abandon

v: to temporarily or permanently cease production

from a well or to cease further drilling operations.

abnormal pressure
n: pressure outside the normal or expected range.
abrasion
n: wearing away by friction.
accumulator
n: the storage device for nitrogen pressurized
hydraulic fluid, which is used in operating the blowout
preventers.
acetic acid
n: an organic acid compound sometimes used to
acidize oilwells.
acid fracture
v: to part or open fractures in limestone formations
by using fluid under hydraulic pressure.

acidize
v: to treat formations with acid for the purpose of
increasing production.
acid stimulation
n: a well stimulation method using acid. See acidize.
aeration
n: the introduction of air or gas into a liquid.
AESC Association of Energy Service Companies

n: a trade association that represents the interests of

members of the energy service segment of the oil and
gas industry. It offers publications regarding
recommended industry practices and training
materials.
air hoist
n: a hoist operated by compressed air; a pneumatic
hoist. Air hoists are often mounted on the rig floor
and may be used to lift joints of pipe and other heavy
objects.
ANSI American National Standards Institute
n: a non-profit organization (501(c)3) that administers
and coordinates voluntary standardization and
conformity assessment system.

API American Petroleum Institute

n: a trade association and standards organization that
represents the interests of the oil and gas industry. It
offers publications regarding standards,
recommended practices, and other industry related
information.
IADC International Association of Drilling Contractors
n: a trade association that represents the interests of
members of the drilling segment of the oil and gas
industry. It offers publications regarding
recommended industry practices and training
materials.
annular blowout preventer
n: a well control device, usually installed above the
ram preventers, that forms a seal in the annular space
between the pipe and well bore or, if no pipe is
present, over the well bore itself.
annular pressure
n: pressure in an annular space.

annulus
n: the space around a pipe in a well bore, sometimes
termed the annular space.
API-monagram
adj; the logo of the American Petroleum Institute
(API) that is placed on certain pieces of oilfield
equipment by the equipment manufacturer. API
licenses the use of the monogram on equipment that
meets the API's minimum standards. It offers
publications regarding standards, recommended
practices, and other industry related information.
Address: 1220 L Street NW; Washington, DC 20005;
(202) 682-8000
artificial lift

n: any method used to raise oil to the surface after a

well ceases to flow.
babbitt
v: line with a Babbitt metal. n: a lead/tin alloy with
some copper and antimony.
backbite
v: reverse backlash of tongs, left on a pipe or collar,
during the pipe spinning operations.
back off
v: to unscrew one threaded piece (such as a section of
pipe) from another.
back-in unit
n: a portable servicing or workover rig that is selfpropelled, using the hoisting engines for motive
power. Because the driver's cab is mounted on the
end opposite the mast support, the unit must be
backed up to the wellhead.
bail

n: 1. a cylindrical steel bar (similar to the handle or

bail of a bucket, only much larger) that supports the
swivel and connects it to the hook.
bailer
n: a long, cylindrical container fitted with a valve at its
lower end, used to remove water, sand, mud, drilling
cuttings, or oil from a well in cable-tool drilling.
ball-and-seat valve
n: a device used to restrict fluid flow to one direction.
It consists of a polished sphere, or ball, usually of
metal, and an annular piece, the seat, ground and
polished to form a seal with the surface of the ball.
Gravitational force or the force of a spring holds the
ball against the seat. Flow in the direction of the force
is prevented, while flow in the opposite direction
overcomes the force and unseats the ball.
ball-out
v: to plug open perforations by using ball sealers.
barite
n: barium sulfate, BaSO4; a mineral frequently used to
increase the weight or density of drilling mud. Its
relative density is 4.2 (meaning that it is 4.2 times
denser than water). See barium sulfate, mud.
barium sulfate
n: a chemical compound of barium, sulfur, and oxygen
(BaSO4), which may form a tenacious scale that is very
difficult to remove. Also called barite.
barrel
(bbl) n: 1. a measure of volume for petroleum
products in the United States. One barrel is the
equivalent of 42 U.S. gallons or 0.15899 cubic meters
(9,702 cubic inches).
basket

n: a device placed in the drill or work string that

catches debris when a drillable object is being milled
or drilled downhole.
beam
n: a steel or other structural member.
beam pumping unit
n: a machine designed specifically for sucker rod
pumping. An engine or motor (prime mover) is
mounted on the unit to power a rotating crank. The
crank moves a horizontal member (walking beam) up
and down to produce reciprocating motion. This
reciprocating motion operates the pump.
belt
n: a flexible band or cord connecting and wrapping
around each of two or more pulleys to transmit power
or impart motion.
belt guard
n: a protective grill or cover for a belt and pulleys.
bent sub

n: a short cylindrical device (generally angular)

installed in the drill stem between the bottommost
drill collar and a downhole motor.
bit
n: the cutting or boring element used in drilling oil
and gas wells.
bit program
n: a plan for the expected number and types of bits
that are to be used in drilling a well.
bit record
n: a report that lists each bit used during a drilling
operation.
bit sub

n: a sub inserted between the drill collar and the bit.

bleed
v: to drain off liquid or gas, generally slowly, through a
valve called a bleeder. To bleed down, or bleed off,
means to release pressure slowly from a well or from
pressurized equipment.
block
n: one or more pulleys, or sheaves, mounted into a
common framework in order to rotate on a common
axis. The crown block is an assembly of sheaves
mounted on beams at the top of the derrick or mast.
The traveling block is an assembly of sheaves
mounted in a framework that allows the block to
move up and down by use of the drilling line that is
reeved over the crown block sheaves and through the
traveling block sheaves.
blowout
n: an uncontrolled flow of gas, oil, or other well fluids
from the well.
blowout preventer (BOP)
n: one or more valves installed at the wellhead to
prevent the escape of pressure either in the annular
space between the casing and the drill pipe or in open
hole (for example, hole with no drill pipe) during
drilling or completion operations. See

annular blowout preventer

and ram blowout preventer.
blowout preventer control panel
n: controls, opens and closes the blowout preventers.
See blowout preventer.
blowout preventer control unit
n: a device that stores hydraulic fluid under pressure
in special containers and provides a method to open
and close the blowout preventers.
blowout preventer stack (BOP stack)
n: the assembly of well control equipment including
preventers, spools, valves, and nipples connected to
the top of the wellhead.
BOP
abbr: blowout preventer.
BOP stack
n: the assembly of blowout preventers installed on a
well.
bore
n: 1. the inside diameter of a pipe or a drilled hole. v:
to penetrate or pierce with a rotary tool. Compare
tunnel.
bottomhole
n: the lowest or deepest part of a well.
bottomhole assembly
n: the portion of the drilling assembly below the drill
pipe. It can be very simple, composed of only the bit
and drill collars, or it can be very complex and made
up of several specialty components.
bottomhole plug
n: a bridge plug or cement plug placed near the
bottom of the hole to shut off a depleted, waterproducing, or unproductive zone.

bottomhole pressure
n: 1. the pressure at the bottom of a borehole. It is
caused by the hydrostatic pressure of the wellbore
fluid and, sometimes, by any backpressure held at the
surface, as when the well is shut in with blowout
preventers. When mud is being circulated,
bottomhole pressure is the hydrostatic pressure plus
the remaining circulating pressure required to move
the mud up the annulus. 2. the pressure in a well at a
point opposite the producing formation, as recorded
by a bottomhole pressure measuring device.
bottomhole pressure test
n: a test that measures the reservoir pressure of the
well, obtained at a specific depth or at the midpoint
of the producing zone. A flowing bottomhole pressure
test measures pressure while the well continues to
flow; a shut-in bottomhole pressure test measures
pressure after the well has been shut in for a specified
period of time. See bottomhole pressure.
bottomhole pump
n: any of the rod pumps, high-pressure liquid pumps,
or centrifugal pumps located at or near the bottom of
the well and used to lift the well fluids. See centrifugal
pump, hydraulic pumping, submersible pump, sucker
rod pumping.
bottom plug
n: a cement wiper plug that precedes cement slurry
down the casing. The plug wipes drilling mud off the
walls of the casing and prevents it from contaminating
the cement. See cementing, wiper plug.
box threads
n pl: threads on the female section, or box, of a tool

joint. See tool joint.

