| Abandon |
(1) The proper plugging and abandoning of a well in
compliance with all applicable regulations, and the cleaning up of
the well site to the satisfaction of any governmental body having
jurisdiction with respect thereto and to the reasonable satisfaction
of the operator.(2) To cease efforts to find or produce from a well
or field.(3) To plug a well completion and salvage material and
equipment. |
| Abatement
|
(1) The act or process of reducing the intensity of
pollution.(2) The use of some method of abating
pollution. |
| American Petroleum Institute
(API) |
The American Petroleum Institute is the primary trade
association representing the oil and natural gas industry in the
United States. |
| Annulus |
The space between: (1) The casing and the wall of the
borehole.(2) Two strings of casing.(3) Tubing and
casing. |
| API |
American Petroleum Institute |
| API County Code
|
An indicator developed by the American Petroleum
Institute (API) to identify areas such as counties and other
subdivision areas identified within state boundaries. Defined by API
Bulletin D12A, as amended. This code becomes a part of the API Well
Number. |
| API State Code
|
The indicator assigned to a state, as defined in API
Bulletin D12A, as amended. This code is a part of the API Well
Number (The Api State Code for Colorado is 05).
|
| API Well Number
|
A well identifier assigned as defined in API
(American Petroleum Institute) Bulletin D12A, as amended. The API
Well Numbers are assigned by the appropriate state or federal
regulatory agency. |
| Appraisal Well
|
A well drilled as part of an appraisal drilling
program which is carried out to determine the physical extent,
reserves and likely production rate of a
field. |
| Associated Gas |
A well drilled as part of an appraisal drilling
program which is carried out to determine the physical extent,
reserves and likely production rate of a
field. |
| Barrel |
A unit of volume measurement used for petroleum and
its products (7.3 barrels = 1 ton: 6.29 barrels = 1 cubic
meter). |
| bbl |
One barrel of oil; 1 barrel = 35 Imperial gallons
(approx.), or 159 liters (approx.); 7.5 barrels = 1 ton (approx.);
6.29 barrels = 1 cubic meter. |
| bcf |
Billion cubic feet; 1 bcf = 0.83 million tons of oil
equivalent. |
| bcm |
Billion cubic meters (1 cubic meter = 35.31 cubic
feet). |
| Block |
An acreage sub-division measuring approximately 10 x
20 kms, forming part of a quadrant. e.g. Block 9/13 is the 13th
block in Quadrant 9. |
| blow-down
|
An acreage sub-division measuring approximately 10 x
20 kms, forming part of a quadrant. e.g. Block 9/13 is the 13th
block in Quadrant 9. |
| blow-down
|
Condensate and gas is produced simultaneously from
the outset of production. |
| Blow-out
|
When well pressure exceeds the ability of the
wellhead valves to control it. Oil and gas "blow wild" at the
surface. |
| Blow-out preventers
(BOPs) |
Are high pressure wellhead valves, designed to shut
off the uncontrolled flow of hydrocarbons. |
| BOP |
See blow-out preventers |
| Borehole
|
The hole as drilled by the drill
bit. |
| Bradenhead |
A
casinghead. |
| Bradenhead Test |
|
| Casing |
Pipe cemented in the well to seal off formation
fluids or keep the hole from caving in. |
| Casing string |
The steel tubing that lines a well after it has been
drilled. It is formed from sections of steel tube screwed
together. |
| Central
estimate |
A range of exploration drilling scenarios from which
the following activity levels, based on recent historical
experience, are adopted as the central
estimates. |
| Christmas tree |
The assembly of fittings and valves on the top of the
casing which control the production rate of
oil. |
| COGCC |
Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation
Commission |
| COGIS |
Colorado Oil and Gas Information
Systems |
| Commercial field
|
An oil and/or gas field judged to be capable of
producing enough net income to make it worth
developing. |
| Completion |
The installation of permanent wellhead equipment for
the production of oil and gas. |
| Condensate
|
Hydrocarbons which are in the gaseous state under
reservoir conditions and which become liquid when temperature or
pressure is reduced. A mixture of pentanes and higher
hydrocarbons. |
| Coring |
Taking rock samples from a well by means of a special
tool -- a "core barrel". |
| Crane barge |
A large barge, capable of lifting heavy equipment
onto offshore platforms. Also known as a "derrick
barge". |
| Crude Oil
|
Liquid petroleum as it comes out of the ground as
distinguished from refined oils manufactured out of it.
