Industry Terms

Abandon

To cease production of a well.

Accumulator, Accumulator Unit

Stores nitrogen pressurized hydraulic fluid for operating blow out preventors (BOP).

Acid frature

To openhard-limestone formations by using acid under high pressure.

Acid Gas

Gas with pollutants.

Acid tank

Storage tnak for sulfuric acid.

Acidizing

Hydrochloric acid injected to stimulate yield.

Aciizing

A service operation consists of pumping acid down into the well which etches through the limestone ordolomite.

Adustable choke

A vakve for well control operators to reduce the pressure of a fluid from high pressure in a closed wellbore. Designed to resist wear.

Aerated Mud

Mixuture of air and mud to increase permeability.

AESC

Association of Energy Service Companies

agitators

Keep the mud pits a uniform mixture of liquids and solids in mud.

AIChE

American Institute of Chemical Engineers, a professional organization

air drilling

The contractor can use air instead of mud. Drilling with air is fast as the cuttings are blown away.

Alkylation, Alkylate

Alkylation units in refineries react isobutane (iC4) with olefin hydrocarbons

American Petroleum Institute, API

National trade organization for standardizing oil-field drilling. http://www.api.org/

Amine Scrubber

A refinery processing unit that uses an amine solution to scrub sulfur compounds from the off gases from hydrotreating units the amine solution is regenerated by stripping the H2S from the solution. The H2s rich off gas is sent to the sulfur recovery unit.

amine treating plants

Operators use various equipment to remove water and contaminants. Gas is sent to an amine treater using amine solutions to remove H2S and CO2.

Analyzer

An online measurement device which yields the real-time value of a key product property, such as: 95% boiling point, ASTM end point, jet fuel freeze point, percent composition of a component, etc.

anchor

Device to secure ship to the sea floor

anchor buoy

Connected to the anchor with a wire used to help pull the anchor back to the drilling rig.

Anchor Piling

Mooring on sea bed.

angle of deflection

Used in directional drilling, the angle expressed in degree.

annular space

The space around a pipe in a wellbore.

annulus

The space between two objects, such as wellbore and casing.

ANSI

Amercian National Standards Institute

API

American Petrolueum Institute, a petroleum industry trade group.

API

American Petroleum Institute

api gravity

The measurement of density or gravity of liquid petroluem on the North American contintent.

Aromatics: Benzene, Toluene, Xylene

Refineries produce these ring compounds as part of the products in a catalytic reforming process. Some aromatics remain in gasoline blending stocks. Often, aromatics are recovered for chemical plant feed stocks.

artificial lift

Artifical means to increas the flow of liquids, such as crude oil or water from a production well.

ASME,

American Society of Mechanical Engineers, professional organization.

Asphalt

A very heavy product used for paving. It

ASTM

American Society for Testing Materials, a professional organization.

ASTM Distillation

A standard test for characterizing a wide-boiling petroleum fraction. It shows the percent boiled off as a function of temperature (boiling point).

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back hoe

Excavating equipment or digger consisting of a digging bucket.

back off

To unscrew.

back up

To hold one section.

backup tongs, back up tongs

Holds the pipe in place as the joint is released.

bail

Supports the swivel and connects it to the hook.

bailer

Used to remove water, sand, mud, drilling cuttings, or oil from well.

bailing line

Cable passes over sheave and spooled on reel.

Ballast tank

The space that is filled or emptied of water to maintain the required stability for a ship.

Barge

A towed or non-selfpropelled flat-bottom vessel.

barge

Flat-decked, shallow-draft vessel. Construction and Drilling equipment and livign quarters may be installed above water level.

Barge Rig

Flat-decked, shallow-draft vessel. Construction and Drilling equipment and livign quarters may be installed above water level.

barite, baryte

BaS04, Barium Sulfate, A mineral used to increase weight of mud fluids. It is 4.2 heavier than water.

Barrel

A unit of volume measurement used for petroleum and its products. 1 barrel = 42 U.S. gallons. Metric conversion: 1 barrel = 0.1592 cubic meters.

barrell

A measurement of volume for petroleum in the United Sttes. 42 U.S. gallons is equivalnt to one barrell.

basket sub

Specialty tool to fish out small parts around the bit.

Bbl

Abbreviation for barrel.

bed

Layer of earth or rock in contrast to other parts.

belt

To transmit power or impart motion.

bent sub

Used for directional drilling and drilling several wells from one locaiton at a slant.

BHP, HP

Brake horsepower: A measure of the rate at which work is done on a process by a machine such as a compressor. Metric conversion: 1 HP = 0.7457 kilowatts.

Biodiesel

Diesel fuel created from a renewable resource.

Biofuels

Liquid fuels, such as ethanol, produced from biomass feedstocks. Ethanol is usually purchased by refineries for use in gasoline blending.

Bit

Bores and cuts layers to reach oil or gas. All bits are designed with holes for fluids to push the cutting away from drill bit.

bit breaker

Holds the drill bit in place.

bit record

History on bit used

Blender

Block

Pulleys that move up and down on a traveling block.

block hook

For use with rigging for heavy lifts.

blooey line

Discharge line for cuttings or conduct for air. See air drilling.

blowout preventer stack

To prevent pressure escaping between casing and drill pipe. The stack of high-pressure valves is installed on a well, capable of remote control.

boot

Aids in seperaton of oil and gas.

BOP

Blow Out Preventer

BOP Closing Units

Units can be air/electric over hydrualic design, and can be diesel driven.

BOP, blow out preventer, BOP Stacks

Blow Out Preventer is installed at the well head to control pressure.

Borehole, bore hole

Drilling hole.

Bow

The front of ship/vessel

Bow

The front of a vessel.

Bow thruster

A propeller mounted in a tunnel on a ship, which is used to help manuver the ship at slow speeds.

box

Tool joint that has threads that are shown on the inside

BPD, BPCD

Barrels per day, barrels per calendar day; a measure of the current rate or the rated capacity of a process unit. Usually expressed as feed to the unit.