brake
n: The braking device on the drawworks or airhoist to
stop a load being lifted. It is a device for arresting the
motion of a mechanism, usually by means of friction,
as in the drawworks and airhoist brakes.
brake band
n: a part of the brake mechanism consisting of a
flexible steel band lined with a material that grips a
drum when tightened. On drawworks, the brake band

acts on the drum to control the lowering of the

traveling block and its load.
break circulation
v: to start the mud pump for restoring circulation of
the mud column. Because the stagnant drilling fluid
has thickened or gelled during the period of no
circulation, higher pump pressure is usually required
to break circulation.
breaker points
n: contacts that interrupt the current in the primary
circuit of an electrical system such as in a sparkignition engine.
break out
v: 1. to unscrew one section of pipe from another
section, especially drill pipe while it is being
withdrawn from the wellbore. During this operation,
the tongs are used to start the unscrewing operation.
2. to separate, as gas from a liquid or water from an
emulsion.
breakout block
n: a plate that fits in the rotary table and holds the
drill bit while it is being unscrewed from the drill
collar.
breakout cathead
n: a device attached to the catshaft of the drawworks
that is used as a power source for the tongs used in
unscrewing drill pipe; usually located opposite the
drillers side of the drawworks.
break tour
(pronounced "tower") v: to begin operating 24 hours
a day. Moving the rig and rigging up are usually
carried on during daylight hours only. When the rig is
ready for operation at a new location, crews break
tour.
bridge plug
n: a downhole tool, composed primarily of slips, a
plug mandrel, and a rubber sealing element, that is
run and set in casing to isolate a lower zone while an
upper section is being tested or cemented.
brine

n: water that has a quantity of salt, especially sodium

chloride, dissolved in it; salt water.
buck up
v: to tighten up a threaded connection (such as two
joints of drill pipe).
bulk mud components in storage
n: hopper type tanks for storage of drilling fluid
components.
bulk tank
n: on a drilling rig, a large metal bin that usually holds
a large amount of a certain mud additive, such as
bentonite, that is used in large quantities in the
makeup of the drilling fluid.
bullet perforator
n: a tubular device that, when lowered to a selected
depth within a well, is engaged forcing the projectiles
(bullets) through the casing and cement to provide
holes through which the formation fluids may enter
the wellbore.

bumped
adj: in cementing operations, pertaining to a cement
plug that comes to rest on the float collar.
bumper block
n: Timbers wrapped with wire mesh or other retaining
medium located below the crown to act as a cushion
in the event the block is raised too far.
bushing
n: 1. a pipe fitting on which the external thread is
larger than the internal thread to allow two pipes of
different sizes to be connected. 2. a removable lining

or sleeve inserted or screwed into an opening to limit

its size, resist wear or corrosion, or serve as a guide.

cable
n: 1. a rope of wire, hemp, or other strong fibers. 2.
braided wire used to conduct electricity, often called

power cable.
caliper log
n: a record showing variations in wellbore diameter
by depth, indicating undue enlargement due to caving
in, washout, or other causes. The caliper log also
reveals corrosion, scaling, or pitting inside tubular
goods.
carrier rig
n: a specially designed, self-propelled workover or
drilling rig that is driven directly to the well site.
Power from a carrier rig's hoist engine or engines also
propels the rig on the road. A carrier rig may be a
back-in type or a drive-in type.
casing
n: 1. steel pipe placed in an oil or gas well to prevent
the wall of the hole from caving in, to prevent
movement of fluids from one formation to another
and to aid in well control.
cased hole
n: a wellbore in which casing has been run.
casing centralizer

n: a device secured around the casing at regular

intervals to center it in the hole.

casing cutter
n: a heavy cylindrical body, fitted with a set of knives,
used to cut and free a section of casing in a well.
casing coupling (collar)
n: a tubular section of pipe that is threaded inside and
used to connect two joints of casing.
casing crew
n: the employees of a company that specializes in
preparing and running casing into a well.

casing gun
n: a perforating gun run into the casing string.
casing hanger
n: a circular device with a frictional gripping
arrangement of slips and packing rings used to
suspend casing from a casing head in a well.
casing head
n: a heavy, flanged steel fitting connected to the first
string of casing. It provides a housing for slips and
packing assemblies, allows suspension of
intermediate and production strings of casing, and
supplies the means for the annulus to be sealed off.

Also called a casing spool.

casing point

n: the depth in a well at which casing is set, generally

the depth at which the casing shoe rests.
casing pressure
n: the pressure in a well that exists between the
casing and the tubing or the casing and the drill pipe.
casing spider
n: see spider.
casing slip
n: see spider.
casing string
n: the entire length of all the joints of casing run in a
well.
casing shoe
n: see guide shoe.
casing tongs
n pl: large wrench used for turning when making up or
breaking out casing. See tongs.

casing-tubing annulus
n: in a wellbore, the space between the inside of the
casing and the outside of the tubing.
catch samples
v: to obtain cuttings for geological information as
formations are penetrated by the bit. The samples are
obtained from drilling fluid as it emerges from the
wellbore or, in cable-tool drilling, from the bailer.
cathead
n: a spool-shaped attachment on the end of the
catshaft, around which rope for hoisting and moving
heavy equipment on or near the rig floor is wound.
See breakout cathead, makeup cathead.
cathead clutch
n: see cathead.
cathead spool

n: see cathead.
catline boom and hoist line
n: a hoisting or pulling line powered by the cathead
and used to lift heavy equipment on the rig. A
structural framework erected near the top of the
derrick for lifting material.
catwalk
n: 1. the elevated work area adjacent to the vdoor
and ramp on a drilling rig where pipe is laid to be
lifted to the derrick floor by the catline or by an air
hoist. See catline. 2. any elevated walkway.
cement
n: a powder consisting of alumina, silica, lime, and
other substances that hardens when mixed with
water. Extensively used in the oil industry to bond
casing to the walls of the wellbore.
cement bond
n: the adherence of casing to cement and cement to
formation. When casing is run in a well, it is set, or
bonded, to the formation by means of cement.
cellar

n: a pit in the ground to provide additional height

between the rig floor and the well head to
accommodate the installation of blowout preventers,

ratholes, mouseholes, and so forth. It also may collect

drainage water and other fluids for subsequent
disposal.
cement bond survey
n: an acoustic survey or sonic-logging method that
records the quality or hardness of the cement used in
the annulus to bond the casing and the formation.
Casing that is well bonded to the formation transmits
an acoustic signal quickly; poorly bonded casing
transmits a signal slowly. See acoustic survey, acoustic
well logging.
cement casing
v: to fill the annulus between the casing and wall of
the hole with cement to support the casing and
prevent fluid migration between permeable zones.
cement hydration
n: reaction with water that begins when water is
added to powdered cement. The cement gradually

sets to a solid.
cementing
n: the application of a liquid slurry of cement and
water to various points inside or outside the casing.
cementing company
n: a company whose specialty is preparing,
transporting, and pumping cement into a well.
cementing head
n: an accessory attached to the top of the casing to
facilitate cementing of the casing. It has passages for
cement slurry and retainer chambers for cementing
wiper plugs. Also called retainer head.
cementing materials
n pl: a slurry of cement and water and sometimes one
or more additives that affect either the density of the
mixture or its setting time. The cement used may be
high early strength, common (standard), or slow
setting. Additives include accelerators (such as
calcium chloride), retarders (such as gypsum),

weighting materials (such as barium sulfate),

lightweight additives (such as bentonite), or a variety
of lost circulation materials.
cement plug
n: 1. a portion of cement placed at some point in the
wellbore to seal it. 2. a wiper plug. See cementing.
cementing pump
n: a high-pressure pump used to force cement down
the casing and into the annular space between the
casing and the wall of the borehole.
cementing time
n: the total elapsed time needed to complete a
cementing operation.
cement retainer
n: a tool set temporarily in the casing or well to
prevent the passage of cement, thereby forcing it to
follow another designated path. It is used in squeeze
cementing and other remedial cementing jobs.
centralizer
n: see casing centralizer.
centrifugal pump
n: a pump with an impeller or rotor, an impeller shaft,
and a casing, which discharges fluid by centrifugal
force. An electric submersible pump is a centrifugal
pump.

chain tongs
n pl: a hand tool used to tighten or loosen pipe,
consisting of a handle and chain that resembles the
chain on a bicycle.
change house
n: a small building, or doghouse, in which members of
a drilling rig or roustabout crew change clothes, store
personal belongings, and so on.
channeling
n: when casing is being cemented in a borehole, the
cement slurry can fail to rise uniformly between the
casing and the borehole wall, leaving spaces, or
channels, devoid of cement. Ideally, the cement
should completely and uniformly surround the casing

and form a strong bond to the borehole wall. See

cement channeling.
chemical cutoff
n: a method of severing pipe in a well by applying high
pressure jets of a very corrosive substance against the
wall of the pipe. The resulting cut is very smooth.
chemical cutter
n: a fishing tool that uses high-pressure jets of
chemicals to sever casing, tubing, or drill pipe stuck in
the hole.
chemical flooding
n: a method of improved oil recovery in which
chemicals dissolved in water are pumped into a
reservoir through injection wells to mobilize oil left
behind after primary or secondary recovery and to
move it toward production wells.
choke
n: a device with an orifice installed in a line to restrict
the flow of fluids. Surface chokes are part of the
Christmas tree on a well and contain a choke nipple,
or bean, with a small-diameter bore that serves to
restrict the flow. Chokes are also used to control the
rate of flow of the drilling mud out of the hole when
the well is closed in with the blowout preventer and a
kick is being circulated out of the hole. See choke
manifold.
choke line
n: a line, or pipe, that runs from the blowout
preventer stack to the choke manifold through which
fluid from the hole is flowed when the well is shut in

with the blowout preventer.