|
| Cubic foot |
A standard unit used to measure quantity of gas (at
atmospheric pressure); 1 cubic foot = 0.0283 cubic
meters. |
| Cuttings |
Rock chips cut from the formation by the drill bit,
and brought to the surface with the mud. Used by geologists to
obtain formation data. |
| Deepen |
To increase the distance below a specified reference
datum. |
| Derrick |
The tower-like structure that houses most of the
drilling controls. |
| Development phase
|
The phase in which a proven oil or gas field is
brought into production by drilling production (development)
wells. |
| Drill |
(1)To bore a hole, Also see Drilling(2)An implement
with cutting edges used to bore holes. |
| Drilling |
The using of a rig and crew for the drilling,
suspension, completion, production testing, capping, plugging and
abandoning, deepening, plugging back, sidetracking, redrilling or
reconditioning of a well (except routine cleanout and pump or rod
pulling operations) or the converting of a well to a source,
injection, observation, or producing well, and including
stratigraphic tests. Also includes any related environmental
studies. Associated costs include completion costs but do not
include equipping costs. |
| Drilling rig |
A drilling unit that is not permanently fixed to the
seabed, e.g. a drillship, a semi-submersible or a jack-up unit. Also
means the derrick and its associated
machinery. |
| Dry Gas |
Natural gas composed mainly of methane with only
minor amounts of ethane, propane and butane and little or no heavier
hydrocarbons in the gasoline range. |
| Dry hole |
A well which has proved to be
non-productive. |
| E&A |
Abbreviation for exploration and
appraisal. |
| E&P |
Abbreviation for exploration and
production. |
| Enhanced oil
recovery |
A process whereby oil is recovered other than by the
natural pressure in a reservoir. |
| Exploration
drilling |
Drilling carried out to determine whether
hydrocarbons are present in a particular area or
structure. |
| Exploration
phase |
The phase of operations which covers the search for
oil or gas by carrying out detailed geological and geophysical
surveys followed up where appropriate by exploratory
drilling. |
| Exploration
well |
A well drilled in an unproven area. Also known as a
"wildcat well". |
| Farm in |
When a company acquires an interest in a block by
taking over all or part of the financial commitment for drilling an
exploration well. |
| Field |
A geographical area under which an oil or gas
reservoir lies. |
| Fishing |
Retrieving objects from the borehole, such as a
broken drillstring, or tools. |
| Formation
pressure |
The pressure at the bottom of a well when it is shut
in at the wellhead. |
| Formation water |
Salt water underlying gas and oil in the
formation. |
| Fracturing |
A method of breaking down a formation by pumping
fluid at very high pressures. The objective is to increase
production rates from a reservoir. |
| G |
Gas. |
| G/C |
Gas Condensate. |
| Gas field
|
A field containing natural gas but no
oil. |
| Gas injection
|
The process whereby separated associated gas is
pumped back into a reservoir for conservation purposes or to
maintain the reservoir pressure. |
| Gas/oil ratio
|
The volume of gas at atmospheric pressure produced
per unit of oil produced. |
| Geographic Information
Systems(GIS) |
A computer system capable of assembling, storing,
manipulating, and displaying geographically referenced
information. |
| GIS |
See: Geographic Information
Systems |
| Hydrocarbon |
A compound containing only the elements hydrogen and
carbon. May exist as a solid, a liquid or a gas. The term is mainly
used in a catch-all sense for oil, gas and
condensate. |
| Idle Producing |
|
| Injection well
|
A well used for pumping water or gas into the
reservoir. |
| Jacket |
The lower section, or "legs", of an offshore
platform. |
| Kick
|
A well is said to "kick" if the formation pressure
exceeds the pressure exerted by the mud
column. |
| Lay barge
|
A barge that is specially equipped to lay submarine
pipelines. |
| Liquefied natural gas
(LNG) |
Oilfield or naturally occurring gas, chiefly methane,
liquefied for transportation. |
| Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
|
Light hydrocarbon material, gaseous at atmospheric
temperature and pressure, held in the liquid state by pressure to
facilitate storage, transport and handling. Commercial liquefied gas
consists essentially of either propane or butane, or mixtures
thereof. |
| mboe |
Million Barrels Oil
Equivalent. |
| Mechanical Integrity Test
|
The act of setting a packer or retrievable bridge
plug above the perforations in a wellbore and applying pressure to
the annulus in order to ensure soundness of the
casing. |
| Metric ton
|
Equivalent to 1000 kilos, 2204.61 lbs.; 7.5
barrels. |
| MIT |
Mechanical Integrity Test |
| mmcfd |
Millions of cubic feet per day (of
gas). |
| Moonpool |
An aperture in the center of a drillship or
semi-submersible drilling rig, through which drilling and diving
operations can be conducted. |
| MOU/MOA |
MEMORANDUMS OF
UNDERSTANDING/AGREEMENT |
| Mud |
A mixture of base substance and additives used to
lubricate the drill bit and to counteract the natural pressure of
the formation. |
| Natural gas |
Gas, occurring naturally, and often found in
association with crude petroleum. |
| Natural Gas Policy Act Of
1978 |
Enacted on November 9, 1978 and became effective
December 1, 1978. The Act has been amended, and it replaced or
amended the Natural Gas Act. Refer to 15USC
3301-3432. |
| NGLs |
Natural gas liquids. Liquid hydrocarbons found in
association with natural gas. |
| Ngpa
|
SEE: Natural Gas Policy Act of
1978. |
| O |
Oil. |
| O&G |
Oil and Gas. |
| Oil |
A mixture of liquid hydrocarbons of different
molecular weights. |
| Oil field |
A geographic area under which an oil reservoir