Brakes

Stops drawworks load from being lifted.

break out

To unscrew.

breakout cat head

Assists with unscrewing on pipe, part that is a power source.

breakout tongs

Starts the unscrewing of drill pipe.

Bridge

A specially constructed area from which a vessel is manuvered, while providing good visibility for steering the ship.

bring in a well

To complete the well with well head to start production.

BS & W

Bottom sediment and water, an important property of crude oil.

BTU

British Thermal Unit, the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.

Bulk carrier

A merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo, such as grains, coal, ore, and cement in it’s cargo holds.

Bunker Fuel Oil

Heavy residual fuel used by ships.

Buoys

A floating deice that has various purposes. It can be anchored or allowed to drift with the sea wave.

Bury Barge

A barge designed to dig a trench for an underwater pipeline.

butane

An organic compound used for gasoline blending.

cable

Rope or wire.

cable-tool drilling

A method of drilling by dropping a heavy object to the hole until the hole is drilled.

Calorie

The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree centigrade (or Celsius).

Calorie2

A critical processing unit in most refineries. A platinum catalyst in the reactor vessel enables the conversion of mid-boiling hydrocarbon streams from the atmospheric pipestill and other units into gasoline blendstocks. The reaction produces coke on the catalyst, which must be burned off with air

Captain

The person in command of a vessel.

Captain

The person in command of a vessel.

Cargo Ship

Any ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods & materials between ports.

Cased hole

Refers to a hole tha thas casing that is cemented in place.

Casing colar

Steel pipe placed in a hole to prevent hole from colasping.

Casing coupling

A section of pipe that is threaded inside and used to connect two joints of casing.

casing elevator

A clamp set that grips drill pipe or other part to be raised or lowered.

Casing string

The whole length of casing string.

casing threads

Drill pipe threads are cleaned and inspected before running in the hole.

casing, casing string

Casing is raised onto the derrick a joint at a time.

cat heads

A spool-shapped attachment for hoisting and pulling.

Catalyst

Any substance that changes the rate of a reaction without itself being changed in the reaction; catalysts can be solids, liquids or gases. Refineries typically use fixed-bed and fluidized bed catalysts. Chemical plants often use liquid catalysts in polymerization reactors.

Catalytic Reformer: Fixed Bed or Fluidized Bed

A refinery process for improving the octane of naphtha streams coming from the atmospheric pipestill and elsewhere. The product is an important gasoline blend stock. The reformer also produces hydrogen

Catline

Used to lift heavy equipment, pulling line.

Catwalk

Ramp where pipe is hoisted to the rig floor.

cellar

Pit in ground to provide height between rig floor and well head.

Celsius

European term instead of centigrade to honor Physicist Anders Celsius who developed a temperature reference that uses freezing and boiling points.

Cement

Mixure of mud, water, few chemicals for drilling a hole.

cement casing

To fill the area between the casing and the hole for stability.

cementing

After the casing is set in the hole, cementing is used to keep it in place.

Cementing engineer

Crew member in charge of cementing crew and trucks.

cementing pumps

Cement-handling equipment is installed permanently.

cementing the casing

Cement hardens and and completely surrounds casing to prevent fluids from mixing, corrosion, or contamination.

Centrifuge

Machine that uses centrifugal force by high-speed rotation for separating materials of different densities.

chain drive

Power transmissions using a roller chain.

Chain tongs

Releasble chain for turning pipe.

chart recorder

An electromechanical device that records electrical or mechanical input onto a piece of paper.

Chemical Engineer

Engineers trained in chemistry, biology, engineering, and physics. In refineries and chemical plants, chemical engineers typically provide daily technical support to operations, design modifications and expansions to process equipment, develop process computer control applications, supervise process operations, and manage projects.

Choke manifold

A series of remote control valves to enable driller to open or close to relieve pressure without using a BOP.

choke valves

Drilling mud is circulated to control the pressures during a kick in a special arrangement of pipes and valves.

choke, choke line

Used to direct flow lines

Christmas tree

Tree-like devise of gauges and values to regulate flow of gas and fluids.

Christmas Tree

Control valves can be seen on a completed well.

Chromatograph

A special analyzer containing chromatography columns. It

circulation system

Equipment to circulate the mud: mud pumps, mud mixing hopper, and shale shaker.

cirulate

Moving drilling fluid from mud pits to the drill stem and back.

Clarifier

Process equipment used for liquid-sludge separation in which particles are separated by gravity.

Cogeneration, (Cogen)

This unit produces both high-pressure steam and electrical power, in a highly efficient manner. A gas turbine is fired by natural gas to drive the shaft of an electricity generator. The hot exhaust gases go to a waste heat boiler, which is supplementary fired with

Coiled tubing

Metal piping, 1″ to 3.24″ in diameter for working oil and gas wells, such as wirelining. Chemicals can be used to pump through the tubing.

Coke

In catalysis, refers to a carbon-rich deposit that can form on the surface, often blocking access to active sites (

Coking, Delayed

A refining process where the atmospheric pipestill bottoms products are heated to a very high temperature and cracked, and then

Coking, Fluid

Fluid cokers process very heavy streams from the vacuum pipestills. The unit consists of a heater, non-catalytic reactor, and fractionator. The coke circulates between the heater and reactor. Part of the coke is burned in the heater to supply the heat required to crack the

combination string

A casing that has joints of various resistance, designed for various depths.

come out of the hole

To pull pipe out.

Coming out of the hole

To pull the drill stem out of the well bore.

Commercial divers

Professional work for maintenance and construction offshore.

Company man, Company Representative

In charge of all activities on drilling location

complete a well

To finish work on a well to bring it to production status.

completion rig

A workover rig that uses hoisting engines for power.

Compressors

Gas Conditioning equipment located within 100 miles along a pipeline. An engine increases the pressure of natural gas to flow through a pipeline.

Computer Control Centers

Refineries and chemical plants typically have one or more control centers, where multiple process units can be controlled and monitored in one location. Process automation is achieved via digital control and display equipment.

Condenser

A heat exchanger at the top of a distillation tower that condenses all or part of the vapor coming from the tower. Vacuum-jet condensers are also used to condense the exhaust steam from turbine-driven compressors.