choke manifold
n: the arrangement of piping and special valves, called
chokes, through which drilling mud is circulated when
the blowout preventers are closed to control the
pressures encountered during a kick.
christmas tree
n: the control valves, pressure gauges, and chokes
assembled at the top of a well to control flow of oil
and/or gas after the well has been drilled and

completed. It is used when reservoir pressure is

sufficient to cause reservoir fluids to rise to the
surface.
circulate
v: to pass from one point throughout a system and
back to the starting point. For example, drilling fluid is
circulated out of the suction pit, down the drill pipe
and drill collars, out the bit, up the annulus, and back
to the pits while drilling proceeds.
circulating fluid
n: see drilling fluid, mud.
circulating head
n: an accessory attached to the top of the drill pipe or
tubing to form a connection with the mud system to
permit circulation of the drilling mud.
circulating pressure
n: the pressure generated by the mud pumps and
exerted on the drill stem.

circulation
n: the movement of drilling fluid out of the mud pits,
down the drill stem, up the annulus, and back to the
mud pits. See normal circulation, reverse circulation.
circulation valve
n: an accessory employed above a packer, to permit
annulus-to-tubing circulation or vice versa.
clean out
v: to remove sand, scale, and other deposits from the
producing section of the well to restore or increase
production.
cleanout tools
n pl: the tools or instruments, such as bailers and
swabs, used to clean out an oilwell.
clutch

n: a coupling used to connect and disconnect a driving

and a driven part of a mechanism, especially a
coupling that permits the former part to engage the
latter gradually and without shock. In the oil field, a
clutch permits gradual engaging and disengaging of
the equipment driven by a prime mover. v: to engage
or disengage a clutch.
coiled tubing
n: a continuous string of flexible steel tubing, often
hundreds or thousands of feet long, that is wound
onto a reel, often dozens of feet in diameter. The reel
is an integral part of the coiled tubing unit, which
consists of several devices that ensure the tubing can
be safely and efficiently inserted into the well from
the surface. Also called reeled tubing.
coiled-tubing unit
n: the equipment for transporting and using coiled
tubing, including a reel for the coiled tubing, an
injector head to push the tubing down the well, a
wellhead blowout preventer stack, a power source
(usually a diesel engine and hydraulic pumps), and a
control console. A unique feature of the unit is that it
allows continuous circulation while it is being lowered
into the hole. A coiled tubing unit is usually mounted

on a trailer or skid.
coiled-tubing workover
n: a workover performed with a continuous steel
tube, normally 0.75 inch to 1 inch (1.9 to 2.54
centimeters) outside diameter, which is run into the
well in one piece inside the normal tubing. Lengths of
the tubing up to 16,000 feet (4,877 meters) are stored
on the surface on a reel in a manner similar to that
used for wireline. The unit is rigged up over the
wellhead. The tubing is injected through a control
head that seals off the tubing and makes a pressuretight connection.

collar
n: 1. a coupling device used to join two lengths of
pipe, such as casing or tubing. A combination collar
has left-hand threads in one end and right-hand
threads in the other. 2. a drill collar.
collar locator
n: a logging device used to determine accurately the
depth of a well; the log measures and records the
depth of each casing collar, or coupling, in a well.
collar locator log
n: see collar locator.
come out of the hole
v: to pull the drill stem out of the wellbore to change
the bit, to change from a core barrel to the bit, to run
electric logs, to prepare for a drill stem test, to run
casing, and so on. Also called trip out, tripping out
(TOH).
company hand
n: see company representative.
company man
n: see company representative.
company representative
n: an employee of an operating company who
supervises the operations at a drilling site or well site
and who may coordinate the hiring of logging, testing,
service, and workover companies. Also called
company hand, operator's representative, or
company man.
complete a well
v: to finish work on a well and bring it to productive
status. See well completion.
completion fluid
n: low-solids fluid or drilling mud used when a well is
being completed. It is selected not only for its ability
to control formation pressure, but also for the
properties that minimize formation damage.
compound
n: 1. a mechanism used to transmit power from the
engines to the pump, the drawworks, and other
machinery on a drilling rig. It is composed of clutches,
chains and sprockets, belts and pulleys, and a number
of shafts, both driven and driving. v: to connect two or
more power producing devices, such as engines, to
run driven equipment, such as the drawworks.
compression-ignition engine

n: a diesel engine; an engine in which the fuel/air

mixture inside the engine cylinders is ignited by the
heat that occurs when the fuel-air mixture is highly
compressed by the engine pistons.
compressor
n: a device that raises the pressure of a compressible
fluid such as air or gas. Compressors create a pressure
differential to move or compress a vapor or a gas.
conductivity
n: 1. the ability to transmit or convey (as heat or
electricity). 2. an electrical logging measurement
obtained from an induction survey, in which eddy
currents produced by an alternating magnetic field
induce in a receiver coil a voltage proportionate to the
ability of the formation to conduct electricity. See
induction log.
conductor casing
n: generally, the first string of casing in a well. It may
be lowered into a hole drilled into the formations
near the surface and cemented in place; it may be
driven into the ground by a special pile driver (in such
cases, it is sometimes called drive pipe). Its purpose is
to prevent the soft formations near the surface from
caving in and to conduct drilling mud from the bottom
of the hole to the surface when drilling starts. Also
called conductor pipe, drive pipe.

conductor hole
n: the hole where the crew starts the top of the well.
conductor pipe
n: the largest diameter casing and the topmost length
of casing. It is relatively short and encases the
topmost string of casing.
cone
n: a conical-shaped metal device into which cutting
teeth are formed or mounted on a roller cone bit.
connection

n: 1. a section of pipe or fitting used to join pipe to

pipe or to a vessel. 2. a place in electrical circuits
where wires join. 3. the action of adding a joint of
pipe to the drill stem as drilling progresses.
consultant
n: a person who contracts with an oil company to
supervise the operations at a drilling site or well site
who may coordinate the hiring of logging, testing,
service, and workover companies.
contract
n: a written agreement that can be enforced by law
and that lists the terms under which the acts required
are to be performed. A drilling contract may cover
such factors as the cost of drilling the well (whether
by the foot or by the day), the distribution of
expenses between operator and contractor, and the
type of equipment to be used.
core
n: a cylindrical sample taken from a formation for
geological analysis.
core analysis
n: laboratory analysis of a core sample that may
determine porosity, permeability, lithology, fluid
content, angle of dip, geological age, and probable
productivity of the formation.
core barrel
n: a tubular device, usually from 10 to 60 feet (3 to 18
meters) long, run in place of a bit and used to cut a
core sample.
core sample
n: 1. a small portion of a formation obtained by using
a core barrel and core bit in an existing wellbore. See
core bit. 2. a spot sample of the contents of an oil or
oil product storage tank usually obtained with a thief,
or core sampler, at a given height in the tank.
coring
n: the process of cutting a vertical, cylindrical sample
of the formations encountered as a well is drilled.

coring bit
n: a bit that does not drill out the center portion of
the hole, but allows this center portion (the core) to
pass through the round opening in the center of the
bit and into the core barrel.
corrosion
n: any of a variety of complex chemical or
electrochemical processes, such as rust, by which
metal is destroyed through reaction with its
environment.
corrosion inhibitor
n: a chemical substance that minimizes or prevents
corrosion in metal equipment.
counterbalance weight
n: a weight applied to compensate for existing weight
or force. On pumping units in oil production,
counterweights are used to offset the weight of the
column of sucker rods and fluid on the upstroke of the
pump, and the weight of the rods on the downstroke.
coupling
n: 1. in piping, a metal collar with internal threads
used to join two sections of threaded pipe. 2. in
power transmission, a connection extending between
a driving shaft and a driven shaft.
crane
n: a machine for raising, lowering, and revolving heavy
pieces of equipment.
crane operator
n: a person who by training and experience is
authorized to operate the crane and who may be in
charge of the roustabout crew.
crank
n: an arm keyed at right angles to a shaft and used for
changing radius of rotation or changing reciprocating
motion to circular motion or circular motion to
reciprocating motion. On a beam pumping unit, the
crank is connected by the pitman to the walking
beam, thereby changing circular motion to
reciprocating motion.
crank arm
n: a steel member connected to each end of the shaft
extending from each side of the speed reducer on a

beam pumping unit.

crankshaft
n: a rotating shaft to which connecting rods are
attached. It changes up and down (reciprocating)
motion to circular (rotary) motion.
crew
n: 1. the workers on a drilling or workover rig,
including the driller, the derrickhand, and the rotary
helpers. 2. any group of oilfield service workers.
crooked hole
n: a wellbore that has been drilled in a direction other
than vertical.
crossover sub
n: a sub that allows different sizes and types of drill
pipe or other components to be joined.
crown
n: 1. the crown block or top of a derrick or mast. 2.
the top of a piston. 3. a high spot formed on a tool

joint shoulder as the result of wobble.

