
pipe or suck er r ods lost or st uck in t he w ellbor e. A fr ict ion dev ice in t he ov er shot , usually eit her a bask et
or a spir al gr apple, fir m ly gr ips t he pipe, allow ing t he fish t o be pulled fr om t he hole.
ov e r t h r u st f a u lt n: a low - dip angle ( near ly hor izont al) r ev er se fault along w hich a lar ge displacem ent
has occur r ed. Som e ov er t hr ust s, such as m any of t hose in t he Rock y Mount ain Ov er t hr ust Belt , r epr esent
slippages of m any m iles.
O - r in g n: a cir cular seal com m on in t he oil field. O- r ings m ay be m ade of elast om er , r ubber , plast ic, or
st ainless st eel. To seal pr oper ly , t hey all r equir e enough pr essur e t o m ak e t hem defor m against a sealing
sur face.
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eTool Hom e | Sit e Pr epar at ion | Dr illin g | Well Com plet ion | Ser v icing | Plu g & Aban don Well
Gener al Safet y | Addit ion al Refer en ces | View in g/ Pr in t in g I n st r u ct ion s | Cr edit s | JSA
Safet y an d Healt h Topic | Sit e Map | I llust r at ed Glossar y | Glossar y of Ter m s
[ sk ip n av ig at ion al lin k s]
Se a r ch Ad v a n ce d Se a r ch | A- Z I ndex
Home General Safety Site Preparation Drilling Well Completion Servicing Plug and Abandon the Well
Glossa r y of Te r m s
A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
pa ck e r n: a piece of dow nhole equipm ent t hat consist s of a sealing dev ice, a holding or set t ing dev ice,
and an inside passage for fluids.
pa ck e r flu id n: a liquid, usually salt w at er or oil, but som et im es m ud, used in a w ell w hen a pack er is
bet w een t he t ubing and t he casing. Pack er fluid m ust be heav y enough t o shut off t he pr essur e of t he
for m at ion being pr oduced, and should not st iffen or set t le out of suspension ov er long per iods of t im e,
and m ust be non - cor r osive.
p a ck e r sq u e e z e m e t h od n: a squeeze cem ent ing m et hod in w hich a pack er is set t o for m a seal
bet w een t he w or k ing st r ing ( t he pipe dow n w hich cem ent is pum ped) and t he casing. Anot her pack er or
a cem ent plug is set below t he point t o be squeeze -cem ent ed. By set t ing pack er s, t he squeeze point is
isolat ed fr om t he r est of t he w ell.
p a ck in g a sse m b ly n: t he ar r angem ent of t he dow nhole t ools used in r unning and set t ing a pack er .
p a ck in g e le m e n t s n pl: t he set of dense r ubber , w asher- shaped pieces encir cling a pack er , w hich ar e
designed t o ex pand against casing or for m at ion face t o seal off t he annulus.
p a ck - off n: a dev ice w it h an elast om er pack ing elem ent t hat depends on pr essur e below t he pack ing t o
effect a seal in t he annulus. Used pr im ar ily t o r un or pull pipe under low or m oder at e pr essur es. Also
called a st ripper.
p a ck of f v : t o place a pack er in t he w ellbor e and act iv at e it so t hat it for m s a seal bet w een t he t ubing
and t he casing.
p a r a f f in n: a sat ur at ed aliphat ic hy dr ocar bon hav ing t he for m ula Cn H2n+ 2 ( for ex am ple, m et hane, CH 4 ;
et hane, C 2 H 6 ) . Heav ier par affin hy dr ocar bons ( for ex am ple, C18 H 38 ) for m a w ax lik e subst ance t hat is
called par affin. These heav ier par affins oft en accum ulat e on t he w alls of t ubing and ot her pr oduct ion
equipm ent , r est r ict ing or st opping t he flow of t he desir able light er par affins.
p a r a f f in scr a p e r n: a t ube w it h guides ar ound it t o k eep it cent er ed in t he hole, and a cy lindr ical piece
w it h blades at t ached. Spaces bet w een t he blades allow dr illing fluid t o pass t hr ough and car r y aw ay t he
scr apings.
p a r a lle l st r in g s n pl: in a m ult iple com plet ion, t he ar r angem ent of a separ at e t ubing st r ing for each
zone pr oduced, w it h all zones isolat ed by pack er s.
p a r t e d r o d s n pl: suck er r ods t hat hav e been br ok en and separ at ed in a pum ping w ell because of
cor r osion, im pr oper loading, dam aged r ods, and so for t h.
PD C b it n: a special t y pe of diam ond dr illing bit t hat does not use r oller cones.
p e r f or a t e v : t o pier ce t he casing w all and cem ent of a w ellbor e t o pr ov ide holes t hr ough w hich
for m at ion fluids m ay ent er or t o pr ov ide holes in t he casing so t hat m at er ials m ay be int r oduced int o t he
annulus bet w een t he casing and t he w all of t he bor ehole. Per for at ing is accom plished by low er ing int o
t he w ell a per for at ing gun, or per for at or .
pe r f or a t e d com ple t ion n: 1 . a w ell com plet ion m et hod in w hich t he pr oducing zone or zones ar e cased
t hr ough, cem ent ed, and per for at ed t o allow fluid flow int o t he w ellbor e. 2. a w ell com plet ed by t his
m et hod.
pe r for a t e d lin e r n: a liner t hat has had holes shot in it by a per for at ing gun.
p e r f or a t e d p ip e n: sect ions of pipe ( such as casing, liner , and t ail pipe) in w hich holes or slot s hav e
been cut befor e it is set .
p e r f or a t in g g u n n: a dev ice fit t ed w it h shaped char ges or bullet s t hat is low er ed t o t he desir ed dept h in
a w ell and fir ed t o cr eat e penet r at ing holes in casing, cem ent , and for m at ion.
p e r f or a t ion n: a hole m ade in t he casing, cem ent , and for m at ion t hr ough w hich for m at ion fluids ent er a
w ellbor e. Usually sev er al per for at ions ar e m ade at a t im e.
p e r f or a t ion d e p t h con t r ol log ( PD C log ) n: a special t y pe of nuclear log t hat m easur es t he dept h of
each casing collar . Know ing t he dept h of t he collar s m ak es it easy t o det er m ine t he ex act dept h of t he
for m at ion t o be per for at ed by cor r elat ing casing -collar dept h w it h for m at ion dept h.
p e r m a n e n t p a ck e r n: a nonr et r iev able t y pe of pack er t hat m ust be dr illed or m illed out for r em ov al.
pe r m e a bilit y n: 1. a m easur e of t he ease w it h w hich a fluid flow s t hr ough t he connect ing por e spaces of
a for m at ion or cem ent . The unit of m easur em ent is t he m illidar cy . 2. fluid conduct iv it y of a por ous
m edium . 3. abilit y of a fluid t o flow w it hin t he int er connect ed por e net w or k of a por ous m edium .
p e t r ole u m n: a subst ance occur r ing nat ur ally in t he ear t h in solid, liquid, or gaseous st at e and
com posed m ainly of m ix t ur es of chem ical com pounds of car bon and hy dr ogen, w it h or w it hout ot her
nonm et allic elem ent s such as sulfur , ox y gen, and nit r ogen. I n som e cases, especially in t he
m easur em ent of oil and gas, pet r oleum r efer s only t o oil —a liquid hy dr ocar bon —and does not include
nat ur al gas or gas liquids such as pr opane and but ane.
pilot n: a r odlik e or t ubelik e ex t ension below a dow nhole t ool, such as a m ill, t hat ser v es t o guide t he
t ool int o or ov er anot her dow nhole t ool or fish.
pilot bit n: a bit placed on a special dev ice t hat ser v es t o guide t he dev ice int o an alr eady ex ist ing hole
t hat is t o be opened ( m ade lar ger in diam et er ) . The pilot bit m er ely guides, or pilot s, t he cut t er s on t he
hole opener int o t he ex ist ing hole so t hat t he hole -opening cut t er s can enlar ge t he hole t o t he desir ed
size.
p ilo t m ill n: a special m ill t hat has a heav y t ubular ex t ension below it called a pilot or st inger . The pilot ,
sm aller in diam et er t han t he m ill, is designed t o go inside dr ill pipe or t ubing t hat is lost in t he hole. I t
guides t he m ill t o t he t op of t he pipe and cent er s it , t hus pr ev ent ing t he m ill fr om by -passing t he pipe.