Construction Barge

Container ships

Cargo ships that carry all their load in containers.

Conversion

This usually refers to the extent of reaction in a process reactor, expressed as percent of the reacting component in the feed to the desired component in the product, expressed as a percent. In refineries, this often refers to conversion to gasoline boiling range (430

Cooling Tower

This tower cools recirculation plant cooling water by directly contacting it with ambient air. This is not a pressure vessel. Packing (usually slats) improves contacting between air and water.

core

A pipe-shaped sample from the well for analysis.

core analysis

Lab studies core sample.

coring

Formation core samples are cut out and used to test the well to show the nature of the reservoir.

Corrosion

Detrimental change in characteristics of metals under conditions of exposure or use; e.g., rusting.

coupling

Used to join two sections.

Cracking

A general term covering any of a variety of reactions and processes that convert high-boiling fractions to more valuable lower boiling fractions.

crane

Type of machine equipted with a hoist, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves to lift or lower materials and to move horizonally.

crane barge, derrick barge

A large barge, lifts heavy equipment onto offshore platforms.

crane operator

Operates large cranes to load and unload supplies.

Crane Vessel

A ship with a crane for lifting heavy loads. The largest crane is used for offshore construction.

crooked hole

Deviated hole from vertical drilling due to subsurface difficult formations.

crown block

A large pully set, steel rope comes out of the sheaves.

Crude Unit

See pipestill, atmospheric and vacuum.

Cruise Ship

A passenger ship used for pleasure trips.

cuttings

Rock clippings from drill bit. Geologist obtain data from the clippings.

cuttings

Fragments of rock and earth cut by drillbit and brought to surface by drilling mud. Anyalyzed by Geologists for formation information.

Cylindrical fuel storage tank

A fixed roof tank for liquids with high flash points.

de-gasser

Mounted to mud pit, it’s not desireable to have gas cut mud, because the mud becomes lighter and dense.

de-sander

Mounted on mud pits and is used when sand or fine silt is being drilled. Sand can erode pipe, or add weight when drilling.

Deck hand

A person whose job is to aid the deck supervior in mooring, anchoring, maintenance on deck, and other tasks.

Dehydrators, Dehydration units

Gas Conditioning equipment that remove moisture from the gas. Process to separate components of a mixture into products based on boiling points at a distillation pressure.

Density

Mass of a unit of volume.

density

Mass or weight per unit volume.

Derrick

Large four leg tapering tower withhandling crown block, mast used for drilling oil and gas wells.

Derrick floor

Rig floor.

Derrick man, derrick hand

Works on monekyboard to handle the top end of the pipe, quiding it to run in and out of the hole; responcible for checking fluids and pumps.

desilter

A centrifical device for removing fine sand to prevent damage to pumps from abrasion.

Desulfurization

Any process or process step that results in removal of sulfur from organic molecules.

development well

Exploration well competed in proven territory.

Dewaxer

Various types of process units for removing paraffinic compounds from lube feedstocks. These typically use solvent extraction.

diamond bit

Does not have cones or teeth, instead diamonds are used to drill through rock formations.

Diatomaceous Earth

A mineral formed by deposition of siliceous remains of diatoms, microscopic aquatic life forms. Commonly used as filter aids

Diesel engines

Compression-ignition engine burns fuel that has been injected into the combustion chamber.

Diesel Index

Product of the API gravity and the aniline point (in degrees Fahrenheit) of a Diesel fuel, divided by 100; an indication of the ignition quality of the fuel.

Diesel-electric power

Widely used offshore

Directional drilling, direction drilling

The drilling of a well from a path it would naturally take. A bend near the bit may be used.

discovery well

First well drilled in a new field.

Distillation

Process to separate components of a mixture into products based on boiling points at a distillation pressure. See Tower Types, Configurations.

Divers

Persons who work underwater with the aid of various types of breathing equipment.

Diving Support Vessel

A ship that is used as a floating base for profesional diving projects.

Dog House

Small enclosure used as drillers office with driller’s controls located on a rig floor.

Downhole

Describes tools, equipment and instruments used in wellbore.

Downhole drill-pipe

The heavy seamless tubing used to rotate the bit and circulate the drilling fluid. Joints of pipe are 30 feet long coupled by tool joints.

Downstream

Generic term referring to facilities such as refineries, petrochemical plants, pipelines, and shipping terminals.

Draw works, draw-works

Raises the kelly and moves up or down pipe for drilling with spool drilling line which works the crown block, traveling block for heavy lifts.

drill bit

Most bits have three cones, with numerous teeth.

drill collar

The last part to come out of the hole when changing out bit. Drill collars are heavier than drill pipe and are used on the bottom of the pipe near the bit for strength.

drill collar, collar

Placed between pipe and drill bit to add weight.

drill line

Still wire rope ranges from 1 1/8 ” to 1 1/2 inches, looks like cable.

drill pipe

Drill pipe is used to rotate bit and is about 30 feet long and called a joint. Each end is threaded, the inside thread is female and outside is male, and has bulge on end.

Drill ship

Deep water drillship vessel that uses dynamic position to withstand winds, waves in depths up to 10,000 feet.

drill stem

Refers to the assembly of pipe up to the derrick top, including the drill colars and kelly.

Drill string

Used to imply the drill pipe, drill collars and attachments.

drill-stem testing, DST

A recorder at the end of a drill stem makes a graph of the formation pressure.

Driller

In charge of drilling rig and crew. Responcible for the operation of the downhole tools and measurements, as well.

driller’s console, drillers console

The control panel where driller controls drilling operations.

Drillers Dog House

Located on the rig floor to oversee and control floor operations.

drillers line, drilling line

A wire rope hoisting line, reeeved on sheaves on the crown block and traveling block. To hoist or lower drill pipe or casing into the well.

drilling block

Number of leases joining tracks of land.

drilling contractor

Drilling rig owner.

Drilling crew

Driiler, Derrickman, helpers.

drilling fluid

A mixture of water, clay, weighting materials such as barite, and select chemicals called “mud”. Drilling mud move cuttings upward and keep pressures in check.