crown block and water table
n: an assembly of sheaves or pulleys mounted on
beams at the top of the derrick. The drilling line is run
over the sheaves down to the hoisting drum.
crown saver
n: a device mounted near the drawworks drum to
keep the driller from inadvertently raising the
traveling block into the crown block. A probe senses
when too much line has been pulled onto the drum,
indicating that the traveling block may strike the
crown. The probe activates a switch that
simultaneously disconnects the drawworks from its
power source and engages the drawworks brake.
crude oil

n: unrefined liquid petroleum. It ranges in gravity

from 9API to 55API and in color from yellow to
black.
cutout
n: an area of deck grating removed to clear an
obstruction or to permit pipes, ducts, columns, and
the like to pass through the grating.
cuttings
n pl: the fragments of rock dislodged by the bit and
brought to the surface in the drilling mud. Washed
and dried cuttings samples are analyzed by geologists
to obtain information about the formations drilled.

daily drilling report

n: a record made each day of the operations on a
working drilling rig and, traditionally, phoned, faxed,
emailed, or radioed in to the office of the drilling
company and possibly the operator every morning.
dampener
n: an air or inert gas device that minimizes pressure
surges in the output line of a mud pump. Sometimes
called a surge dampener.
daylight tour
(pronounced "tower") n: in areas where three eighthour tours are worked, the shift of duty on a drilling
rig that starts at or about daylight. Compare evening
tour, morning (graveyard) tour.
day tour
(pronounced "tower") n: in areas where two 12-hour
tours are worked, a period of 12 hours, usually during
daylight, worked by a drilling or workover crew when
equipment is being run around the clock.

deadline
n: the drilling line from the crown block sheave to the
anchor, so called because it does not move. Compare
fast line.
deadline anchor
n: see deadline tie-down anchor.
deadline sheave
n: the sheave on the crown block over which the
deadline is reeved.
deadline tie-down anchor
n: a device to which the deadline is attached, securely
fastened to the mast or derrick substructure. Also
called a deadline anchor.
deck
n: (nautical) floor.
degasser
n: the equipment used to remove unwanted gas from
a liquid, especially from drilling fluid.

density
n: the mass or weight of a substance per unit volume.
For instance, the density of a drilling mud may be 10
pounds per gallon, 74.8 pounds/cubic foot, or 1,198.2
kilograms/cubic meter. Specific gravity, relative
density, and API gravity are other units of density.
density log
n: a special radioactivity log for open-hole surveying
that responds to variations in the specific gravity of
formations. It is a contact log (i.e., the logging tool is
held against the wall of the hole). It emits neutrons
and then measures the secondary gamma radiation
that is scattered back to the detector in the
instrument. The density log is an excellent porositymeasure device, especially for shaley sands. Some
trade names are Formation Density Log, GammaGamma Density Log, and Densilog.

derrick
n: a large load-bearing structure, usually of bolted
construction. In drilling, the standard derrick has four
legs standing at the corners of the substructure and
reaching to the crown block. The substructure is an
assembly of heavy beams used to elevate the derrick
and provide space to install blowout preventers,

casingheads, and so forth.

derrick floor
n: also called the rig floor.
derrickhand
n: the crew member who handles the upper end of
the drill string as it is being hoisted out of or lowered
into the hole. On a drilling rig, he or she may be
responsible for the circulating machinery and the
conditioning of the drilling or workover fluid.
derrickman
n: see derrickhand.
desander
n: a centrifugal device for removing sand from drilling
fluid to prevent abrasion of the pumps. It may be
operated mechanically or by a fast-moving stream of
fluid inside a special cone-shaped vessel, in which
case it is sometimes called a hydrocyclone.

desilter
n: a centrifugal device, similar to a desander, used to
remove very fine particles, or silt, from drilling fluid to
lower the amount of solids in the fluid.
diamond bit
n: a drill bit that has small industrial diamonds
embedded in its cutting surface.
dies

n: a tool used to shape, form, or finish other tools or

pieces of metal. For example, a threading die is used
to cut threads on pipe.

die insert
n: a removable, hard-steel, serrated piece that fits
into the jaws of the tongs and firmly grips the body of
the drill pipe, drill collars, or casing while the tongs
are making up or breaking out the pipe.
diesel-electric power
n: the power supplied to a drilling rig by diesel
engines driving electric generators.
diesel engine
n: a high-compression, internal-combustion engine
used extensively for powering drilling rigs. In a diesel
engine, air is drawn into the cylinders and
compressed to very high pressures; ignition occurs as
fuel is injected into the compressed and heated air.
Combustion takes place within the cylinder above the
piston, and expansion of the combustion products
imparts power to the piston.
diesel fuel
n: a light hydrocarbon mixture for diesel engines; it
has a boiling range just above that of kerosene.
dipmeter log
n: see dipmeter survey.
dipmeter survey
n: an oilwell-surveying method that determines the
direction and angle of formation dip in relation to the
borehole. It records data that permit computation of
both the amount and direction of formation dip
relative to the axis of the hole and thus provides
information about the geologic structure of the
formation. Also called dipmeter log or dip log.
directional drilling
n: 1. intentional deviation of a wellbore from the
vertical. Although wellbores are normally drilled
vertically, it is sometimes necessary or advantageous
to drill at an angle from the vertical. Controlled
directional drilling makes it possible to reach

subsurface areas laterally remote from the point

where the bit enters the earth.
directional hole
n: a wellbore intentionally drilled at an angle from the
vertical. See directional drilling.
displacement fluid
n: in well cementing, the fluid, usually drilling mud or
salt water, that is pumped into the well after the
cement is pumped into it to force the cement out of
the casing and into the annulus.
dissolved gas
n: natural gas that is in solution with crude oil in the
reservoir.
dissolved-gas drive
n: a source of natural reservoir energy in which the
dissolved gas coming out of the oil expands to force
the oil into the wellbore. Also called solution-gas
drive. See reservoir drive mechanism.

doghouse
n: a small enclosure on the rig floor used as an office
and/or as a storehouse for small objects. Also, any
small building used as an office or for storage.
dogleg
n: 1. an abrupt change in direction in the wellbore,
frequently resulting in the formation of a keyseat. 2. a
sharp bend permanently put in an object such as a
pipe, wire rope, or a wire rope sling.
double
n: a length of drill pipe, casing, or tubing consisting of
two joints screwed together.
downhole
adj, adv: pertaining to the wellbore.
downhole motor
n: a drilling tool made up in the drill string directly
above the bit. It causes the bit to turn while the drill
string remains fixed. It is used most often as a
deflection tool in directional drilling, where it is made
up between the bit and a bent sub (or, sometimes,
the housing of the motor itself is bent). Two principal

types of downhole motor are the positivedisplacement motor and the downhole turbine motor.

drawworks
n: the hoisting mechanism on a drilling rig. It is
essentially a large winch that spools off or takes in the
drilling line and thus lowers or raises the drill stem
and bit.
drawworks brake
n: the mechanical brake on the drawworks that can
slow or prevent the drawworks drum from moving.
drawworks drum
n: the spool-shaped cylinder in the drawworks around
which drilling line is wound or spooled.
drill
v: to bore a hole in the earth, usually to find and
remove subsurface formation fluids such as oil and
gas.
drillable
adj: pertaining to packers and other tools left in the
wellbore to be broken up later by the drill bit.
Drillable equipment is made of cast iron, aluminum,
plastic, or other soft, brittle material.
drillable packer
n: a permanent packer that can only be removed by
drilling it out.
drill ahead
v: to continue drilling operations.

drill bit
n: the cutting or boring element used in drilling oil
and gas wells. Most bits used in rotary drilling are
roller-cone bits. The bit consists of the cutting
elements and the circulating element. The circulating
element permits the passage of drilling fluid and

utilizes the hydraulic force of the fluid stream to

improve drilling rates.
drill collars
n: a heavy, thick-walled tube, usually steel, used
between the drill pipe and the bit in the drill stem,
used to stiffen the drilling assembly an put weight on
the bit so that the bit can drill.
drill collar sub
n: a sub made up between the drill string and the drill
collars that is used to ensure that the drill pipe and
the collar can be joined properly.

driller
n: the employee normally in charge of a specific (tour)
drilling or workover crew. The drillers main duty is
operation of the drilling and hoisting equipment, but
this person may also be responsible for downhole
condition of the well, operation of downhole tools,
and pipe measurements.
drillers position
n: the area immediately surrounding the drillers
console.
drill floor
n: also called rig floor or derrick floor. See rig floor.
drill in
v: to penetrate the productive formation after the
casing is set and cemented on top of the pay zone.
drilling contract
n: an agreement made between a drilling company
and an operating company to drill a well. It generally
sets forth the obligation of each party, compensation,
identification, method of drilling, depth to be drilled,
and so on.
drilling crew
n: a driller, a derrickhand, and two or more helpers
who operate a drilling or workover rig for one tour
each day.
drilling engine
n: an internal-combustion engine used to power a
drilling rig. These engines are used on a rotary rig and
are usually fueled by diesel fuel, although liquefied
petroleum gas, natural gas, and, very rarely, gasoline
can also be used.

drilling engineer
n: an engineer who specializes in the technical aspects
of drilling.

drilling fluid
n: circulating fluid, one function of which is to lift
cuttings out of the wellbore and to the surface. It also
serves to cool the bit and to counteract downhole
formation pressure.
drilling hook
n: the large hook mounted on the bottom of the
traveling block and from which the swivel is
suspended.
drilling mud
n: a specially compounded liquid circulated through
the wellbore during rotary drilling operations. See
drilling fluid, mud.
drill pipe
n: the heavy seamless tubing used to rotate the bit
and circulate the drilling fluid. Joints of pipe are
generally approximately 30 feet long are coupled
together by means of tool joints.
drill stem
n: all members in the assembly used for rotary drilling
from the swivel to the bit, including the kelly, the drill
pipe and tool joints, the drill collars, the stabilizers,
and various specialty items. Compare drill string.

drill stem test (DST)

n: a method of formation testing. The basic drill stem
test tool consists of a packer or packers, valves or
ports that may be opened and closed from the
surface, and two or more pressure-recording devices.