Also called a pilot ed m ill.
pin n: 1. t he m ale t hr eaded sect ion of a t ool j oint . 2. on a bit , t he t hr eaded bit shank .
pipe n: a long, hollow cy linder , usually st eel, t hr ough w hich fluids ar e conduct ed. Oilfield t ubular goods
ar e casing ( including liner s) , dr ill pipe, t ubing, or line pipe.
pipe r a m n: a sealing com ponent for a blow out pr ev ent er t hat closes t he
annular space bet w een t he pipe and t he blow out pr ev ent er or w ellhead.
p ip e r a m p r e v e n t e r n: a blow out pr ev ent er t hat uses pipe r am s as t he closing elem ent s. See pipe r am .
pipe u pse t n: t hat par t of t he pipe t hat has an abr upt incr ease of dim ension.
pipe w ipe r n : a flex ible disk -shaped dev ice, usually m ade of r ubber , w it h a hole in t he cent er t hr ough
w hich dr ill pipe or t ubing passes. I t is used t o w ipe off m ud, oil, or ot her liquid fr om t he pipe as it is
pu lled fr om t h e h ole.
pit - le v e l in d ica t or n: one of a ser ies of dev ices t hat cont inuously m onit or t he lev el of t he dr illing m ud
in t he m ud t ank s. The indicat or usually consist s of float dev ices in t he m ud t ank s t hat sense t he m ud
lev el and t r ansm it dat a t o a r ecor ding and alar m dev ice ( a pit - v olum e r ecor der ) m ount ed near t he
driller ’ s posit ion on t he r ig floor . I f t he m ud lev el dr ops t oo low or r ises t oo high, t he alar m m ay sound t o
w ar n t he dr iller of lost cir culat ion or a k ick .
pit m a n n: t he ar m t hat connect s t he cr ank t o t he w alk ing beam on a pum ping unit by m eans of w hich
r ot ar y m ot ion is conv er t ed t o r ecipr ocat ing m ot ion.
plu g n: any obj ect or dev ice t hat block s a hole or passagew ay ( such as a cem ent plug in a bor ehole) .
plu g ba ck v : t o place cem ent in or near t he bot t om of a w ell t o ex clude bot t om w at er , t o sidet r ack , or t o
pr oduce fr om a for m at ion higher in t he w ell. Plugging back can also be accom plished w it h a m echanical
plug set by w ir eline, t ubing, or dr ill pipe.
plu g - b a ck ce m e n t in g n: a secondar y cem ent ing oper at ion in w hich a plug of cem ent is posit ioned at a
specific point in t he w ell and allow ed t o set .
p lu n g e r n: 1. a basic com ponent of t he suck er r od pum p t hat ser v es t o dr aw w ell fluids int o t he pum p.
2. t he r od t hat ser v es as a pist on in a r ecipr ocat ing pum p. 3. t he dev ice in a fuel -inj ect ion unit t hat
r egulat es t he am ount of fuel pum ped on each st r ok e.
pole m a st n: a por t able m ast const r uct ed of t ubular m em ber s. A pole m ast m ay be a single pole,
usually of t w o differ ent sizes of pipe t elescoped t oget her t o be m ov ed or ex t ended and lock ed t o obt ain
m ax im um height abov e a w ell. Double -pole m ast s giv e added st r engt h and st abilit y . See m ast .
polish e d r od n: t he t opm ost por t ion of a st r ing of suck er r ods. I t is used for lift ing fluid by t he r od-
pum ping m et hod. I t has a unifor m diam et er and is sm oot hly polished t o seal pr essur e effect iv ely in t he
st uffing box at t ached t o t he t op of t he w ell.
p oly cr y st a llin e d ia m on d com p a ct ( PD C) n: a disk ( a com pact ) of v er y sm all sy nt het ic diam onds,
m et al pow der , and t ungst en car bide pow der t hat ar e used as cut t er s on PDC bit s.
p or osit y n: 1. t he condit ion of being por ous ( such as a r ock for m at ion) . 2. t he r at io of t he v olum e of
em pt y space t o t he v olum e of solid r ock in a for m at ion, indicat ing how m uch fluid a r ock can hold.
p or t a b le m a st n: a m ast m ount ed on a t r uck and capable of being er ect ed as a single unit . See
t elescoping m ast .
possu m be lly n: 1 . a r eceiv ing t ank sit uat ed at t he end of t he m ud r et ur n line. The flow of m ud com es
int o t he bot t om of t he dev ice and t r av els t o cont r ol m ud flow ov er t he shale shak er . 2. a m et al box under
a t r uck bed t hat holds pipeline r epair t ools.
pr e flu sh n: 1. an inj ect ion of w at er pr ior t o chem ical flooding t hat is used t o induce r eser v oir condit ions
fav or able t o t he sur fact ant solut ion by adj ust ing r eser v oir salinit y and r educing ion concent r at ions. A
pr eflush m ay also be used t o obt ain adv ance infor m at ion on r eser v oir flow pat t er ns. 2. fluid inj ect ed pr ior
t o t he acid solut ion pum ped int o a w ell in an acid - st im ulat ion t r eat m ent ; som et im es called a spear head.
Com par e ov er flush.
p r e ssu r e d e p le t ion n: t he m et hod of pr oducing a gas r eser v oir t hat is not associat ed w it h a w at er
dr iv e. Gas is r em ov ed and r eser v oir pr essur e declines unt il all t he r ecov er able gas has been ex pelled.
p r e v e n t e r n: shor t ened for m of blow out pr ev ent er . See blow out pr ev ent er .
p r e v e n t iv e m a in t e n a n ce n: a sy st em of conduct ing r egular check s, r out ine m aint enance and t est ing of
equipm ent t o lengt hen t he ser v ice life and t o pot ent ially per m it r eplacem ent or r epair of w eak ened or
fault y par t s befor e equipm ent failur e r esult s.
p r im a r y r e cov e r y n: t he fir st st age of oil pr oduct ion in w hich nat ur al r eser v oir dr iv es ar e used t o
r ecov er oil, alt hough som e for m of ar t ificial lift m ay be r equir ed t o ex ploit declining r eser v oir dr iv es.
pr odu ct ion n: 1. t he phase of t he pet r oleum indust r y t hat deals w it h br inging t he w ell fluids t o t he
sur face and separ at ing t hem and st or ing, gauging, and ot her w ise pr epar ing t he pr oduct for deliv er y . 2 .
t he am ount of oil or gas pr oduced in a giv en per iod.
p r od u ct ion ca sin g n: t he last st r ing of casing set in a w ell, inside of w hich is usually suspended a
t ubing st r ing.
p r od u ct ion p a ck e r n: any pack er designed t o m ak e a seal bet w een t he t ubing and t he casing dur ing
pr oduct ion.
p r od u ct ion r ig n: a por t able ser v icing or w or k ov er unit , usually m ount ed on w heels and self - pr opelled.
A w ellser v icing unit consist s of a hoist and engine m ount ed on a w heeled chassis w it h a self - er ect ing
m ast . A w or k ov er r ig is basically t he sam e, w it h t he addit ion of a subst r uct ur e w it h r ot ar y , pum p, pit s,
and aux iliar ies t o per m it handling and w or k ing a dr ill st r ing.
p r od u ct ion t e st n: a t est of t he w ell ’s pr oducing pot ent ial usually done dur ing t he init ial com plet ion
phase.
p r op p in g a g e n t n: a gr anular subst ance ( sand gr ains, alum inum pellet s, or ot her m at er ial) t hat is
car r ied in suspension by t he fr act ur ing fluid and t hat ser v es t o k eep t he cr ack s open w hen fr act ur ing fluid
is w it hdr aw n aft er a fr act ur e t r eat m ent .
pu llin g u n it n: a well - ser v icing out fit used in pulling r ods and t ubing fr om t he w ell. See pr oduct ion r ig.
p u lse d n e u t r o n lo g g in g d e v ice n: a m easur ing inst r um ent r un inside casing t o obt ain an indicat ion of
t he pr esence or absence of hy dr ocar bons out side t he casing, t o det er m ine w at er sat ur at ion in a r eser v oir
behind casing, t o det ect w at er m ov em ent in t he r eser v oir , t o est im at e por osit y , and t o est im at e w at er
salinit y .
pu lse d - n e u t r on su r v e y n: a special cased hole logging m et hod t hat uses r adioact iv it y r eact ion t im e t o
obt ain m easur em ent s of w at er sat ur at ion, r esidual oil sat ur at ion, and fluid cont act s in t he for m at ion
out side t he casing of an oilw ell.
p u m p n: a dev ice t hat incr eases t he pr essur e on a fluid or r aises it t o a higher lev el. Var ious t y pes of
pum ps include t he bot t om hole pum p, cent r ifugal pum p, hy dr aulic pum p, j et pum p, m ud pum p,
r ecipr ocat ing pum p, r ot ar y pum p, suck er r od pum p, and subm er sible pum p.
p u m p - d ow n adj : descr ipt iv e of any t ool or dev ice t hat can be pum ped dow n a w ellbor e. Pum p- dow n
t ools ar e not low er ed int o t he w ell on w ir eline; inst ead, t hey ar e pum ped dow n t he w ell w it h t he dr illing
fluid.
p u m p in g u n it n: t he m achine t hat im par t s r ecipr ocat ing m ot ion t o a st r ing of suck er r ods ex t ending t o
t he posit iv e displacem ent pum p at t he bot t om of a w ell. I t is usually a beam ar r angem ent dr iv en by a
cr ank at t ached t o a speed r educer , coupled t o a m ot or .
p u m p j a ck n: a sur face unit sim ilar t o a pum ping unit but hav ing no indiv idual pow er plant . Usually ,
sev er al pum p j ack s ar e oper at ed by pull r ods or cables fr om one cent r al pow er sour ce.
p u p j oin t n: a lengt h of dr ill or line pipe, t ubing, or casing shor t er t han r ange 1 ( 18 feet or 6. 26 m et er s
for dr ill pipe) in lengt h.