Drilling foreman

Supervisor of drilling operations.

drilling line

Wire rope to support tools.

drilling rate

Rate of penetration of drill bit.

drilling rig

See rig.

Drilling Riser

Provides temporating extension of subsea oil well and has a large diamenter, low pressure to circulate fluids to BOP.

drillpipe, drill pipe

Seamless tubing used to rotate bit. Joints up to 30 feet long are connected to create a drill stem.

drillship

Using dynamic postioning to stay in place in deep water, drill-ships are designed for deep water drilling up to 10,000 feet of water.

drum

A cylinder for the drawworks to hold the wire rope.

dry gas

Natural gas that does not contain liquid hydrocarbons.

Drydock

A narrow basin that can be pumped free of water and re-flooded, and is used for construction, maintenance and repair of ships, boats, and other watercraft.

Dynamic positioning

A computer-controlled system to automatically maintain a vessel’s position by using it’s own propellers and thrusters.

Dynamic Positioning

A way of maintaining a floating offshore rig in position over a well location.

E & P, exploration and production

Refers to the Upstream sector which stands for Exploration and Production

earthen reserve pits

Electric motors fuel the mud pumps.

Elevator

A set of clamps to hoist up or down pipe on the rig floor.

Engine Room

Contains the ship’s prime mover, usually a diesel, or steam engine or gas or steam turbine.

Engine, engines

Most rig engines are diseel fueled, and rigs require three or four engines for power.

Escape Line

Known as “geronimo line”, a steel cable attached to rig for derrick man to escape holding onto a tee-bar handle.

examine cuttings

Determines if oil and gas exists.

Exploration

https://www.mtsociety.org/pdf/club/Glossary.pdf

Exploration well

Wildcat.

Fabrication

The action or process of inventing something.

Fabrication yard

An area where metal construction which includes cutting, grinding, welding, boring holes to create different shapes and configurartions.

fans

Compressor fans for cooling.

fault

A break in strata.

fault trap

A structural trap in the earth that retains petroleum, formed by breaking rock.

fingerboard, finger board

The working platform halfway up a derrick where the derrick man stores drillpipes into metal slots that can hold the pipe in place.

First Mate

The second-in-command of any vessel.

fish

Part stuck in the a hole.

fishing

A tool or part stuck in hole.

Fishing tool

Used to remove stuck or lost part in the hole of a drill site.

flare boom

Extended arm that permits safet burning of natural gas to keep flames and radiant heat away from equipment and personell.

flare stack

A gas combustion devise to burn off flammable gas released by pressure relief values and to test the well site for productivity.

flare test

To test a well.

Flaring

The size and duration of a flare can determine the amount of oil or gas in a well.

flaring

The burning of natural gas for testing well.

float collar

Work on the rig floor is postion to drill.

Flooding

This is overloading of process equipment, with resulting deleterious process effects or unsafe conditions. Examples: (1) excess liquid or vapor flow to a distillation tower tray, resulting in liquid buildup in the tower and poor separation; (2) excess fuel fired to a furnace when there

floor-man, floor hand

See Roughneck.

formation testing

The gathering of data on a formation to determine productivity before installing casing.

FPSO

Floating production, storage, and offloading systems

FPSO, Floating Production Storage and Offloading

Alternative to pipeline to move oil.

frac, fracing, fracturing

Increases chances of flow from sandstone rocks. Several pump trucks force fluids to keep fracture open. Referred to as Fracture, Fracing, Fracking, Hydraulic Fracturing, Frac Job.

Fractionation

Processes NGLs by seperating liquids productsfrom the lightest hydrocarbons to the heaviest.

Fractionator

A fractionating column is used in distillation of liquid mixtures to separate into component parts.

FSU

Floating Storage Unit

Fuel Oils

Used for supplying energy to power stations and factories.

Furnace, Fired Heater

Process heater that fires natural gas and/or liquid fuel. The process stream enters tubes lining the firebox and the tubes are exposed to the heat from the burners. Heat is recovered from the hot flue gases, by heat exchange with other process streams and/or by

Galley

Refers to dining area and kitchen area.

Gas plant, Gas processing plant

Two kinds of gas processing plants, field plants are close to production source, while stradldleplants are near as pipelines.

Gas Processing

Purifying Natural Gas

Gas processing plant

A facility designed to remove impurities and separate Natural gas and natural gas liquids in to saleable products.

gas sotrage tank

Gathering systems

The flowline network and process facilites that transport and control flow of oil or gas from wells to a storage facility.

Geological Survey

Investigation of the geology beneath the ground to create a geological map or model.

Geologists

A scientist who interprets earth’s crust data.

geology

The study of orgin of the earth through roks, formations and fossils.

Gun boat

Seismic vessel to collect data on above and below seabed formations.

gun-perforate

Dedtonate high powered jets through the casing and cement into a pay zone.

H2S

Hydrogen Sulfide-A colorless gas with the charactristic of foul odor of rotton eggs.

Hauling

Transport by pulling.

head roustabout

Often the crane operator

Heater Treater

Are used for treating heavy crude oil with cannot be resolved using ambient tempature.

Heaters

Gas Conditioning equipment.

Heavy Crude

Crude oil has a high specific gravity with a high proportion of heavy hydrocarbon fractions and metallic content.

Helicopter

A rotor craft that can be used in congested or isolated areas where fixed-wing aricraft would not be able to land.

hoisting system

The hoisting sytem makes up the draw works upto the derrik, the crown block, traveling block, and wire rope.

Hook

Devise with swival that carry’s maxium loads from 100 to 650 Tos.

Hooking

Attaching rigging

hopper

Is part of the circulation system for preparing mud for drilling, and is funnel shaped for ading solid materials like clay or barite to a mud pit.

Horizontal drilling

A method of dirlling where the bit is turned horizontal to reacher numerous areas located in the area.

Hull

The framework of the basic floatation part of the ship.

hydraulic fracturing

Also referred as fracing, facilitates production of oil and gas. The process pumps fluid at high pressure to target formation.

hydrocarbon

A compound containing only the elements hydrogen and carbon. May exist as a solid, a liquid or a gas. Incompasses oil, gas and condensate.