The tool is lowered on the drill string to the zone to

be tested. The packer or packers are set to isolate the
zone from the drilling fluid column.
driller's console
n: the control panel, where the driller controls drilling
operations.

drilling line
n: a wire rope hoisting line, reeved on sheaves of the
crown block and traveling block (in effect a block and
tackle), the primary purpose of which is to hoist or
lower drill pipe or casing from or into a well.
drilling out
n: the operation during the drilling procedure when
the cement is drilled out of the casing.

drill string
n: the column, or string, of drill pipe with attached
tool joints that transmits fluid and rotational power
from the kelly to the drill collars and the bit. Often,
the term is loosely applied to include both drill pipe
and drill collars.
drive bushing
n: see kelly bushing.
drive chain
n: a chain by means of which a machine is propelled.
drive-in unit
n: a type of portable service or workover rig that is
self-propelled, using power from the hoisting engines.
The driver's cab and steering wheel are mounted on

the same end as the mast support; thus the unit can
be driven straight ahead to reach the wellhead.
drive pipe
n: see conductor casing.
drum (rope)
n: a rotating cylinder with side flanges on which wire
or other rope used in machine operation is wrapped.
dry hole
n: any well that does not produce oil or gas in
commercial quantities. A dry hole may flow water,
gas, or even oil, but not in amounts large enough to
justify production.
dual completion
n: a single well that produces from two separate
formations at the same time. Production from each
zone is segregated by running two tubing strings with
packers inside the single string of production casing,
or by running one tubing string with a packer through
one zone while the other is produced through the
annulus. In a miniaturized dual completion, two
separate casing strings are run and cemented in the
same wellbore.
dump bailer
n: a bailing device with a release valve, usually of the
disk or flapper type, used to place, or spot, material
(such as cement slurry) at the bottom of the well.
electric cable tray
n: supports the electrical cables that feed the power
from the control panel to the rig motors.
electric control house
n: On diesel electric rigs, diesel engines drive electric
generators. The generators produce electricity that
flow throw cables to electric switches and control
equipment enclosed in a control cabinet or panel.
Electricity is fed to electric motors via the panel.
electric log
n: see electric well log.
electric rig
n: a drilling rig on which the energy from the power
sourceusually diesel enginesis changed to
electricity by generators mounted on the engines. The
electrical power is then distributed through electrical
conductors to electric motors. The motors power the
various rig components. Compare mechanical rig.

electric submersible pumping

n: a form of artificial lift that utilizes an electric
submersible multistage centrifugal pump. Electric
power is conducted to the pump by a cable attached
to the tubing.
electric survey
n: see electric well log.
electric well
log n: a record of certain electrical characteristics
(such as resistivity and conductivity) of formations
traversed by the borehole. It is made to identify the
formations, determine the nature and amount of
fluids they contain, and estimate their depth. Also
called an electric log or electric survey.
elevator links
n pl: cylindrical bars that support the elevators and
attach them to the hook.

elevators
n pl: on rotary rigs and top drive rigs, hinged steel
devices with manual operating handles that crew
members latch onto a tool joint (or a sub).
engine
n: a machine for converting the heat content of fuel
into rotary motion that can be used to power other
machines. Compare motor.
erosion
n: the process by which material (such as rock or soil)
is worn away or removed (as by wind or water).
evening tour
(pronounced "tower") n: the shift of duty on a drilling
rig that generally starts in the afternoon and runs
through the evening. Sometimes called afternoon
tour. Compare daylight tour.
external cutter
n: a fishing tool containing metalcutting knives that is
lowered into the hole and over the outside of a length

of pipe to cut it. The severed part of the pipe can then
be brought to the surface. Also called an outside
cutter. Compare internal cutter.
fastline
n: the end of the drilling line that is affixed to the
drum or reel of the drawworks, so called because it
travels with greater velocity than any other portion of
the line. Compare deadline.
fingerboard
n: a rack that supports the stands of pipe being
stacked in the derrick or mast. It has several steel
fingerlike projections that form a series of slots into
which the derrickman can place a stand of drill pipe or
collars after it is pulled out of the hole and removed
from the drill string.
fire flooding
n: a thermal recovery method in which the oil in the
reservoir is ignited, the heat vaporizes lighter
hydrocarbons and water pushes the warmed oil
toward a producing well. Also called in situ
combustion. See thermal recovery.
fish
n: an object that is left in the wellbore during drilling
or workover operations and that must be recovered
before work can proceed. It can be anything from a
piece of scrap metal to a part of the drill stem.
fishing
n: the procedure of recovering lost or stuck
equipment in the wellbore.
fishing magnet
n: a powerful magnet designed to recover metallic
objects lost in a well.
fishing tool
n: a tool designed to recover equipment lost in a well.
fishing-tool operator
n: the person (usually a service company employee) in
charge of directing fishing operations.
fitting
n: a small, often standardized, part (such as a
coupling, valve, or gauge) installed in a larger
apparatus.
float collar
n: a special coupling device inserted one or two joints
above the bottom of the casing string that contains a
check valve to permit fluid to pass downward but not

upward through the casing. The float collar prevents

drilling mud from entering the casing while it is being
lowered, allowing the casing to float during its
descent and thus decreasing the load on the derrick
or mast.
float shoe
n: a short, heavy, cylindrical steel section with a
rounded bottom that is attached to the bottom of the
casing string. It contains a check valve and functions
similarly to the float collar but also serves as a guide
shoe for the casing.
flood
v: 1. to drive oil from a reservoir into a well by
injecting water under pressure into the reservoir
formation. See waterflooding. 2. to drown out a well
with water.
flow
n: a current or stream of fluid or gas.
floor crew
n: those workers on a drilling or workover rig who
work primarily on the rig floor. See rotary helper.
floorhand
n: see rotary helper.
floorman
n: see rotary helper.
flowing well
n: a well that produces oil or gas by its own reservoir
pressure rather than by use of artificial means (such
as pumps).
flow line
n: the surface pipe through which oil or gas travels
from a well to processing equipment or to storage.
flow rate
n: the speed, or velocity, of fluid or gas flow through a
pipe or vessel.
fluid injection
n: injection of gases or liquids into a reservoir to force
oil toward and into producing wells.
fluid loss
n: the unwanted migration of the liquid part of the
drilling mud or cement slurry into a formation, often
minimized or prevented by the blending of additives
with the mud or cement.
formation fluid

n: fluid (such as gas, oil, or water) that exists in a

subsurface formation.
formation gas
n: gas initially produced from an underground
reservoir.
formation pressure
n: the force exerted by fluids or gas in a formation,
recorded in the hole at the level of the formation with
the well shut in. Also called reservoir pressure or shutin bottomhole pressure.
formation testing
n: the gathering of pressure data and fluid samples
from a formation to determine its production
potential before choosing a completion method.
formation water
n: 1. the water originally in place in a formation. 2.
any water that resides in the pore spaces of a
formation.
frac fluid
n: a fluid used in the fracturing process (for example,
a method of stimulating production by opening new
flow channels in the formation surrounding a
production well). Under extremely high hydraulic
pressure, frac fluids (such as distillate, diesel fuel,
crude oil, dilute hydrochloric acid, water, or kerosene)
are pumped downward through production tubing or
drill pipe and forced out below a packer or between
two packers. The pressure causes cracks to open in
the formation, and the fluid penetrates the formation
through the cracks. Sand grains, aluminum pellets,
walnut shells, or similar materials (propping agents)
are carried in suspension by the fluid into the cracks.
When the pressure is released at the surface, the
fracturing fluid returns to the well but leaves behind
the propping agents to hold open the formation

cracks.
fuel tanks
n pl: fuel storage tanks for the power generating
system.
fracture
n: a crack or crevice in a formation, either natural or
induced. See hydraulic fracturing.