TOP
eTool Hom e | Sit e Pr epar at ion | Dr illin g | Well Com plet ion | Ser v icing | Plu g & Aban don Well
Gener al Safet y | Addit ion al Refer en ces | View in g/ Pr in t in g I n st r u ct ion s | Cr edit s | JSA
Safet y an d Healt h Topic | Sit e Map | I llust r at ed Glossar y | Glossar y of Ter m s
[ sk ip n av ig at ion al lin k s]
Se a r ch Ad v a n ce d Se a r ch | A- Z I ndex
Home General Safety Site Preparation Drilling Well Completion Servicing Plug and Abandon the Well
Glossa r y of Te r m s
A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
r a ck n: 1. fr am ew or k for suppor t ing or cont aining a num ber of loose obj ect s, such as pipe. See pipe
r ack . 2. a bar w it h t eet h on one face for gear ing w it h a pinion or w or m gear . 3. a not ched bar used as a
r at chet . v : 1. t o place on a r ack . 2. t o use as a r ack .
r a d ioa ct iv it y log n: a r ecor d of t he nat ur al or induced r adioact iv e char act er ist ics of subsur face
for m at ions. Also called nuclear log. See r adioact iv it y w ell logging.
r a d ioa ct iv it y w e ll log g in g n: t he r ecor ding of t he nat ur al or induced r adioact iv e char act er ist ics of
subsur face for m at ions. A r adioact iv it y log, also k now n as a r adiat ion log or a nuclear log, nor m ally
consist s of t w o r ecor ded cur v es: a gam m a r ay cur v e and a neut r on cur v e. Bot h help t o det er m ine t he
t y pes of r ock s in t he for m at ion and t he t y pes of fluids cont ained in t he r ock s.
r a m n: t he closing and sealing com ponent on a blow out pr ev ent er . One of t hr ee t y pes—blind, pipe, or
sh ear —m ay be inst alled in sev er al pr ev ent er s m ount ed in a st ack on t op of t he w ellbor e. Blind r am s,
w hen closed, for m a seal on a hole t hat has no dr ill pipe in it ; pipe r am s, w hen closed, seal ar ound t he
pipe; shear r am s cut t hr ough dr ill pipe and t hen for m a seal.
r a t e of p e n e t r a t ion ( ROP) n: a m easur e of t he speed at w hich t he bit dr ills int o for m at ions, usually
ex pr essed in feet ( m et er s) per hour or m inut es per foot ( m et er ) .
r a t h ole con n e ct ion n: t he addit ion of a lengt h of dr ill pipe or t ubing t o t he act iv e
st r ing using t he r at hole inst ead of t he m ousehole, w hich is t he m or e com m on connect ion. The lengt h t o
be added is placed in t he r at hole, m ade up t o t he k elly , pulled out of t he r at hole, and m ade up int o t he
st r ing. Com par e m ousehole connect ion.
r a t h ole r ig n: a sm all, usually t r uck - m ount ed r ig, t he pur pose of w hich is t o dr ill r at holes for r egular
dr illing r igs t hat w ill be m ov ed in lat er . A r at hole r ig m ay also dr ill t he t op par t of t he hole, t he conduct or
hole, befor e t he m ain r ig ar r iv es on locat ion.
r e a m e r n: a t ool used in dr illing t o sm oot h t he w all of a w ell, enlar ge t he hole t o t he specified size, help
st abilize t he bit , st r aight en t he w ellbor e if k ink s or doglegs ar e encount er ed, and dr ill dir ect ionally .
r e cip r oca t in g m ot ion n: back - and-for t h or up- and- dow n m ov em ent , such as t hat of a pist on in a
cy linder .
r e cip r oca t in g p u m p n: a pum p consist ing of a pist on t hat m ov es back and for t h or up and dow n in a
cy linder . The cy linder is equipped w it h inlet ( suct ion) and out let ( dischar ge) v alv es. On t he int ak e st r ok e,
t he suct ion v alv es ar e opened, and fluid is dr aw n int o t he cy linder . On t he dischar ge st r ok e, t he suct ion
v alv es close, t he dischar ge v alv es open, and fluid is for ced out of t he cy linder .
r e com ple t ion n: aft er t he init ial com plet ion of a w ell, t he act ion and t echniques of r eent er ing t he w ell
and r edoing or r epair ing t he or iginal com plet ion t o r est or e t he w ell’s pr oduct iv it y .
r e m ot e BOP con t r ol p a n e l n: a dev ice placed on t he r ig floor t hat can be oper at ed by t he dr iller t o
dir ect air pr essur e t o act uat ing cy linder s t hat t ur n t he cont r ol v alv es on t he m ain BOP cont r ol unit ,
locat ed a safe dist ance fr om t he r ig.
r e m ot e ch ok e p a n e l n: a set of cont r ols, usually placed on t he r ig floor , or elsew her e on locat ion, t hat
is m anipulat ed t o cont r ol t he am ount of dr illing fluid being cir culat ed t hr ough t he chok e m anifold. This
pr ocedur e is necessar y w hen a k ick is being cir culat ed out of a w ell. See chok e m anifold.
r e se r v e s n pl: t he unpr oduced but r ecov er able oil or gas in a for m at ion t hat has
been pr ov ed by pr oduct ion.
r e se r v oir n: a subsur face, por ous, per m eable or nat ur ally fr act ur ed r ock body in w hich oil or gas ar e
st or ed. Most r eser v oir r ock s ar e lim est ones, dolom it es, sandst ones, or a com binat ion of t hese. The four
basic t y pes of hy dr ocar bon r eser v oir s ar e oil, v olat ile oil, dr y gas, and gas condensat e. An oil r eser v oir
gener ally cont ains t hr ee fluids —gas, oil, and w at er —w it h oil t he dom inant pr oduct . I n t he t y pical oil
r eser v oir , t hese fluids becom e v er t ically segr egat ed because of t heir differ ent densit ies. Gas, t he light est ,
occupies t he upper par t of t he r eser v oir r ock s; w at er , t he low er par t ; and oil, t he int er m ediat e sect ion.
I n addit ion t o it s occur r ence as a cap or in solut ion, gas m ay accum ulat e independent ly of t he oil; if so,
t he r eser v oir is called a gas r eser v oir . Associat ed w it h t he gas, in m ost inst ances, ar e salt w at er and
som e oil. Volat ile oil r eser v oir s ar e ex cept ional in t hat dur ing ear ly pr oduct ion t hey ar e m ost ly pr oduct iv e
of light oil plus gas, but , as deplet ion occur s, pr oduct ion can becom e alm ost t ot ally com plet ely gas.
Volat ile oils ar e usually good candidat es for pr essur e m aint enance, w hich can r esult in incr eased
r eser v es. I n t he t y pical dr y gas r eser v oir nat ur al gas ex ist s only as a gas and pr oduct ion is only gas plus
fr esh w at er t hat condenses fr om t he flow st r eam r eser v oir . I n a gas condensat e r eser v oir , t he
hy dr ocar bons m ay ex ist as a gas, but , w hen br ought t o t he sur face, som e of t he heav ier hy dr ocar bons
condense and becom e a liquid.
r e se r v oir oil n: oil in place in t he r eser v oir ; r et ained in a r eser v oir as r esidual gas sat ur at ion is an
inv er se funct ion of t he pr essur e, due t o t he phy sics of gas.
r e se r v oir p r e ssu r e n: t he av er age pr essur e w it hin t he r eser v oir at any giv en t im e. Det er m inat ion of
t his v alue is best m ade by bot t om hole pr essur e m easur em ent s w it h adequat e shut -in t im e. I f a shut - in
per iod long enough for t he r eser v oir pr essur e t o st abilize is im pr act ical, t hen v ar ious t echniques of
analy sis by pr essur e buildup or dr aw dow n t est s ar e av ailable t o det er m ine st at ic r eser v oir pr essur e.
r e se r v oir r ock n: a per m eable r ock t hat m ay cont ain oil or gas in appr eciable quant it y and t hr ough
w hich pet r oleum m ay m igr at e.
r e sist iv it y n: t he elect r ical r esist ance offer ed t o t he passage of cur r ent ; t he opposit e of conduct iv it y .
r e sist iv it y log n: a r ecor d of t he r esist iv it y of a for m at ion. Usually obt ained w hen an elect r ic log is r un.