Hydrocarbons

Hydrotreating, Hydrotreating Catalysts

Hydrotreating processes are mainly used in refineries. The hydrotreating catalyst removes impurities such as sulfur and nitrogen compounds, but can be tailored to treat preferentially one or the other. The reactions consume hydrogen. The catalyst properties and operating temperature and pressure of the fixed-bed reactor

IADC

The International Association fo Drilling Contractors distributes training aids.

injection pump, injection well

A well used for pumping water or gas into reservoir

Inland barge rigs

Drilling equipment is installed on a flatbottom barge used for marshes. Pilings are used as anchors to keep the barge in place.

inland barge rigs

Drilling equpment is set on a barge for shallow inland bays, marshes, where drill site is not very deep.

instrumentation

Devices to measure either tempatures, pressures, rate of flow, speed of rotation, etc.

intermediate casing

Protective casing to keep hole from collasping.

Iron roughneck, Iron rough neck

Floor mounted automated spinning wrench with torque wrench to eliminates manual handling of tools.

IS

Irish sea.

isobutane

Also known as methylpropane is a isomer of butane. Isobutane is used as a feedstock in the petrochemical industry.

Isomer

When two molecules have the same elemental composition but different structures, they are said to be isomers.

Isomerization

Hydrocarbons are converted into chanin isomers for a higher octane quality

Isomerization Unit

A refining process that improves the octane of light virgin naphtha by isomerizing the normal paraffins in the feed. The reaction takes place at high temperature and pressure with hydrogen, using a fixed-bed platinum catalyst. This unit is similar to a hydrotreater.

jack up rig

Like a car is jacked-up, a jack-up rig cranks it’s legs to touch the seafloor up to 350′ of water depth, while the drilling floor remains above the water’s surface.

jack-up rig, jack up rig

The hull is raised as huge legs are cranked down to depths as shallow as 14 feet to 350 feet until it’s legs touch the seafloor.

Jacket

The “legs”of an offshore platform.

Jacket Tow

Tug boats tow a jacket on a barge.

Jet aircraft

An aircraft propelled by jet engines making it faster than propeller-powered aircraft.

jet bit

Drilling fluid jets from sides or bottom so rock cuttings will be pushed away from bit.

jet mixing hopper, jet-mixing

Connected to a manifold for mud mixing.

Kelly

Turns drill stem by rotary motion.

kelly bushing

The kelly goes through the kelly bushing which permits verticle movement.

Kelly spinner, spinners

A pnematically operated device mounted on top of the kelly that causes it to spin.

Kerosene

A middle distillate fraction used for jet fuel and other specialty products.

Kick

Entry of water, gas, or oil or other to fluid into the well bore. Must be controlled by pressure.

Knot

A unit of speed: 1 nautical mile per hour.

Ladder

A metal, wooden or rope stairway.

Land Explroation

The search for oil and gas which includes aerial survesys, geophysical surveys, studies, core testing, and drilling of test wells.

Land Production

Land Rig

Any rig on land.

latch on

To connect.

Latching

Connecting with rigging equipment.

Launch

To dispatch a ship down a slipway after construction.

lift

To hoist.

Lifting

Refers to tankers and barges taking on cargoes of oil or refined product at the terminal or transshipment point.

Light Crude

Crude oil with a low gravity and a high proportion of light hydrocarbon fractions. Contains relatively low metallic compounds.

Light Ends

Low-boiling hydrocarbons, typically methane through pentane, which are produced at the overhead of atmospheric pipestills and primary fractionators of major refinery conversion processes.

Light Products

Gasoline, diesel and jet fuel are light products. Their average molecular weights are lower than the heavy part of the crude oil.

Line

General term for ropes or cords of different sizes used for various purposes on board ship.

Liquidfied Natural Gas (LNG)

A natural gas that has been convertied to liquid form for ease of transporation and storage.

Living quarters

Overnight rooms for crew.

LNG

Liquefied Natural Gas.

LNG, Liquefied Natural Gas

Natural Gas pressurized and converted to Liquid form.

log

A recording of data from the driller’s log, mud log, electrical wel log, or radioactivity log run in the wells to shows downhole formations and characteristics.

logging

The recording of information about about subsurface geologic formations.

Logistics

The handling of the details of the operation.

Logistics

The management of the flow of goods between origination and consumpiton to order to meet set requirements.

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LPG

Liquified Petroleum Gas. A mixture of methane, ethane, propane, butane, and other hydrocarbons produced by refining crude oil.

Make a Connection, making a connection

To attached drill pipe onto the drill stem.

make a hole, making a hole

To deepend the hole with a drill bit.

make a joint

To connect joints to lengthen the pipe.

make a trip

To take the drill stem out of the hole.

make hole

To create a deeper hole. To drill deeper. Synonym for drilling.

make up tongs

Self-locking wrenches use to grip drillstring and apply torque.

make up, make up hole, making a hole

To join parts of casing for a hole. To tighten threaded connections.

makeup cathead

A devise at the shaft of the drawworks that is used as power.

making a hole

To drill deeper.

manual tongs

Designed for making up and breaking connections of tubular goods on a rig floor.

Marine Riser

A pipe that connects an offshore platform to a well head or pipeline for drilling or production.

marine terminal operators

Provide dock, warehouse, and other failites to ocean carriers moving cargo.

marine vessel

Watercraft range from ships, boats, to workboats.

Mast

Gives heights to a navigation light, look-out poisition.

Master

The Captain of any vessel/ship.

Master Bushings

Master bushings manages the kelly bushing which works with teeth-like slips to grip the pipe.

Medic

On board medic to assist crew in ailments.

Metric Ton

A weight measure equal to 1,000 kilograms, 2,204.62 pounds, and 0.9842 long tons.

Middle Distillates

Light heating oil, jet fuel, and light diesel fuel stocks.

Midstream

Industry activity between Upstream and Downstream. Refers to storage and transportation of oil and gas.