fracture acidizing
n: a procedure by which acid is forced into a
formation under pressure high enough to cause the
formation to crack. The acid acts on certain kinds of
formations, usually carbonates, to increase the
permeability of the formation. Also called acid
fracturing.
fracture pressure
n: the pressure at which a formation will break down,
or fracture.
fracturing fluid
n: a fluid, such as water, oil, or acid, used in hydraulic
fracturing. The fluid carries propping agents that hold
open the formation cracks after hydraulic pressure
dissipates. See acid fracturing, hydraulic fracturing,
propping agents.
free-point indicator
n: a device run on wireline into the wellbore and
inside the fishing string and fish to locate the area
where a fish is stuck. When the drill string is pulled
and turned, the electromagnetic fields of free pipe
and stuck pipe differ. The free-point indicator is able
to distinguish these differences, which are registered
on a metering device at the surface.
friction
n: resistance to movement created when two surfaces
are in contact. When friction is present, movement
between the surfaces produces heat.
full-gauge bit
n: a bit that has maintained its original diameter.
full-gauge hole
n: a wellbore drilled with a full-gauge bit. Also called a
true-to-gauge hole.
gamma ray log
n: a type of radioactivity well log that records natural
radioactivity around the wellbore. Shales generally
produce higher levels of gamma radiation and can be
detected and studied with the gamma ray tool. See
radioactivity well logging.
gas anchor
n: a tubular, perforated device attached to the
bottom of a suckerrod pump that helps to prevent gas
lock. The device works on the principle that gas, being
lighter than oil, rises. As well fluids enter the anchor,
gas breaks out of the fluid and exits from the anchor

through perforations near the top. Remaining fluids

enter the pump through a mosquito bill (a tube within
the anchor), which has an opening near the bottom.
In this way, all or most of the gas escapes before the
fluids enter the pump.
gas cap
n: a free-gas phase overlying an oil zone and occurring
within the same producing formation as the oil. See
reservoir.
gas-cap drive
n: drive energy supplied naturally (as a reservoir is
produced) by the expansion of the gas cap. In such a
drive, the gas cap expands to force oil into the well
and to the surface. See reservoir drive mechanism.
gas-cut mud
n: a drilling mud that contains entrained formation
gas, giving the mud a characteristically fluffy texture.
Gas cut mud may cause a lowering of mud weight.
gas drive
n: the use of the energy that arises from the
expansion of compressed gas in a reservoir to move
crude oil to a wellbore. Also called depletion drive.
See dissolved-gas drive, gas-cap drive, reservoir drive
mechanism.
gas injection
n: the injection of gas into a reservoir to maintain
formation pressure by gas drive and to reduce the
rate of decline of the original reservoir drive. One
type of gas injection uses gas that does not mix (is not
miscible) with the oil. Examples of these gases include
natural gas, nitrogen, and flue gas. Another type uses
gas that does mix (is miscible) with the oil. The gas
may be naturally miscible or become miscible under
high pressure. Examples of miscible gases include
propane, methane enriched with other light
hydrocarbons, methane under high pressure, and
carbon dioxide under pressure. Frequently, water is
also injected in alternating steps with the gas.
gas injection well
n: a well into which gas is injected for the purpose of
maintaining or supplementing pressure in an oil
reservoir.
gasket

n: any material (such as paper, cork, asbestos,

stainless steel or other types of metal, or rubber) used
to seal two essentially stationary surfaces.
gas lift
n: the process of raising or lifting fluid from a well by
injecting gas down the well through tubing or through
the tubing-casing annulus. Injected gas aerates the
fluid to make it exert less pressure than the formation
does; the resulting higher formation pressure forces
the fluid out of the wellbore. Gas may be injected
continuously or intermittently, depending on the
producing characteristics of the well and the
arrangement of the gas-lift equipment.
gas-lift mandrel
n: a device installed in the tubing string of a gas-lift
well onto which or into which a gas-lift valve is fitted.
There are two common types of mandrel. In the
conventional gas-lift mandrel, the gas-lift valve is
installed as the tubing is placed in the well. Thus, to
replace or repair the valve, the tubing string must be
pulled. In the sidepocket mandrel, however, the valve
is installed and removed by wireline while the
mandrel is still in the well, eliminating the need to pull
the tubing to repair or replace the valve.
gas-lift valve
n: a device installed on a gas-lift mandrel, which in
turn is put on the tubing string of a gas-lift well.
Tubing and casing pressures cause the valve to open
and close, thus allowing gas to be injected into the
fluid in the tubing to cause the fluid to rise to the
surface. See gas-lift mandrel.
gas-lift well
n: a well in which reservoir fluids are artificially lifted
by the injection of gas.
gas lock
n: 1. a condition sometimes encountered in a
pumping well when dissolved gas, released from
solution during the upstroke of the plunger, appears
as free gas between the valves. If the gas pressure is
sufficient, the standing valve is locked shut, and no
fluid enters the tubing. 2. a device fitted to the
gauging hatch on a pressure tank that enables manual
dipping and sampling without loss of vapor. 3. a
condition that can occur when gas-cut mud is
circulated by the mud pump. The gas breaks out of

the mud, expands, and works against the operation of

the piston and valves.
gas well
n: a well that primarily produces gas. Legal definitions
vary among the states.
gear reducer
n: see speed reducer.
gel
n: a semisolid, jellylike state assumed by some
colloidal dispersions at rest.
geologist
n: a scientist who gathers and interprets data
pertaining to the formations of the earths crust.
Geronimo
n: see safety slide.
go in the hole
v: to lower the drill stem, the tubing, the casing, or
the sucker rods into the wellbore.
gone to water
adj: pertaining to a well in which production of oil has
decreased and production of water has increased (for
example, the well has gone to water).
gooseneck
n: the curved connection between the rotary hose
and the swivel. See swivel.
gravel
n: sand or glass beads of uniform size and roundness
used in gravel packing.
gravel packing
n: a method of well completion in which a slotted or
perforated liner, often wire-wrapped, is placed in the
well and surrounded by gravel. If open hole, the well
is sometimes enlarged by underreaming at the point
where the gravel is packed. The mass of gravel
excludes sand from the wellbore but allows continued
production.
guide shoe
n: 1. a short, heavy, cylindrical section of steel filled
with concrete and rounded at the bottom, which is
placed at the end of the casing string. It prevents the
casing from snagging on irregularities in the borehole
as it is lowered.
guy line anchor
n: a buried weight or anchor to which a guy line is
attached.

guy wire
n: a rope or cable used to steady a mast or pole.
hang rods
v: to suspend sucker rods in a derrick or mast on rod
hangers rather than to place them horizontally on a
rack.
hard hat
n: a hard helmet worn by oilfield workers to minimize
the danger of being injured by falling objects.
headache
n: (slang) the position in which the mast on a mobile
rig is resting horizontally over the drivers cab.
hex kelly
n: see kelly.
hoist
n: 1. an arrangement of pulleys and wire rope used
for lifting heavy objects; a winch or similar device. 2.
the drawworks. v: to raise or lift.

hoisting components
n pl: drawworks, drilling line, and traveling and crown
blocks. Auxiliary hoisting components include
catheads, catshaft, and air hoist.
hoisting drum
n: the large, flanged spool in the drawworks on which
the hoisting cable is wound. See drawworks.
hoisting line
n: a wire rope used in hoisting operations.
hook
n: a large, hook-shaped device from which the
elevator bails or the swivel is suspended. It turns on
bearings in its supporting housing.
hoisting system
n: the system on the rig that performs all the lifting on
the rig, primarily the lifting and lowering of drill pipe
out of and into the hole. It is composed of drilling line,

traveling block, crown block, and drawworks. See also

hoisting components.
hook load
n: the weight of the drill stem and associated
components that are suspended from the hook.
hopper
n: a large funnel- or cone-shaped device into which
dry components (such as powdered clay or cement)
can be poured to later mix with water or other liquids.
The dry component is educted through a nozzle at the
bottom of the hopper.
horsehead
n: the generally horsehead-shaped steel piece at the
front of the beam of a pumping unit to which the
bridle is attached in sucker rod pumping.
horsepower
n: a unit of measure of work done by a machine.
horizontal drilling
n: deviation of the borehole from vertical so that the
borehole penetrates a productive formation in a
manner parallel to the formation.
hydraulic
adj: 1. of or relating to water or other liquid in
motion. 2. operated, moved, or effected by water or
liquid.
hydraulic fluid
n: a liquid of low viscosity (such as light oil) that is
used in systems actuated by liquid (such as the brake
system in a car).
hydraulic force
n: force resulting from pressure on water or other
hydraulic fluid.
hydraulic fracturing
n: an operation in which a specially blended liquid is
pumped down a well and into a formation under
pressure high enough to cause the formation to crack
open, forming passages through which oil can flow
into the wellbore.