See r esist iv it y w ell logging.
r e sist iv it y w e ll log g in g n: t he r ecor ding of t he r esist ance of for m at ion w at er t o nat ur al or induced
elect r ical cur r ent . The m iner al cont ent of subsur face w at er allow s it t o conduct elect r icit y . Rock , oil, and
gas ar e poor conduct or s. Resist iv it y m easur em ent s can be cor r elat ed t o for m at ion lit hology , por osit y ,
per m eabilit y , and sat ur at ion and ar e v er y useful in for m at ion ev aluat ion.
r e v e r se cir cu la t ion n: t he cour se of dr illing fluid dow nw ar d t hr ough t he annulus and upw ar d t hr ough
t he dr ill st em , in cont r ast t o nor m al cir culat ion in w hich t he cour se is dow nw ar d t hr ough t he dr ill st em
and upw ar d t hr ough t he annulus. Seldom used in open hole, but fr equent ly used in w or k ov er oper at ions.
r e w or k v : t o r est or e pr oduct ion fr om an ex ist ing for m at ion w hen it has fallen off subst ant ially or ceased
alt oget her .
rig n: t he der r ick or m ast , dr aw w or k s, and at t endant sur face equipm ent of a dr illing or w or k ov er unit .
r ig d ow n v : t o dism ant le a dr illing r ig and aux iliar y equipm ent follow ing t he com plet ion of dr illing
oper at ions. Also called t ear dow n.
r ig floor n: t he ar ea im m ediat ely ar ound t he r ot ar y t able and ex t ending t o each cor ner of t he der r ick or
m ast —t hat is, t he ar ea im m ediat ely abov e t he subst r uct ur e on w hich t he r ot ar y t able, and so for t h r est .
r ig u p v : t o pr epar e t he dr illing r ig for m ak ing hole, for ex am ple, t o inst all t ools and m achiner y befor e
dr illing is st ar t ed.
r od st r in g n: a suck er r od st r ing, t hat is, t he ent ir e lengt h of suck er r ods, w hich usually consist s of
sev er al single r ods scr ew ed t oget her . The r od st r ing ser v es as a m echanical link fr om t he beam pum ping
unit on t he sur face t o t he suck er r od pum p near t he bot t om of t he w ell.
r olle r ch a in n: a t y pe of chain t hat is used t o t r ansm it pow er by fit t ing ov er spr ock et s at t ached t o
shaft s, causing r ot at ion of one shaft by t he r ot at ion of anot her . Tr ansm ission r oller chain consist s of
offset link s, pin link s, and r oller link s.
r ot a r y n: t he m achine used t o im par t r ot at ional pow er t o t he dr ill st em w hile per m it t ing v er t ical
m ov em ent of t he pipe for r ot ar y dr illing. Moder n r ot ar y m achines hav e a special com ponent , t he r ot ar y
or m ast er bushing, t o t ur n t he k elly bushing, w hich per m it s v er t ical m ov em ent of t he k elly w hile t he
st em is t ur ning.
r ot a r y b u sh in g n: see m ast er bushing.
r ot a r y dr illin g n: a dr illing m et hod in w hich a hole is dr illed by a r ot at ing bit t o w hich a dow nw ar d for ce
is applied. The bit is fast ened t o and r ot at ed by t he dr ill st em , w hich also pr ov ides a passagew ay t hr ough
w hich t he dr illing fluid is cir culat ed. Addit ional j oint s of dr ill pipe ar e added as dr illing pr ogr esses.
r ot a r y sp e e d n: t he speed, m easur ed in r ev olut ions per m inut e, at w hich t he r ot ar y t able is oper at ed.
r ot a r y su ppor t t a ble n: a st r ong but r elat iv ely light w eight dev ice used on som e r igs t hat em ploy a t op
dr iv e t o r ot at e t he bit . Alt hough a conv ent ional r ot ar y t able is not r equir ed t o r ot at e t he bit on such r igs,
cr ew m em ber s m ust st ill hav e a place t o set t he slips t o suspend t he dr ill st r ing in t he hole w hen t r ipping
or m ak ing a connect ion. A r ot ar y suppor t t able pr ov ides such a place but does not include all t he r ot ar y
m achiner y r equir ed in a r egular r ot ar y t able.
r ou g h n e ck n: see r ot ar y helper .
r ou n d t r ip n: t he pr ocedur e of pulling out and subsequent ly r unning back int o t he hole a st r ing of dr ill
pipe or t ubing. Also called t r ipping.
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eTool Hom e | Sit e Pr epar at ion | Dr illin g | Well Com plet ion | Ser v icing | Plu g & Aban don Well
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Se a r ch Ad v a n ce d Se a r ch | A- Z I ndex
Home General Safety Site Preparation Drilling Well Completion Servicing Plug and Abandon the Well
Glossa r y of Te r m s
A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
sa f e t y cla m p n: a clam p placed t ight ly ar ound a dr ill collar t hat is suspended in t he r ot ar y t able by dr ill
collar slips.
sa fe t y slide n: a dev ice nor m ally m ount ed near t he m onk ey boar d t o affor d t he der r ick hand a m eans of
quick ex it t o t he sur face in case of em er gency . I t is usually affix ed t o a w ir eline, one end of w hich is
at t ached t o t he der r ick or m ast and t he ot her end t o t he sur face. To ex it by t he safet y slide, t he
der r ick hand gr asps a handle on it and r ides it dow n t o t he gr ound. Also called a Ger onim o.
sa lin it y log n: a special nuclear w ell log t hat pr oduces an est im at e of t he r elat iv e am ount s of oil, gas, or
salt w at er in a for m at ion. This log is elect r onically adj ust ed t o r eflect gam m a r ay em issions r esult ing
fr om t he collision of neut r ons w it h chlor ine at om s in t he for m at ions.
sa m p le s n pl: 1. t he w ell cut t ings obt ained at designat ed foot age int er v als dur ing dr illing. Fr om an
ex am inat ion of t hese cut t ings, t he geologist det er m ines t he t y pe of r ock and for m at ions being dr illed and
est im at es oil and gas cont ent . 2. sm all quant it ies of w ell fluids obt ained for analy sis.
sa n d n: 1. an abr asiv e m at er ial com posed of sm all quar t z gr ains for m ed fr om t he disint egr at ion of pr e-
ex ist ing r ock s.
sa n d con solid a t ion n: any one of sev er al m et hods by w hich t he loose, unconsolidat ed gr ains of a
pr oducing for m at ion ar e m ade t o adher e t o pr ev ent a w ell fr om pr oducing sand but per m it it t o pr oduce
oil and gas.
sa n d co n t r o l n: any m et hod by w hich lar ge am ount s of sand in a sandy for m at ion ar e pr ev ent ed fr om
ent er ing t he w ellbor e. Sand in t he w ellbor e can cause plugging and pr em at ur e w ear of w ell equipm ent .
sa n dfr a c n: m et hod of fr act ur ing subsur face r ock for m at ions by inj ect ing fluid and sand under high
pr essur e t o incr ease per m eabilit y . Fr act ur es ar e k ept open by t he gr ains of sand.
sa n d lin e n: a w ir eline used on dr illing r igs and w ell-ser v icing r igs t o oper at e a sw ab or bailer , t o r et r iev e
cor es or t o r un logging dev ices. I t is usually 9/ 16 of an inch ( 14 m illim et er s) in diam et er and sev er al
t housand feet or m et er s long.
sa n d st on e n: a sedim ent ar y r ock com posed of indiv idual m iner al gr ains of r ock fr agm ent s bet w een 0 . 0 6
and 2 m illim et er s ( 0. 002 and 0. 079 inches) in diam et er and cem ent ed t oget her by silica, calcit e, ir on
ox ide, and so for t h.
sa v e r su b n: an ex pendable subst it ut e dev ice m ade up in t he dr ill st em t o absor b m uch of t he w ear
bet w een t he fr equent ly br ok en j oint s ( such as bet w een t he k elly or t op dr iv e and t he dr ill pipe) .