lies. |
| Oil in place |
An estimated measure of the total amount of oil
contained in a reservoir, and, as such, a higher figure than the
estimated recoverable reserves of oil. |
| Operator |
The company that has legal authority to drill wells
and undertake the production of hydrocarbons that are found. The
Operator is often part of a consortium and acts on behalf of this
consortium. |
| Payzone |
Rock in which oil and gas are found in exploitable
quantities. |
| Permeability |
The property of a formation which quantifies the flow
of a fluid through the pore spaces and into the wellbore. |
| Petroleum |
A generic name for hydrocarbons, including crude oil,
natural gas liquids, natural gas and their
products. |
| Platform |
An offshore structure that is permanently fixed to
the seabed. |
| Porosity |
The percentage of void in a porous rock compared to
the solid formation. |
| Possible
reserves |
Those reserves which at present cannot be regarded as
‘probable’ but are estimated to have a significant but less than 50%
chance of being technically and economically
producible. |
| Primary recovery
|
Recovery of oil or gas from a reservoir purely by
using the natural pressure in the reservoir to force the oil or gas
out. |
| Probable
reserves |
Those reserves which are not yet proven but which are
estimated to have a better than 50% chance of being technically and
economically producible. |
| Proven field |
An oil and/or gas field whose physical extent and
estimated reserves have been determined. |
| Proven reserves |
Those reserves which on the available evidence are
virtually certain to be technically and economically producible
(i.e. having a better than 90% chance of being
produced). |
| Recomplete |
An operation involving any of the following: (1)
Deepening from one zone to another zone.(2) Completing well in an
additional zone.(3) Plugging back from one zone to another zone.(4)
Sidetracking to purposely change the location of the bottom of the
well, but not including sidetracking for the sole purpose of
bypassing obstructions in the borehole.(5) Conversion of a service
well to an oil or gas well in a different zone.(6) Conversion of an
oil or gas well to a service well in a different
zone. |
| Recoverable
reserves |
That proportion of the oil and/gas in a reservoir
that can be removed using currently available
techniques. |
| Recovery factor |
That proportion of the oil and/gas in a reservoir
that can be removed using currently available
techniques. |
| Reenter |
To enter a previously abandoned
well. |
| 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. |
| Riser
(drilling) |
A pipe between a seabed BOP and a floating drilling
rig. |
| Riser
(production) |
The section of
pipe work that joins a seabed wellhead
to the Christmas tree. |
| Roughneck
|
Drill crew members who work on the derrick floor,
screwing together the sections of drill pipe when running or pulling
a drill string. |
| Roustabout |
Drill crew members who handle the loading and
unloading of equipment and assist in general operations around the
rig. |
| Royalty payment |
The cash or kind paid to the owner of mineral
rights. |
| Secondary recovery
|
Recovery of oil or gas from a reservoir by
artificially maintaining or enhancing the reservoir pressure by
injecting gas, water or other substances into the reservoir
rock. |
| Shut In Well |
A well which is capable of producing but is not
presently producing. Reasons for a well being shut in may be lack of
equipment, market or other. |
| Shutdown |
A production hiatus during which the platform ceases
to produce while essential maintenance work is
undertaken. |
| SI/TA |
Shut In /Temporarily
Abandoned |
| Sidetrack |
A wellbore segment extending from a wellbore
intersection along a wellbore path to a different wellbore
bottomhole from any previously existing wellbore bottomholes. |
| Sidetracking |
The well activity of drilling a new wellbore segment
from a wellbore intersection to a new wellbore bottomhole or
target. |
| Spud-in |
The operation of drilling the first part of a new
well. |
| Surface
Location |
The location of a well or facility/measurement
point. |
| Surface
Reclamation |
A restoration of the surface as for productivity or
usefulness. |
| Suspended well |
A well that has been capped off
temporarily. |
| tcf |
Trillion Cubic Feet (of gas). |
| Temporarily
Abandoned |
The act of isolating the completed interval or
intervals within a wellbore from the surface by means of a cement
retainer, cast iron bridge plug, cement plug, tubing and packer with
tubing plug, or any combination thereof. |
| Toolpusher |
Second-in-command of a drilling crew under the
drilling superintendent. Responsible for the day-to-day running of
the rig and for ensuring that all the necessary equipment is
available. |
| Topsides |
The superstructure of a
platform. |
| UIC |
Underground Injection Control |
| Underground Injection
Control |
A program required in each state by a provision of
the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) for the regulation of Injection
Wells, including a permit system. An applicant must demonstrate that
the well has no reasonable chance of adversely affecting the quality
of an underground source of drinking water before a permit is
issued. |
| w
Well log |
A record of geological formation penetrated during
drilling, including technical details of the
operation. |
| Wildcat well |
A well drilled in an unproven area. Also known as an
"exploration well". [The term comes from exploration wells in West
Texas in the 1920s. Wildcats were abundant in the locality, and
those unlucky enough to be shot were hung from oil
derricks.] |
| Workover |
Remedial work to the equipment within a well, the
well pipe work, or relating to attempts to increase the rate of
flow. |