Midstream Facilities,

The sector that involves transporation by pipeline, rail, barge, truck and wholesale markeitng of cure or refined products.

monkeyboard, monkey board

Small platform that the derrickman stands when tripping pipe.

Moon Pool

Featured on marine drilling platforms, drillships and diving support vessels. Also, known as wet porch to allow instruments to be lowered into the sea.

Motorman, motor hand

Responcible for engines that power driling equipment.

mouse hole, mouse-hole

A holding spot in the ground – not too deep – that holds the pipe temporarly while making up the drill pipe length.

Mud

Synonym for drilling fluid.

mud conditioner

control of drilling mud to correct it’s properties.

mud engineer

Tests and maintain properties of drilling mud.

mud house

Stores the bulk sacks of mud matrials to keep dry.

mud logger

Records data from formation cuttings fro bit and mud out of the hole.

mud logging

Recording data from cuttings mae by mud circulated out of the hole.

mud pits

A reserve pit for fluids that consist of mud and water used for reserved mud or waste.

mud pump, mud pumps

Mud pump takes mud from mud pit to drill string.

mud return line

A trough or pipe, placed between the surface connection at the well bore and the shale shaker.

mud tank, mud pit

A series of open tanks made of steel plate to recyle mud and removed sand and sedimients.

mud-gas separator

mud-return line

A pipe betwwen the well bore and shale shaker.

Naphtha

A product stream in the gasoline boiling range (C5

Natural Gas

Methane is the most dominant component.

Natural Gas

A mixture of hydrocarbon gases with impurities from organic material.

natural gas

Compressible, expansible misxture of hydrocarbons occuring natually in a gaseous form.

Natural Gas Processing Plants

Designed to remove valuable products to make the gas marketable, such as: natural gasoline, butane, propane, ethane, and methane.

natural gasoline

Has a lower octane content than conventional commerical distilled gasoline and needs to be blended to be used for flex-fuel vehicles.

NGL Products

Ethane, Propane, Butane, Isobutane, LPG, Natural Gasoline.

NGLs. Natural Gas Liquids

Are used as feedstocks for petrochemical plants, refineries and for heating.

nipple up

To assemble blow-out preventer (BOP) on the wellhead at the surface.

NNS

Northern North Sea

Off the port bow

Something ahead and to the left of the vessel.

Off the starboard bow

Something ahead and to the right of the vessel.

offshore

Seaward to the coastline.

offshore crane

For lifting and lowering equipment and supplies.

offshore drill pipe

Offshore Drilling

Drillingi n the ocean, gulf, or sea.

Offshore Exploration

Includes driiling explore and located oil and gas offshore.

offshore platform

Immobile offshore structure where wells are being produced.

offshore platform

Structure used in offshore drilling where drilling rig, crew quarters and equipment are located.

offshore platform rig

Immobile offshore structure where wells are under production.

offshore rotary bushing

Also called a kelly bushing which connects the rotarty to the kelly as an inside casing. The kelly turns to the drillstring.

offshore rotary drilling

Continuous circular motion method of making a hole to break rock below the sea floor.

offshore rotary table

Located on the drill floor.

offshore Roughneck

Drill crew members who work on the derrick floor, screwing together the sections of drillpipe when running or pulling a drillstring.

offshore Roustabout

Drill crew members who handle the loading and unloading of equipment and assist in general operations around the rig.

oil

A mixture of liquid hydrocarbons of different molecular weights.

oil and gas reserves

The amount of recoverable reserves economically.

Oil production plant

A facility for processing production fluids in ordr to separate our key components to prepare for export.

Oil Tanker

A petroleum tanker is a merchant ship dsigned for bulk transport of oil.

Olefins

Unsaturated paraffin hydrocarbons recovered from petroleum. Typical examples: ethylene, propylene and butylene.

OPEC

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. To regulate oil prices with countries in middle East, Asia, Africa, and South America.

operator

Actually operating the well.

OSHA

The Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) is a law designed to protect the health and safety of industrial workers.

overshot

Fishing tool attached to drill pipe for capturing a lost tool or part in a well.

perforating gun

Is used by a service company that specializes in perforating gun use by wire line retrieval. Charges are fired to allow reservoir fluids to flow into well bore.

perorating

Perforations are made to get oil or gas to flow into the well bore. Special tools are used with explosives.

Petrochemical Plant

A facility where hydrocarbon-based raw materials are used to make chemical products and feedstocks.

Petroleum

A generic name for hydrocarbons, including crude oil, natural gas liquids, natural gas and their products. Many people think of petroleum as crude oil.

petroleum

Oil or Gas.

Petroleum engineer

Petroleum Engineers desing and develop methods for extracting oil and gas from the earth’s surface.

pH

pH is an expression of the intensity, on a logarithmic scale, of the basic or acidic condition of a liquid.

pigging

Devices know as “pigs” to perform maintenance on a pipeline without stopping the flow of product.

pilings

Support offshore structures and provides visual marking for water depth to sea floor.

pinch-out

A form that traps oil and gas by tapering off within a formation.

Pipe dope, dope

A blend of lubricating grease and fine metallic particles that prevents metal thread damage, and seals the roots of threads. Applied to drillpipe tool joints.

pipe rack

A horizonal suppor tfor tubular goods. Pipe is inspected and laid out on racks before used for drilling.

Pipe racking system

Automatic pipe racking as an alternative to manually moving pipe by roughnecks.

pipe ramp

Pipe is lifted through ramp.

Pipelaying barge

Pipeline

Is used to transport goods through a pipe. The most valuable products are crude petroleum and refined petroleum product including fuiesl, oil, natural gas, and biofuels.

Pipeline transport

Transporting of goods, such as crude oil through pipe. Liquids and gaes can be transported in pipelines and other chemical stable cusbstance.

Pipestill, Vacuum (VPS)

The VPS feedstock is typically the bottoms stream from the APS, but heavy streams from other conversion units are sometimes added. This unit is very similar to an atmospheric pipestill, except it operates under a vacuum, to facilitate fractionation of the heaviest part of the

Pipestill: Atmospheric (APS)

A refining process that heats crude oil in a furnace and splits the crude into various

platform

An offshore structure permanently fixed to the sea floor.

platform

Not moveable, offshore structue on pilings from which a well is drilled.

platform rig

An offshore structure permanently fixed to the sea floor with derrick.