sca le n: 1. a m iner al deposit ( for ex am ple, calcium car bonat e) t hat pr ecipit at es out of w at er and
adher es t o t he inside of pipes, heat er s, and ot her equipm ent . 2. an or der ed set of gauge m ar k s t oget her
w it h t heir defining figur es, w or ds, or sy m bols w it h r elat ion t o w hich posit ion of t he index is obser v ed
w hen r eading an inst r um ent .
scr a p e r n: any dev ice t hat is used t o r em ov e deposit s ( such as scale or par affin) fr om t ubing, casing,
r ods, flow lines, or pipelines.
scr a t ch e r n: a dev ice t hat is fast ened t o t he out side of casing t o r em ov e m ud cak e fr om t he w all of a
hole t o condit ion t he hole for cem ent ing.
se con d a r y r e cov e r y n: 1. t he use of w at er -flooding or gas inj ect ion t o m aint ain for m at ion pr essur e
dur ing pr im ar y pr oduct ion and t o r educe t he r at e of decline of t he or iginal r eser v oir dr iv e. 2. w at er -
flooding of a deplet ed r eser v oir . 3. t he fir st im pr ov ed r ecov er y m et hod of any t y pe applied t o a r eser v oir
t o pr oduce oil not r ecov er able by pr im ar y r ecov er y m et hods. See pr im ar y r ecov er y .
se r v ice com p a n y n: a com pany t hat pr ov ides a specialized ser v ice, such as a w ell - logging ser v ice or a
dir ect ional dr illing ser v ice.
se r v ice w e ll n: 1 . a nonpr oducing w ell used for inj ect ing liquid or gas int o t he r eser v oir for enhanced
r ecov er y . 2 . a salt w at er disposal w ell or a w at er supply w ell.
se t b a ck v : t o place st ands of dr ill pipe and dr ill collar s in a v er t ical posit ion t o one side of t he r ot ar y
t able in t he der r ick or m ast of a dr illing or w or k ov er r ig. Com par e lay dow n pipe.
se t ca sin g v : t o r un and cem ent casing at a cer t ain dept h in t he w ellbor e. Som et im es called set pipe.
sh a le n : a f in e- gr ained sedim ent ar y r ock com posed m ost ly of consolidat ed clay or m ud. Shale is t he
m ost fr equent ly occur r ing sedim ent ar y r ock .
sh a le sh a k e r n: a v ibr at ing scr een used t o r em ov e cut t ings fr om t he cir culat ing
fluid in r ot ar y dr illing oper at ions. Also called a shak er .
sh e a v e ( pr onounced " shiv " ) n: 1. a gr oov ed pulley . 2. suppor t w heel ov er w hich t ape, w ir e, or cable
r ides.
sh ou lde r n: 1. t he flat por t ion m achined on t he base of t he bit shank t hat m eet s t he shoulder of t he dr ill
collar and ser v es t o for m a pr essur e - t ight seal bet w een t he bit and t he dr ill collar . 2. t he por t ion of t he
box end or t he pin end of a t ool j oint ; t he t w o shoulder s m eet w hen t he t ool j oint is connect ed and for m
a pr essu r e- t ight seal.
sh u t in v : 1. t o close t he v alv es on a w ell so t hat it st ops pr oducing. 2. t o close in a w ell in w hich a k ick
has occur r ed.
side t r a ck v : t o use a w hipst ock , t ur bodr ill, or ot her m ud m ot or t o dr ill ar ound t he or iginal planned pat h
of t he w ell.
sin gle - pole r ig n: a well - ser v icing unit w hose m ast consist s of but one st eel t ube, usually about 65 feet
( 19.8 m et er s) long.
sin k e r b a r n: a heav y w eight or bar placed on or near a light w eight w ir eline t ool. The bar pr ov ides
w eight so t hat t he t ool w ill low er pr oper ly int o t he w ell.
sla ck of f v : t o low er a load or ease up on a line. A dr iller w ill slack off on t he br ak e t o put addit ional
w eigh t on t h e bit .
slip - a n d - cu t of f p r og r a m n: a pr ocedur e t o ensur e t hat t he dr illing line w ear s ev enly t hr oughout it s life.
Aft er a specified num ber of t on -m iles ( m egaj oules) of use, t he line is slipped—for ex am ple, t he t r av eling
block is suspended in t he der r ick or pr opped on t he r ig floor so t hat it cannot m ov e, t he deadline anchor
bolt s ar e loosened, and t he dr illing line is spooled ont o t he dr aw w or k s dr um . Enough line is slipped t o
change t he m aj or point s of w ear on t he line, such as w her e it passes t hr ough t he sheav es. To pr ev ent
ex cess line fr om accum ulat ing on t he dr aw w or k s dr um , t he w or n line is cut off and discar ded.
slip b ow l n: a dev ice in a r ot ar y t able or ot her t ool int o w hich t ubing or dr ill pipe it is w r apped w it h
specially shaped w ir e t hat is designed t o pr ev ent t he ent r y of loose sand int o t he w ell as it is pr oduced. I t
is also oft en used w it h a gr av el pack .
slip s n: w edge -shaped pieces of m et al w it h t eet h or ot her gr ipping elem ent s t hat ar e used
t o pr ev ent pipe fr om slipping dow n int o t he hole. Rot ar y slips fit ar ound t he dr ill pipe and
w edge against t he m ast er bushing t o suppor t t he pipe. Pow er slips ar e pneum at ically or
hy dr aulically act uat ed dev ices. Pack er s and ot her dow n hole equipm ent ar e secur ed in
posit ion by slips t hat engage t he pipe by act ion dir ect ed at t he sur face.
slou g h in g h ole n: a condit ion w her ein shale t hat has absor bed w at er fr om t he dr illing
fluid ex pands, sloughs off, and falls dow nhole. A sloughing hole can j am t he dr ill st r ing
and block cir culat ion.
slu g n: a quant it y of fluid inj ect ed int o a r eser v oir t o accom plish a specific pur pose, such as chem ical
displacem ent of oil.
slu r r y n: 1. in dr illing, a plast ic m ix t ur e of cem ent and w at er t hat is pum ped int o a w ell t o har den. Ther e
it suppor t s t he casing and pr ov ides a seal in t he w ellbor e t o pr ev ent m igr at ion of under gr ound fluids. 2. a
m ix t ur e in w hich solids ar e suspended in a liquid.
solu t ion g a s n: light er hy dr ocar bons t hat ex ist as a liquid under r eser v oir condit ions but t hat effer v esce
as gas w hen pr essur e is r eleased dur ing pr oduct ion.
son ic log n: a t y pe of acoust ic log t hat r ecor ds t he t r av el t im e of sounds t hr ough obj ect s, cem ent , or
for m at ion r ock s. Oft en used t o det er m ine w het her v oids ex ist in t he cem ent behind t he casing in a
w ellbor e.
sou r cor r osion n: em br it t lem ent and subsequent w ear ing aw ay of m et al caused by cont act of t he m et al
w it h hy dr ogen sulfide.
sou r cr u d e oil n: oil cont aining hy dr ogen sulfide or anot her acid gas.
SP abbr : spont aneous pot ent ial or self pot ent ial.
spe a r n: a fishing t ool used t o r et r iev e pipe lost in a w ell. The spear is low er ed dow n t he hole and int o
t he pipe being fished.
sp e e d r e d u ce r n: a set of gear s inst alled bet w een a pr im e m ov er and t he equipm ent it dr iv es t o r educe
t he r unning speed. For ex am ple, on a beam pum ping unit , t he engine m ay r un at a speed of 600
r ev olut ions per m inut e, but t he pum ping unit it dr iv es m ay need t o oper at e at 20 st r ok es per m inut e.