hydraulic jar
n: a type of mechanical jar in which a fluid moving
through a small opening slows the piston stroke while
the crew stretches the work string. After the hydraulic
delay, a release mechanism in the jar trips to allow a
mandrel to spring up and deliver a sharp blow.
Compare mechanical jar.
hydraulic pumping
n: a method of pumping oil from wells by using a
downhole pump without sucker rods. Subsurface
hydraulic pumps consist of two reciprocating pumps
coupled and placed in the well. One pump functions
as an engine and drives the other pump (the
production pump). The downhole engine is usually
operated by clean crude oil under under pressure
(power oil) that is drawn from a power-oil settling
tank by a triplex plunger pump on the surface. If a
single string of tubing is used, power oil is pumped
down the tubing string to the pump, which is seated
in the string, and a mixture of power oil and produced
fluid is returned through the casing-tubing annulus. If
two parallel strings are used, one supplies power oil
to the pump while the other returns the exhaust and
produced oil to the surface. A hydraulic pump may be
used to pump several wells from a central source.
hydrocarbons
n pl: organic compounds of hydrogen and carbon
whose densities, boiling points, and freezing points
increase as their molecular weights increase.
Although composed of only two elements,
hydrocarbons exist in a variety of compounds,
because of the strong affinity of the carbon atom for
other atoms and for itself. The smallest molecules of
hydrocarbons are gaseous; the largest are solids.
Petroleum is a mixture of many different
hydrocarbons.
hydrogen sulfide cracking
n: a type of corrosion that occurs when metals are
exposed to hydrogen sulfide gas; it is characterized by
minute cracks that form just under the metals
surface.
hydrostatic pressure
n: the force exerted by a body of fluid at rest. It
increases directly with the density and the depth of

the fluid and is expressed in many different units,

including pounds per square inch or kilopascals.
IADC
abbr: International Association of Drilling Contractors.
impeller
n: a set of mounted blades used to impart motion to a
fluid air or gas (such as, the rotor of a centrifugal
pump).
impermeable
adj: preventing the passage of fluid. A formation may
be porous yet impermeable if there is an absence of
connecting passages between the voids within it. See
permeability.
impression block
n: a block with lead or another relatively soft material
on its bottom. It is made up on drill pipe or tubing at
the surface, run into a well, and set down on the
object that has been lost in the well. The block is
retrieved and the impression is examined. The
impression is a mirror image of the top of the fish; it
also indicates the fishs position in the hole, for
example, whether it is centered or off to one side.
From this information, the correct fishing tool may be
selected.
induction log
n: an electric well log in which the conductivity of the
formation rather than the resistivity is measured.
Because oil-bearing formations are less conductive of
electricity than water-bearing formations, an
induction survey, when compared with resistivity
readings, can aid in determination of oil and water
zones.
inflatable packer
n: a packer with an element that inflates by means of
gas or liquid pumped from the surface through a line.
It is deflated by means of slots that can be opened to
allow the gas or liquid to flow out. They are used
when a temporary packer is needed in a hole.
injection gas
n: 1. a high-pressure gas injected into a formation to
maintain or restore reservoir pressure. 2. gas injected
in gas-lift operations.
injection log
n: a survey used to determine the injection profile,
that is, to assign specific volumes or percentages to

each of the formations taking fluid in an injection

well. The injection log is also used to check for casing
or packer leaks, proper cement jobs, and fluid
migration between zones.
injection water
n: water that is introduced into a reservoir to help
drive hydrocarbons to a producing well.
injection well
n: a well through which fluids are injected into an
underground stratum to increase reservoir pressure
and to displace oil. Also called input well.
injector head
n: a control head for injecting coiled tubing into a well
that seals off the tubing and makes a pressure tight
connection.
inland barge rig
n: an off shore drilling structure consisting of a barge
on which the drilling equipment is constructed. It is
positioned on location, then the barge is sunk.
insert
n: 1. a cylindrical object, rounded, blunt, or chiselshaped on one end and usually made of tungsten
carbide, that is inserted in the cones of a bit, the
cutters of a reamer, or the blades of a stabilizer to
form the cutting element of the bit or the reamer or
the wear surface of the stabilizer. Also called a
compact.
insert pump
n: a sucker rod pump that is run into the well as a
complete unit.
intake valve
n: 1. the mechanism on an engine through which air
and sometimes fuel are admitted to the cylinder. 2.
on a mud pump, the valve that opens to allow mud to
be drawn into the pump by the pistons moving in the
liners.
intermediate casing string
n: the string of casing set in a well after the surface
casing but before production casing is set to keep the
hole from caving and to seal off formations. In deep
wells, one or more intermediate strings may be
required.
internal cutter
n: a fishing tool containing metal-cutting knives that is
lowered into the inside of a length of pipe stuck in the

hole to cut the pipe. The severed portion of the pipe

can then be returned to the surface. Compare
external cutter.
International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC)
n: an organization of drilling contractors, oil and gas
companies, and service companies that sponsors or
conducts research on education, accident prevention,
drilling technology, and other matters of interest to its
membership and their employees. Its official
publication is The Drilling Contractor. Address: Box
4287; Houston, TX 77210; (281) 578- 7171; fax (281)
578-0589.
jar
n: a percussion tool operated manually or
hydraulically to deliver a heavy upward or downward
blow to fish stuck in the borehole. v: to apply a heavy
blow to the drill stem by use of a jar or bumper sub.
jar accelerator
n: a hydraulic tool used in conjunction with a jar and
made up on the fishing string above the jar to
increase the power of the jarring force.
jerk line
n: a wire rope, one end of which is connected to the
end of the tongs and the other end of which is
attached to the cathead.
jet
n: 1. a hydraulic device operated by a centrifugal
pump used to clean the mud pits, or tanks, and to mix
mud components. 2. in a perforating gun using
shaped charges, a highly penetrating, fast-moving
stream of exploded particles that forms a hole in the
casing, cement, and formation.
jet cutoff
n: a procedure for severing pipe stuck in a well by
detonating special shaped-charge explosives similar to
those used in jet perforating. The explosive is lowered
into the pipe to the desired depth and detonated. The
force of the explosion makes radiating horizontal cuts
around the pipe, and the severed portion of the pipe
is retrieved.
jet cutter
n: a fishing tool that uses shaped charges to sever
casing, tubing, or drill pipe stuck in the hole. See jet
cutoff. Compare chemical cutter.
jet gun

n: an assembly, including a carrier and shaped

charges, that is used in jet perforating.
jet-perforate
v: to create holes through the casing with a shaped
charge of high explosives instead of a gun that fires
projectiles. The loaded charges are lowered into the
hole to the desired depth. Once detonated, the
charges emit short, penetrating jets of high-velocity
gases that make holes in the casing and cement for
some distance into the formation. Formation fluids
then flow into the wellbore through these
perforations. See bullet perforator, gun-perforate.
journal bearing
n: a machine part in which a rotating shaft (a journal)
revolves or slides. Also called a plain bearing.
joint of pipe
n: a length of drill pipe or casing. Both come in various
lengths.
junk
n: metal debris lost in a hole. Junk may be a lost bit,
pieces of a bit, pieces of pipe, wrenches, or any
relatively small object that impedes drilling or
completion and must be fished out of the hole. v: to
abandon (as a nonproductive well).
junk basket
n: a device made up on the bottom of the drill stem or
on wireline to catch pieces of junk from the bottom of
the hole. Circulating the mud or reeling in the wireline
forces the junk into a barrel in the tool, where it is
caught and held. When the basket is brought back to
the surface, the junk is removed. Also called a junk
sub or junk catcher.
junk mill
n: a mill used to grind up junk in the hole. See mill.
junk retriever
n: a special tool made up on the bottom of the drill
stem to pick up junk from the bottom of the hole.
Most junk retrievers are designed with ports that
allow drilling fluid to exit the tool a short distance off
the bottom. This flow of fluid creates an area of low
pressure inside the tool so that the junk is lifted and
caught in the retriever by the higher pressure outside
the tool. See junk, junk basket.
kelly

n: the heavy square or hexagonal steel member

suspended from the swivel through the rotary table
and connected to the topmost joint of drill pipe to
turn the drill stem as the rotary table turns.
kelly bushing
n: a device fitted to the rotary table through which
the kelly passes and the means by which the torque of
the rotary table is transmitted to the kelly and to the
drill stem. Also called the drive bushing.
kelly bypass
n: a system of valves and piping that allows drilling
fluid to be circulated without the use of the kelly.
kelly cock
n: a valve installed at one or both ends of the kelly.
When a high-pressure backflow occurs inside the drill
stem, the valve is closed to keep pressure off the
swivel and rotary hose.
kelly drive bushing
n: see kelly bushing.
kelly driver
n: a device that fits inside the head and inside of
which the kelly fits. The kelly driver rotates with the
kelly.
kelly saver sub
n: a heavy and relatively short length of pipe that fits
in the drill stem between the kelly and the drill pipe.
The threads of the drill pipe mate with those of the
sub, minimizing wear on the kelly.
kelly spinner
n: a pneumatically operated device mounted on top
of the kelly that, when actuated, causes the kelly to
turn or spin.
keyseat
n: 1. an undergauge channel or groove cut in the side
of the borehole and parallel to the axis of the hole. A
keyseat results from the rotation of pipe on a sharp
bend in the hole. 2. a groove cut parallel to the axis in

a shaft or a pulley bore.

kick
n: an entry of water, gas, oil, or other formation fluid
into the wellbore during drilling. It occurs because the

pressure exerted by the column of drilling fluid is not

great enough to overcome the pressure exerted by
the fluids in the formation drilled. If prompt action is
not taken to control the kick, or kill the well, a
blowout may occur.
kick fluids
n pl: oil, gas, water, or any combination that enters
the borehole from a permeable formation.