Platform support vessel

Designed to supply offshore oil platforms supplies.

Polymer,Copolymer

porosity

The measure of a rocks ability to hold fluid.

Port

Left side of vessel when looking forward.

PPE

Personal Protective Equipment, which includes safety glasses, hard-hats, gloves, ear plugs and other safety protection depending on job.

prime mover

Source of power on a drilling rig.

Processing Plants

Gas processing plants separate NGLs into speparate liquid products such as ethane, propane, isobutene, and natural gasoline.

Production

production

Phase of petroleum industry to bring fluids to the surface, seperating them and preparing for transportation.

production platform

A permanent structure over a well.

Pump jack

A pump unit, also called a rocking horse, is the overground drive for a piston pump of a well, used when there is not enough bottom hole pressure to flow fluid to surface.

pump unit

See “pump jack”.

Pumper, Gauger

racking pipe

Placing stands of pipe in orderly arrangment on the derrick floor .

rail car

A self-propelled railway vehicle that is economical to to move materials.

Railroad

Transportation for goods and passengers on rail track system

rathole

Storage hole – not to deep – to hold the drill pipe temporarly – while preparing to drill.

Reactor

Any of a variety of vessels or tubing designed for carrying out a chemical reaction at a specified temperature and pressure. These can be as simple as a stirred tank, or as complex as a vessel with multiple fixed catalyst beds and interstage cooling.

Reboiler

A heat exchanger at the bottom of distillation and stripper towers that re-vaporizes part of the liquid bottoms stream from the tower and sends this vapor back to the bottom of the tower.

Reduced Crude

The bottoms stream of an atmospheric pipestill.

Reef

An underwater rock, sandbar or coral bed lying less than 80 meters beneath the water surface.

Refinery

A facility consisting of many processing units which transforms crude oil, via distillation and reaction, into various products such as hydrocarbon gases, gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, heating oil, fuel oil, bunker fuel and asphalt.

Refinery Terminal

Plant and equipment designed to receive crude oil, remove water and impurities from the crude, and ship refined products.

Reflux

Part of the liquid product from a tower condenser is sent back to the top of the tower, which increases the separation of the key components in the tower feed. This term is sometimes applied to sending part of a reactor product back to the

Reserve Pit

Storage for discarded drilling fluid.

Reservoir

The underground formation where oil and gas has accumulated. It consists of a porous rock to hold the oil or gas, and a cap rock that prevents its escape.

reservoir

A prorous and permeable sedimentary rock containing large quanities of oil and gas.

Residuum

The bottoms stream of an atmospheric or vacuum pipestill.

Rig

Derrick or mast, drawworks, and drilling equipment on surface.

rig down

Taking rig down to move to other location.

rig electrician

Maintains elelctical generation and distribution.

rig flare test

rig floor

Located where the driller monitors and operates the drilling equipment.

rig mechanic

Ability to repair most mechanics, such as engine sand pumps on the rig.

Rig tow out

Transporting a rig to sea on a vessel.

rig up

To set up rig for drilling purposes.

Rigging

Preparing the proper equipment for lifting and setting a load.

rigging up

To put in proper working order.

Riser (drilling)

A pipe between a seabed BOP and a floating drilling rig.

Riser (production)

The section of pipework that joins a seabed wellhead to the Christmas tree.

riser pipe

Special pipe fittings used offshore for floating offshore rigs to seal between the top of the wellboare on the ocean floorto above the surface of the water.

riser tentioner line

Cable that supports movement of the vessel/

rod wrenches

Tools for tightening or loosening.

Rotary Drilling

A rotary table turns to rotate bit into the ground, and mud fluid is injected to dispose of cuttings.

rotary equipment

Instead of cable-tool drilling, rotary equipment turns the bit to drill deeper and eliminates the cuttings through mud fluid coming out of the bit.

rotary helpers

Responcible for handling lower end of pipe when tripped in or out of hole

rotary hose

A large diameter 3″ to 5″ high-pressure flexible line used to connect the standpipe to the swivel to raise or lower the drillstring while fuild is pumped through drillstring.

rotary slips

See Slips

Rotary table

A rotary table turns torotate bit drill. The housing protects workers.

rotating mouse-hold

See mousehole.

Rotay Bushing

Connects the rotary table to the kelly.

Roughneck

Rotary helper on rig floor. The roughneck peforms hard work.

Roustabout

Works under direction of head roustabout

ROV

Remote operated vehical.

ROV, remote operated vehical

Remote operated vehical. A teathered underwater vehicle used in deepwater for maintence use.

run casing, run pipe

To lower a string of casing into the hole.

running in the hole, run in the hole

To connect pipe together and lower the connected length into the borehole.

running tool

Setting downhole equipment to retrieve equipment or tool that has been set into wellbore.

safety clamps

Prevents drill collar from falling in the hole.

Safety Equipment

Equipment neccesary for emergencys, such as fire extenquisher, and eye wash stations.

Seismic

Earth vibrations that can be made artificially.

semisbumersble rig

The legs on a Semisubmersible are designed to float, and have perpellars to move in the water.

semisubmersible platform, semi-submersible

The rig is designed to float and perpell for deep water drilling.

Separation

A term used in distillation to indicate how well the tower separates adjacent components in the tower feed into top and bottom product streams.

Separators

Gas Conditioning equipment.

Separators, separator units

A vessel that separates with a gravity setting to remove small liquid particles from gas and separates water from oil.

sesmic

Relating to strong vibrations to test the geological area for petroleum.

setting production casing, set casing

To install casing and cement in place in the hole to a certain depth.

Shaker

See “Shale Shaker”.

shale shaker

Vibrating screen to remove cuttings and solids from mud.

sheaves

A pulley with groves.

Ship

Any large buoyant sea-going watercraft.

shut down

To stop machine from operation.