The speed r educer m ak es it possible t o obt ain t he cor r ect pum p speed.
sp e n t adj : descr ipt iv e of a subst ance w hose st r engt h or m er it has been ex haust ed in a pr ocess. For
ex am ple, aft er a w ell has been acidized, any acid t hat r em ains in t he w ell is said t o be a spent acid
because it s st r engt h has been used up in t he acidizing pr ocess.
sp in n in g w r e n ch n: air - pow er ed or hy dr aulically pow er ed w r ench used t o spin dr ill pipe in m ak ing or
br eak ing connect ions.
sp on t a n e ou s p ot e n t ia l ( SP) n: one of t he nat ur al elect r ical char act er ist ics ex hibit ed by a for m at ion as
m easur ed by a logging t ool low er ed int o t he w ellbor e. Also called self- pot ent ial or SP.
spot v : t o pum p a designat ed quant it y of a subst ance ( such as acid or cem ent ) int o a specific int er v al in
t he w ell. For ex am ple, 10 bar r els ( 1, 590 lit r es) of diesel oil m ay be spot t ed ar ound an ar ea in t he hole in
w hich dr ill collar s ar e st uck against t he w all of t he hole in an effor t t o fr ee t he collar s.
spu d v : 1. t o begin dr illing a w ell; such as, t o spud in. 2. t o for ce a w ir eline t ool or t ubing dow n t he hole
by using a r ecipr ocat ing m ot ion.
sp u d m u d n: t he fluid used w hen dr illing st ar t s at t he sur face, oft en a t hick bent onit e- lim e slur r y .
squ e e z e n: 1. a cem ent ing oper at ion in w hich cem ent is pum ped behind t he casing under high pr essur e
t o r ecem ent channeled ar eas or t o block off an uncem ent ed zone.
sq u e e z e ce m e n t in g n: t he for cing of cem ent slur r y by pr essur e t o specified point s in a w ell t o cause
seals at t he point s of squeeze. I t is a secondar y cem ent ing m et hod t hat is used t o isolat e a pr oducing
for m at ion, seal off w at er , r epair casing leak s, and so for t h. Com par e plug -back cem ent ing.
squ e e z e j ob n: a r em edial act iv it y w her eby a cem ent slur r y is pum ped int o open per for at ions, split
casing, or a fr act ur ed for m at ion, t o effect a block age.
sq u e e z e p a ck e r n: a dow nhole per m anent , or dr illable, pack er t hat is set by low er ing som e of t he
w eight of t he t ubing st r ing ont o t he pack er . The w eight ex pands t he pack er ’ s sealing elem ent t o pr ev ent
flow bet w een t he t ubing st r ing and t he casing below t he pack er .
squ e e z e t ool n: a special r et r iev able pack er set at a par t icular dept h in t he w ellbor e dur ing a squeeze
cem ent ing j ob. See also squeeze cem ent ing.
st a b iliz e r n: 1. a t ool placed on a dr ill collar near t he bit t hat is used, depending on w her e it is placed,
eit her t o m aint ain a par t icular hole angle or t o change t he angle by cont r olling t he locat ion of t he cont act
point bet w een t he hole and t he collar s.
st a ck n: 1. a v er t ical ar r angem ent of blow out pr ev ent ion equipm ent . Also called pr ev ent er st ack . See
blow out pr ev ent er . 2. t he v er t ical chim ney-lik e inst allat ion t hat is t he w ast e disposal sy st em for
unw ant ed v apor such as flue gases or t ail - gas st r eam s.
st a n d a r d d e r r ick n: a der r ick t hat is built piece by piece at t he dr illing locat ion, as opposed t o a
j ack k nife m ast , w hich is pr eassem bled. Com par e m ast .
st a n d p ip e n: a v er t ical pipe r ising along t he side of t he der r ick or m ast , w hich j oins
t he dischar ge line leading fr om t he m ud pum p t o t he r ot ar y hose and t hr ough w hich
m ud is pum ped going int o t he hole.
st e e l - t oot h bit n: a r oller cone bit in w hich t he sur face of each cone is m ade up of r ow s of st eel t eet h.
Also called a m illed bit , alt hough som e st eel t eet h ar e for ged.
st im u la t ion n: t he act ion of at t em pt ing t o im pr ov e and enhance a w ell’s per for m ance by t he applicat ion
of hor sepow er using pum ping equipm ent , placing sand in ar t ificially cr eat ed fr act ur es in r ock , or using
chem icals such as acid t o dissolv e t he soluble por t ion of t he r ock .
st r a igh t h ole n: a hole t hat is dr illed v er t ically . The t ot al hole angle is r est r ict ed, and t he hole does not
change dir ect ion r apidly .
st r in g n: t he ent ir e lengt h of casing, t ubing, suck er r ods, or dr ill pipe r un int o a hole.
st r in g u p v : t o t hr ead t he dr illing line t hr ough t he sheav es of t he cr ow n block and t r av eling block . One
end of t he line is secur ed t o t he hoist ing dr um and t he ot her t o t he dr ill -line anchor .
st r u ct u r a l m a st n: a por t able m ast const r uct ed of angular as opposed t o t ubular st eel m em ber s.
st u ck p ip e n: dr ill pipe, dr ill collar s, casing, or t ubing t hat has inadv er t ent ly becom e im m ov able in t he
hole. St ick ing m ay occur w hen dr illing is in pr ogr ess, w hen casing is being r un in t he hole, or w hen t he
dr ill pipe is being hoist ed.
st u ck poin t n: t he dept h in t he hole at w hich t he dr ill st em , t ubing, or casing is st uck . Also called fr eeze
point .
st u f f in g b ox n: a dev ice t hat pr ev ent s leak age along a pist on, r od, pr opeller shaft , or ot her m ov ing par t
t hat passes t hr ough a hole in a cy linder or v essel. I t consist s of a box or cham ber m ade by enlar ging t he
hole and a gland cont aining com pr essed pack ing. On a w ell being ar t ificially lift ed by m eans of a suck er
r od pum p, t he polished r od oper at es t hr ough a st uffing box , pr ev ent ing escape of oil and div er t ing it int o
a side out let t o w hich is connect ed t he flow line leading t o t he oil and gas separ at or or t o t he field
st or age t ank . For a bot t om hole pr essur e t est , t he w ir eline goes t hr ough a st uffing box and lubr icat or ,
allow ing t he gauge t o be r aised and low er ed against w ell pr essur e. The lubr icat or pr ov ides a pr essur e-
t ight gr ease seal in t he st uffing box .
sub n: a shor t , t hr eaded piece of pipe used t o adapt par t s of t he dr illing st r ing t hat cannot ot her w ise be
scr ew ed t oget her because of differ ences in t hr ead size or design. A sub ( a subst it ut e) m ay also per for m
a special funct ion. Lift ing subs ar e used w it h dr ill collar s t o pr ov ide a shoulder t o fit t he dr ill pipe
elev at or s; a k elly sav er sub is placed bet w een t he dr ill pipe and t he k elly t o pr ev ent ex cessiv e t hr ead
w ear of t he k elly and dr ill pipe t hr eads; a bent sub is used w hen dr illing a dir ect ional hole.
su ck e r r o d n: a special st eel pum ping r od. Sev er al r ods scr ew ed t oget her m ak e up
t he m echanical link fr om t he beam pum ping unit on t he sur face t o t he suck er r od
pum p at t he bot t om of a w ell. Suck er r ods ar e t hr eaded on each end and
m anufact ur ed t o dim ension st andar ds and m et al specificat ions set by t he pet r oleum indust r y . Lengt hs
ar e 2 5 or 3 0 feet ( 7 . 6 or 9 . 1 m et er s) ; diam et er v ar ies fr om 1 / 2 t o 1 1 / 8 inches ( 1 2 t o 3 0 m illim et er s) .
Ther e is also a cont inuous suck er r od ( t r ade nam e: Cor od ™) .
su ck e r r od p u m p n: t he dow nhole assem bly used t o lift fluid t o t he sur face by t he r ecipr ocat ing act ion
of t he suck er r od st r ing. Basic com ponent s ar e bar r el, plunger , v alv es, and hold -dow n. Tw o t y pes of
suck er r od pum ps ar e t he t ubing pum p, in w hich t he bar r el is at t ached t o t he t ubing, and t he r od, or
inser t , pum p, w hich is r un int o t he w ell as a com plet e unit .
su r f a ce h ole n: t hat par t of t he w ellbor e t hat is dr illed below t he conduct or hole but abov e t he
int er m ediat e hole.
su r f a ce p ip e n: t he fir st st r ing of casing ( aft er t he conduct or pipe) t hat is set in a w ell. I t v ar ies in
lengt h fr om a few hundr ed t o sev er al t housand feet ( m et er s) .
su r f a ce st a ck n: a blow out pr ev ent er st ack m ount ed on t op of t he casing st r ing at or near t he sur face
of t he gr ound or t he w at er .
su sp e n d in g a g e n t n: an addit iv e used t o hold t he fine clay and silt par t icles t hat som et im es r em ain
aft er an acidizing t r eat m ent in suspension; for ex am ple, it k eeps t hem fr om set t ling out of t he spent acid
unt il it is cir culat ed out .
sw a b cu p n: a r ubber or r ubber lik e dev ice on a special r od ( a sw ab) , w hich for m s a seal bet w een t he
sw ab and t he w all of t he t ubing or casing.
sw a g e n: a solid cy lindr ical t ool point ed at t he bot t om and equipped w it h a t ool j oint at t he t op for
connect ion w it h a j ar . I t is used t o st r aight en dam aged or collapsed casing or t ubing and dr iv e it back t o
it s or iginal shape. v : t o r educe t he diam et er of a r od, a t ube, or a fit t ing by for ging, ham m er ing, or ot her
m et hod.
sw e e t cr u d e oil n: oil cont aining lit t le or no sulfur , especially lit t le or no hy dr ogen sulfide.
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eTool Hom e | Sit e Pr epar at ion | Dr illin g | Well Com plet ion | Ser v icing | Plu g & Aban don Well
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[ sk ip n av ig at ion al lin k s]
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Home General Safety Site Preparation Drilling Well Completion Servicing Plug and Abandon the Well
Glossa r y of Te r m s
A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
t a lly v : t o m easur e and r ecor d t he t ot al lengt h of pipe, casing, or t ubing t hat is t o be r un in a w ell.
t a pe r e d bow l n: a fit t ing, usually div ided int o t w o halv es, t hat cr ew m em ber s place inside t he m ast er
bushing t o hold t he slips.
TD abbr : t ot al dept h.
tag lin e n: in cr ane and t r uck oper at ions, a r ope at t ached t o t he bot t om of a load suspended by t he
cr ane or t r uck , w hich, w hen gr asped by a cr ew m em ber , allow s t he cr ew m em ber t o pr ev ent r ot at ion and
t o assist in guiding t he load.
t e a r d ow n v : see r ig dow n.
t e le scopin g m a st n: a por t able m ast t hat can be er ect ed as a unit , usually by a t ack le t hat hoist s t he
w ir eline or by a hy dr aulic r am . The upper sect ion of a t elescoping m ast is gener ally nest ed ( t elescoped)
inside t he low er sect ion of t he st r uct ur e and r aised t o full height eit her by t he w ir eline or by a hy dr aulic
sy st em .
t e r t ia r y r e cov e r y n: 1. t he use of im pr ov ed r ecov er y m et hods t hat not only r est or e for m at ion pr essur e
but also im pr ov e oil displacem ent or fluid flow in t he r eser v oir . 2. t he use of any im pr ov ed r ecov er y
m et hod t o r em ov e addit ional oil aft er secondar y r ecov er y . Com par e pr im ar y r ecov er y , secondar y
r ecov er y .
t h e r m a l r e cov e r y n: a t y pe of im pr ov ed r ecov er y in w hich heat is int r oduced int o a r eser v oir t o low er
t he v iscosit y of heav y oils and t o facilit at e t heir flow int o pr oducing w ells. The pay zone m ay be heat ed
by inj ect ing st eam ( st eam dr iv e) or by inj ect ing air and bur ning a por t ion of t he oil in place ( in sit u
com bust ion) .
t ig h t f or m a t ion n: a pet r oleum - or w at er - bear ing for m at ion of r elat iv ely low por osit y and per m eabilit y .
t igh t spot n: a sect ion of a bor ehole in w hich ex cessiv e w all cak e has built up, r educing t he hole
diam et er and m ak ing it difficult t o r un t he t ools in and out . Com par e k ey seat .
t on gs n pl: t he lar ge w r enches used for t ur ning w hen m ak ing up or br eak ing out dr ill pipe,
casing, t ubing, or ot her pipe; v ar iously called casing t ongs, r ot ar y t ongs, and so for t h
accor ding t o t he specific use. Pow er t ongs or pow er w r enches ar e pneum at ically or
hy dr aulically oper at ed t ools t hat ser v e t o spin t he pipe up and, in som e inst ances, t o apply
t he final m ak eup t or que.
t op plu g n: a cem ent w iper plug t hat follow s cem ent slur r y dow n t he casing. I t
goes befor e t he dr illing m ud used t o displace t he cem ent fr om t he casing and
separ at es t he m ud fr om t he slur r y . See cem ent ing, w iper plug.
t ou r ( pr onounced " t ow er " ) n: a w or k ing shift for dr illing cr ew or ot her oilfield w or k er s. Som e t our s ar e 8
hour s; t he t hr ee daily t our s ar e called day light , ev ening ( or aft er noon) , and gr av ey ar d ( or m or ning) . 12 -
hour t our s m ay also be used; t hey ar e called sim ply day t our and night t our .
t r a ce r n: a subst ance added t o r eser v oir fluids t o per m it t he m ov em ent s of t he fluid t o be follow ed or
t r aced. Dy es and r adioact iv e subst ances ar e used as t r acer s in under gr ound w at er flow s and som et im es
helium is used in gas. When sam ples of t he w at er or gas t ak en som e dist ance fr om t he point of inj ect ion
r ev eal signs of t he t r acer , t he r out e of t he fluids can be m apped.
t r a ce r log n: a sur v ey t hat uses a r adioact iv e t r acer such as a gas, liquid, or solid hav ing a high gam m a
r ay em ission. When t he m at er ial is inj ect ed int o any por t ion of t he w ellbor e, t he point of placem ent or
m ov em ent can be r ecor ded by a gam m a r ay inst r um ent . The t r acer log is used t o det er m ine channeling
or t he t r av el of squeezed cem ent behind a sect ion of per for at ed casing.
t r a v e lin g b lock n: an ar r angem ent of pulley s, or sheav es, t hr ough w hich dr illing
cable is r eev ed, w hich m ov es up or dow n in t he der r ick or m ast .
t r ip in v : t o go in t he hole.
t r ip p in g n: t he oper at ion of hoist ing t he dr ill st em out of and r et ur ning it int o t he w ellbor e.
t u bin g n: r elat iv ely sm all -diam et er pipe t hat is r un int o a w ell t o ser v e as a conduit for t he passage of
oil and gas t o t he sur face.
t u b in g h a n g e r n: an ar r angem ent of slips and pack ing r ings used t o suspend t ubing fr om t he t ubing
head.
t u b in g h e a d n: a flanged fit t ing t hat suppor t s t he t ubing st r ing, seals off pr essur e bet w een t he casing
and t he out side of t he t ubing, and pr ov ides a connect ion t hat suppor t s t he Chr ist m as t r ee.
t u b u la r g ood s n pl: any k ind of pipe. Oilfield t ubular goods include t ubing, casing, dr ill pipe, dr ill collar s
and line pipe. Also called t ubular s.
t u n g st e n ca r b id e n: a fine, v er y har d, gr ay cr y st alline pow der , a com pound of t ungst en and car bon.
This com pound is bonded w it h cobalt or nick el in cem ent ed car bide com posit ions and used for cut t ing
t ools, abr asiv es, and dies.
t u n g st e n ca r b id e b it n: a t y pe of r oller cone bit w it h inser t s m ade of t ungst en car bide. Also called
t ungst en car bide inser t bit .
t u r n t a b le n: see r ot ar y t able.
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eTool Hom e | Sit e Pr epar at ion | Dr illin g | Well Com plet ion | Ser v icing | Plu g & Aban don Well
Gener al Safet y | Addit ion al Refer en ces | View in g/ Pr in t in g I n st r u ct ion s | Cr edit s | JSA
Safet y an d Healt h Topic | Sit e Map | I llust r at ed Glossar y | Glossar y of Ter m s
[ sk ip n av ig at ion al lin k s]
Se a r ch Ad v a n ce d Se a r ch | A- Z I ndex
Home General Safety Site Preparation Drilling Well Completion Servicing Plug and Abandon the Well
Glossa r y of Te r m s
A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
u n con solid a t e d f or m a t ion n: a loosely ar r anged, appar ent ly unst r at ified sect ion of r ock .
u n con solid a t e d sa n d st on e n: a sand for m at ion in w hich indiv idual gr ains do not adher e t o one
anot her . I f an unconsolidat ed sandst one pr oduces oil or gas, it w ill pr oduce sand as w ell if not cont r olled
or cor r ect ed.
u n d e r g a u g e h ole n: t hat por t ion of a bor ehole dr illed w it h an under gauge bit .
u n it op e r a t or n: t he oil com pany in char ge of dev elopm ent and pr oduct ion in an oilfield in w hich sev er al
com panies hav e j oined t o pr oduce t he field.
u p p e r k e lly cock n: a v alv e inst alled abov e t he k elly t hat can be closed m anually t o pr ot ect t he r ot ar y
hose fr om high pr essur e t hat m ay ex ist in t he dr ill st em .
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eTool Hom e | Sit e Pr epar at ion | Dr illin g | Well Com plet ion | Ser v icing | Plu g & Aban don Well
Gener al Safet y | Addit ion al Refer en ces | View in g/ Pr in t in g I n st r u ct ion s | Cr edit s | JSA
Safet y an d Healt h Topic | Sit e Map | I llust r at ed Glossar y | Glossar y of Ter m s
[ sk ip n av ig at ion al lin k s]
Se a r ch Ad v a n ce d Se a r ch | A- Z I ndex
Home General Safety Site Preparation Drilling Well Completion Servicing Plug and Abandon the Well
Glossa r y of Te r m s
A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
va lve n: a dev ice used t o cont r ol t he r at e of flow in a line t o open or shut off a line com plet ely , or t o
ser v e as an aut om at ic or sem iaut om at ic safet y dev ice. Those used ex t ensiv ely include t he check v alv e,
gat e v alv e, globe v alv e, needle v alv e, plug v alv e, and pr essur e r elief v alv e.