Skid

Frame work for equipment.

slips

A device used to grip drillstring.

slips

To wedge and support pipe in hole to make a stand of pipe.

SNS

Southern North Sea

sonic logging

Recording of sound waves to reach underwater formations.

Sour Crude

Crude oil with more than one percent of sulfur.

Spar platform

A floating oil platform used in deep waters that uses buoys that moored in place vertically.

Sphere

A pressurized storage tank for light hydrocarbons.

spiders

A specialty tool the goes inside to catch a lost part in a drilling hole.

standpipe, stand pipe

Pipe on the rig floor in an orderly fashion.

Starboard

The right side of a vessel when looking forward.

Starboard

Refers to the right side of the ship, port refers to the left side.

Steam Cracker

This is an important unit in a petrochemical plant. It

Stern

The rear of vessel or ship.

Storage

Stored Gas is a working gas or base gas. Base gas remains in storage for safe pressure.

storage tanks

Are containers that hold liquids, compressed gases, or products fro short or long term sotrage of heat or cold.

Stowage

The amount of room for storing materials safely on a vessel.

Sulfur

A major nemesis for the petroleum industry because it fouls catalysts and corrodes equipment. Emission of sulfur compounds, such as SO2 and H2S is strictly regulated.

Sulfur Recovery Plant, Claus Plant

This refinery unit processes the H2S rich gas streams from amine scrubbers. The H2S is carefully burned with air to produce liquid sulfur and gaseous SO2. The SO2 in the tail gas is further treated in a tail gas cleanup unit, which produces more liquid

Surface casing

Surface pipe.

Swinging pipe

Floormen move pipe to rack in orderly fashion.

Tankers

Merchant vesssel designed to transport liquids or gases in bulk.

Tension-Leg Platform

A tyoe of offshore drilling platform in deep water. The surface platform is tethered to a templet on the ocean floor by flexible steel tendons.

Third Mate

A watchkeeping officer, also, the ship’s safety officer, responcible for fire fighting equipment, lifeboats, and other emergency systems.

Tongs

Large wenches for making up or breaking up pipe.

tool house

Stores tools.

Tool joint

The enlarged and threaded ends of joints of drillpipe.

tool pusher

Supervises all drilling operations between company and contractor.

Toolpusher

Second-in-command of a drilling crew. Responsible for the day-to-day running of the rig and for ensuring that all the necessary equipment is available.

Topdrive, top drive

Combines the elevator, tongs,swivel, and hook to power and control the rotating bit.

Topside

The superstructure of a platform.

Tower and Fractionator

Towing

The operation of pushing or pulling a vessel through water.

Transloading

Transferring a shipment from one mode of transportation to another.

traveling block

Pulleys where driling cable is reeved to moved up and down.

Trip

To hoist drill stem from wellbore.

Trip out, tripped out, tripping

To remove drill pipe out of the hole.

tripping in

Go into the hole.

tripping out

Tripping the drill string out of the hole to replace drill bit

Tripping Pipe

Going into and out the hole.

Trucking

Transporting large quanitites of raw matierials, construction equipment and finished good from plants to dstribution centers.

tubing

Small diameter pipe that runs into a well for the pasage of oil and gas to the surface.

Tubulars

Any kind of pipe which inclues tubing, casing, drill pipel, and line pipe.

Tugboat, tug boat

A small-sized vessel powerful enough to maneuver vessels by pushing or pulling.

turbine

A rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from fluid flow and converts if for work.

Turnaround

Shutdown of one or more process units for inspection, cleaning, and repair. Expansion of equipment is often done during turnarounds. The shutdown interval depends upon process severity and unusual process events. Under normal conditions the interval is typically three to five years.

United States Department of Enegy

http://www.energy.gov/ To insure America’s security and prosperity.

Upstream

Seaching and locating oil reserves and bring the oil and gas to surface in order to supply manufactures the raw materials.

UPSTREAM Glossary – OFFSHORE

V-door, Vee-door

Location opposite of the drawworks and is used as an entry to bring in drill pipe, casing, and other tools.

Valve

Controls the rate of flow by opening or closing a line.

Waste Heat Boiler (WHB)

This unit recovers heat from hot process streams and generates steam. Often, the unit is supplementary fired with natural gas to produce more steam.

water trucks

Watertruck are utilized to keep dust down while working on location.

weather

http://www.weather.com/

weight indicator

The Driller monitors the amount of weight on the drill bit.

welding

A fabrication or sculptural process that joins material usually metals.

Well Completion

To prepare a well for production of oil and gas. Method depends on the charactieristics of the well.

well control

To control the kick and prevent a well from blowing out.

Well head equipment

Valve and fittings installed at the wellhead.

Well Head, also called Christmas Tree

Described as a Christmas Tree that has a set of valves, spools and fitiing connected to the top of the well to control the flow of the fluids from the well.

well logging

Recording subsurface geological formations.

Well Logging, Logging, logs, log

Recording of data from drillers log, mud log, electrical well log, or radioactivity log to obrain downhole formation characteristics.

well service pumps

Well loggers use logging tools by wireline to measure the properties between formations. Indicates the existence of oil or gas, and how much is there.

well simulation

Operations to increase production of a well.

wellbore

The hole drilled.

wellhead

Equipment installed on the surface of a wellbore.

wellhead, well head, Christmas tree

Comprised of casinghead, tubing head, and Christmas tree on a completed well.

wildcat well

An exploratary well in unproven territory.

wire rope

Twisted steel wires to create rope of great strength.

wireline

Slender, rodlike piece of metal for lowering special tools such as logging sondes, perforating guns, into the well.

wireline units, wireline operations

Lowering of tools for various purposes, such as electrical logs, peforating, and retrevial of parts.

work over rigs, work over rigs

Operations on a well to restore or increase production. A typical work over is cleaning out sand.

Workboat, work boat

A boat designed specifically for working offshore for ferrying supplies and workers to offshore rigs and platforms.

Workover

A workover may be performed to stimulate the well, remove sand or wax from the wellbore, to mechanically repair the well, or for other reasons.

worm

New and inexperienced worker on drilling rig.