V - be lt n: a belt w it h a t r apezoidal cr oss sect ion, m ade t o r un in sheav es, or pulley s, w it h gr oov es of
cor r esponding shape.
V - door n: an opening at floor lev el in a side of a der r ick or m ast . The V- door is opposit e t he dr aw w or k s
and is used as an ent r y t o br ing in dr ill pipe, casing, and ot her t ools fr om t he pipe r ack .
TOP
eTool Hom e | Sit e Pr epar at ion | Dr illin g | Well Com plet ion | Ser v icing | Plu g & Aban don Well
Gener al Safet y | Addit ion al Refer en ces | View in g/ Pr in t in g I n st r u ct ion s | Cr edit s | JSA
Safet y an d Healt h Topic | Sit e Map | I llust r at ed Glossar y | Glossar y of Ter m s
[ sk ip n av ig at ion al lin k s]
Se a r ch Ad v a n ce d Se a r ch | A- Z I ndex
Home General Safety Site Preparation Drilling Well Completion Servicing Plug and Abandon the Well
Glossa r y of Te r m s
A B CD EFGH I JKL M NOPRS TUV W
* This is an abr idged v er sion of t he D ict ion a r y of Pe t r ole u m Te r m s pr ov ided by Pet ex and t he
Univ er sit y of Tex as Aust in
© Pet ex 2001
w a it in g on ce m e n t ( W OC) adj : per t aining t o t he t im e w hen dr illing or com plet ion oper at ions ar e
suspended so t hat t he cem ent in a w ell can har den sufficient ly .
w a lk in g b e a m n: t he hor izont al st eel m em ber of a beam pum ping unit t hat has
r ock ing or r ecipr ocat ing m ot ion.
w a sh o v e r p ip e n: an accessor y used in fishing oper at ions t o go ov er t he out side of t ubing or dr ill pipe
st uck in t he hole because of cut t ings, m ud, and so for t h, t hat hav e collect ed in t he annulus. The
w ashov er pipe cleans t he annular space and per m it s r ecov er y of t he pipe. I t is som et im es called
w ashpipe.
w a sh ov e r st r in g n: t he assem bly of t ools r un int o t he hole dur ing fishing t o per for m a w ashov er . A
t y pical w ashov er st r ing consist s of a w ashov er back- off connect or , sev er al j oint s of w ashov er pipe, and a
rot ary shoe.
w e igh t in dica t or n: an inst r um ent near t he dr iller’s posit ion on a dr illing r ig t hat show s bot h t he w eight
of t he dr ill st em t hat is hanging fr om t he hook ( hook load) and t he w eight t hat is placed on t he bot t om of
t he hole ( w eight on bit ) .
w e igh t in dica t or n: a dev ice for m easur ing t he w eight of t he dr ill st r ing.
w e ll n: t he hole m ade by t he dr illing bit , w hich can be open, cased, or bot h. Also
called bor ehole, hole, or w ellbor e.
w e llb or e n: a bor ehole; t he hole dr illed by t he bit . A w ellbor e m ay hav e casing in it or it m ay be open
( uncased) ; or par t of it m ay be cased, and par t of it m ay be open. Also called a bor ehole or hole.
w e llb or e soa k n: an acidizing t r eat m ent in w hich t he acid is placed in t he w ellbor e and allow ed t o r eact
by m er ely soak ing. I t is a r elat iv ely slow pr ocess, because v er y lit t le of t he acid act ually com es in cont act
w it h t he for m at ion. Also called w ellbor e cleanup. Com par e acid fr act ur e.
w e ll com ple t ion n: 1. t he act iv it ies and m et hods of pr epar ing a w ell for t he pr oduct ion of oil and gas or
for ot her pur poses, such as inj ect ion; t he m et hod by w hich one or m or e flow pat hs for hy dr ocar bons ar e
est ablished bet w een t he r eser v oir and t he sur face. 2. t he sy st em of t ubular s, pack er s, and ot her t ools
inst alled beneat h t he w ellhead in t he pr oduct ion casing; t hat is, t he t ool assem bly t hat pr ov ides t he
hy dr ocar bon flow pat h or pat hs.
w e ll con t r ol n: t he m et hods used t o cont r ol a k ick and pr ev ent a w ell fr om blow ing out . Such
t echniques include, but ar e not lim it ed t o, k eeping t he bor ehole com plet ely filled w it h dr illing m ud of t he
pr oper w eight or densit y dur ing oper at ions, ex er cising r easonable car e w hen t r ipping pipe out of t he hole
t o pr ev ent sw abbing, and k eeping car eful t r ack of t he am ount of m ud put int o t he hole t o r eplace t he
v olum e of pipe r em ov ed fr om t he hole dur ing a t r ip.
w e ll fluid n: t he fluid, usually a com binat ion of gas, oil, w at er , and suspended sedim ent , t hat com es out
of a r eser v oir . Also called w ell st r eam .
w e llh e a d n: t he equipm ent inst alled at t he sur face of t he w ellbor e. A w ellhead includes such equipm ent
as t he casinghead and t ubing head. adj : per t aining t o t he w ellhead.
w e ll loggin g n: t he r ecor ding of infor m at ion about subsur face geologic for m at ions, including r ecor ds
k ept by t he dr iller and r ecor ds of m ud and cut t ing analy ses, cor e analy sis, dr ill st em t est s, and elect r ic,
acoust ic, and r adioact iv it y pr ocedur es.
w e ll se r v icin g n: t he m aint enance w or k per for m ed on an oil or gas w ell t o im pr ov e or m aint ain t he
pr oduct ion fr om a for m at ion alr eady pr oducing. I t usually inv olv es r epair s t o t he pum p, r ods, gas- lift
v alv es, t ubing, pack er s, and so for t h.
w e ll - se r v icin g r ig n: a por t able r ig, t r uck -m ount ed, t r ailer - m ount ed, or a car r ier r ig, consist ing of a
hoist and engine w it h a self - er ect ing m ast . See car r ier r ig. Com par e w or k ov er r ig.
w e ll st im u la t ion n: any of sev er al oper at ions used t o incr ease t he pr oduct ion of a w ell, such as
acidizing or fr act ur ing. See acidize.
w in d o w n: 1. a slot t ed opening or a full sect ion r em ov ed in t he pipe lining ( casing) of a w ell, usually
m ade t o per m it sidet r ack ing.
w ir e lin e n: a slender , r odlik e or t hr eadlik e piece of m et al usually sm all in diam et er , t hat is used for
low er ing special t ools ( such as logging sondes, per for at ing guns, and so for t h) int o t he w ell. Also called
slick line.
w ir e lin e f or m a t ion t e st e r n: a for m at ion fluid sam pling dev ice, act ually r un on conduct or line r at her
t han w ir eline, t hat also logs flow and shut - in pr essur e in r ock near t he bor ehole. A spr ing m echanism
holds a pad fir m ly against t he sidew all w hile a pist on cr eat es a v acuum in a t est cham ber . For m at ion
fluids ent er t he t est cham ber t hr ough a v alv e in t he pad. A r ecor der logs t he r at e at w hich t he t est
cham ber is filled. Fluids m ay also be dr aw n t o fill a sam pling cham ber . Wir eline for m at ion t est s m ay be
done any num ber of t im es dur ing one t r ip in t he hole, so t hey ar e v er y useful in for m at ion t est ing.
w ir e lin e op e r a t ion s n pl: t he low er ing of m echanical t ools, such as v alv es and fishing t ools, int o t he
w ell for v ar ious pur poses. Elect r ic w ir eline oper at ions, such as elect r ic w ell logging and per for at ing,
inv olv e t he use of conduct or line.
w ir e lin e t ools n pl: special t ools or equipm ent m ade t o be low er ed int o and r et r iev ed fr om t he w ell on a
w ir eline, for ex am ple, pack er s, sw abs, gas- lift v alv es, m easur ing dev ices.
w ir e r ope n: a cable com posed of st eel w ir es t w ist ed ar ound a cent r al cor e of fiber or st eel w ir e t o
cr eat e a r ope of gr eat st r engt h and consider able flex ibilit y .
w or k ov e r n: t he per for m ance of one or m or e of a v ar iet y of r em edial oper at ions on a pr oducing w ell t o
t r y t o incr ease pr oduct ion. Ex am ples of w or k ov er j obs ar e deepening, plugging back , pulling and
r eset t ing liner s, and squeeze cem ent ing. See r ecom plet ion.
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