kick off
v: 1. to bring a well into production; used most often
when gas is injected into a gas lift well to start
production. 2. in workover operations, to swab a well
to restore it to production. 3. to deviate a wellbore
from the vertical, as in directional drilling.
kickoff point (KOP)
n: the depth in a vertical hole at which a deviated or
slant hole is started; used in directional drilling.
kill
v: 1. in drilling, to control a kick by taking suitable
preventive measures (for example, to shut in the well
with the blowout preventers, circulate the kick out,
and increase the weight of the drilling mud). 2. in
production, to stop a well from producing oil and gas
so that reconditioning of the well can proceed.
land rig
n: any drilling rig that is located on dry land.
latch on
v: to attach elevators to a section of pipe to pull it out
of or run into the hole.
latch sub
n: a device, usually with segmented threads, run with
seal subs on the bottom of a tubing string and latched
into a permanent packer to prevent tubing
movement.
lay
n: 1. the spiral of strands in a wire rope either to the
right or to the left, as viewed from above. 2. a term
used to measure wire rope, signifying the linear

distance a wire strand covers in one complete

rotation around the rope.
lay down pipe
v: to pull drill pipe or tubing from the hole and place it
in a horizontal position on a pipe rack. Compare set
back.
lead-tong hand
(pronounced leed) n: the crew member who
operates the lead tongs when drill pipe and drill
collars are being handled. Also called lead-tong man.
lead tongs
(pronounced leed) n pl: the pipe tongs suspended in
the derrick or mast and operated by a chain or a wire
rope connected to the makeup cathead or the
breakout cathead.
lifting sub
n: a threaded device placed in the end of tubulars,
such as drill collars to aid in lifting; also called hoisting
plug.
liner
n: 1. a string of pipe used to case open hole below
existing casing. A liner extends from the setting depth
up into another string of casing, usually overlapping
about 100 feet (30.5 meters) above the lower end of
the intermediate or the oil string. Liners are nearly
always suspended from the upper string by a hanger
device. 2. a relatively short length of pipe with holes
or slots that is placed opposite a producing formation.
Usually, such liners are wrapped with specially shaped
wire that is designed to prevent the entry of loose
sand into the well as it is produced. They are also
often used with a gravel pack. 3. in jet perforation
guns, a conically shaped metallic piece that is part of a
shaped charge. It increases the efficiency of the
charge by increasing the penetrating ability of the jet.
4. a replaceable tube that fits inside the cylinder of an
engine or a pump. See cylinder liner.
liner completion
n: a well completion in which a liner is used to obtain
communication between the reservoir and the
wellbore.
liner hanger
n: a slip device that attaches the liner to the casing.
See liner.
location

n: the place where a well is drilled. Also called well

site.
log
n: a systematic recording of data, such as a drillers
log, mud log, electrical well log, or radioactivity log.
Many different logs are run in wells to discern various
characteristics of downhole formation. v: to record
data.
log a well
v: to run any of the various logs used to ascertain
downhole information about a well.
logging devices
n pl: any of several electrical, acoustical, mechanical,
or radioactivity devices that are used to measure and
record certain characteristics or events that occur in a
well that has been or is being drilled.
long string
n: 1. the last string of casing set in a well. 2. the string
of casing that is set at the top of or through the
producing zone, often called the oil string or
production casing.
lost circulation
n: the quantities of whole mud lost to a formation,
usually in cavernous, pressured, or coarsely
permeable beds. Evidenced by the complete or partial
failure of the mud to return to the surface as it is
being circulated in the hole.
lost pipe
n: drill pipe, drill collars, tubing, or casing that has
become separated in the hole from the part of the
pipe reaching the surface, necessitating its removal
before normal operations can proceed; for example, a
fish.
lost time incident
n: an incident in the workplace that results in an
injury serious enough that causes the person injured
to be unable to work for a day or more.
lubricator
n: a specially fabricated length of casing or tubing
usually placed temporarily above a valve on top of the
casinghead or tubing head. It is used to run swabbing
or perforating tools into a producing well and
provides a method for sealing off pressure and thus
should be rated for highest anticipated pressure.
macaroni string

n: a string of tubing or pipe, usually 3/4 or 1 inch (1.9

or 2.54 centimeters) in diameter.
make a connection
v: to attach a joint or stand of drill pipe onto the drill
stem suspended in the wellbore to permit deepening
the wellbore by the length of the pipe.
make up
v: 1. to assemble and join parts to form a complete
unit (for example, to make up a string of drill pipe). 2.
to screw together two threaded pieces. Compare
break out. 3. to mix or prepare (for example, to make
up a tank of mud). 4. to compensate for (for example,
to make up for lost time).
makeup
adj: added to a system (for example, makeup water
used in mixing mud).
make up a joint
v: to screw a length of pipe into another length of
pipe.
makeup cathead
n: a device that is attached to the shaft of the
drawworks and used as a power source for making up
joints of pipe. It is usually located on the drillers side
of the drawworks. Also called spinning cathead.
makeup tongs
n pl: tongs used for screwing one length of pipe into
another for making up a joint. Compare breakout
tongs. See also tongs.
male connection
n: a pipe, coupling, or tool that has threads on the
outside so that it can be joined to a female
connection.
mandrel
n: a cylindrical bar, spindle, or shaft around which
other parts are arranged or attached or that fits inside
a cylinder or tube.
manifold
n: 1. an accessory system of piping to a main piping
system (or another conductor) that serves to divide a
flow into several parts, to combine several flows into

one, or to reroute a flow to any one of several

possible destinations.
mast
n: a portable derrick that is capable of being raised as
a unit, as distinguished from a standard derrick, which
cannot be raised to a working position as a unit. For
transporting by land, the mast can be divided into two
or more sections to avoid excessive length extending
from truck beds on the highway.
master bushing
n: a device that fits into the rotary table to
accommodate the slips and drive the kelly bushing so
that the rotating motion of the rotary table can be
transmitted to the kelly.
master valve
n: 1. a large valve located on the Christmas tree and
used to control the flow of oil and gas from a well.
Also called master gate.
mechanical jar
n: a percussion tool operated mechanically to give an
upward thrust to a fish by the sudden release of a
tripping device inside the tool. If the fish can be freed
by an upward blow, the mechanical jar can be very
effective.
mechanical log
n: a log of, for instance, rate of penetration or amount
of gas in the mud, obtained at the surface by
mechanical means. See mud logging.
mechanical rig
n: a drilling rig in which the source of power is one or
more internal-combustion engines and in which the
power is distributed to rig components through
mechanical devices (such as chains, sprockets,
clutches, and shafts). Also called a power rig.
Compare electric rig.
mill
n: a downhole tool with rough, sharp, extremely hard
cutting surfaces for removing metal, packers, cement,
sand, or scale by grinding or cutting.

miscible drive
n: a method of enhanced recovery in which various
hydrocarbon solvents or gases (such as propane, LPG,
natural gas, carbon dioxide, or a mixture thereof) are
injected into the reservoir to reduce interfacial forces
between oil and water in the pore channels and thus
displace oil from the reservoir rock. See chemical
flooding, gas injection.
mixing tank
n: any tank or vessel used to mix components of a
substance (as in the mixing of additives with drilling
mud).
mix mud
v: to prepare drilling fluids.
monitor
n: an instrument that reports the performance of a
control device or signals if unusual conditions appear
in a system.

monkeyboard
n: the derrickhand's working platform. As pipe or
tubing is run into or out of the hole, the derrickhand
must handle the top end of the pipe, which may be as
high as 90 feet (27 meters) or higher in the derrick or
mast.
morning report
n: see daily drilling report.
morning tour
(pronounced tower) n: a work shift that generally
begins at or near midnight. See graveyard tour.
motorhand
n: the crew member on a rotary drilling rig, who is
responsible for the care and operation of drilling
engines. Also called motorman.
motor
n: any of various power units, such as a hydraulic,
internal combustion, air, or electric device, that
develops energy or imparts motion. Compare engine.
motorman
n: see motorhand.

mousehole
n: shallow bores under the rig floor, usually lined with
pipe, in which joints of drill pipe are temporarily
suspended for later connection to the drill string.
mousehole connection
n: the procedure of adding a length of drill pipe or
tubing to the active string.
mud
n: the liquid circulated through the wellbore during
rotary drilling and workover operations.
mud acid
n: a mixture of hydrochloric and/or hydrofluoric acids
and surfactants used to remove wall cake from the
wellbore.
mud cake
n: the sheath of mud solids that forms on the wall of
the hole when liquid from mud filters into the
formation. Also called filter cake or wall cake.
mud centrifuge
n: a device that uses centrifugal force to separate
small solid components from liquid drilling fluid.
mud cleaner
n: a cone-shaped device, a hydrocyclone, designed to
remove very fine solid particles from the drilling mud.
mud engineer
n: an employee of a drilling fluid supply company
whose duty it is to test and maintain the drilling mud
properties that are specified by the operator.

mud-gas separator
n: a device that removes gas from the mud coming
out of a well when a kick is being circulated out.

mud hopper
n: see hopper.
mud hose
n: also called kelly hose or rotary hose. See rotary
hose.
mud line
n: a mud return line.
mud logging
n: the recording of information derived from
examination and analysis of formation cuttings made
by the bit and of mud circulated out of the hole. A
portion of the mud is diverted through a gas-detecting
device. Cuttings brought up by the mud are examined
under ultraviolet light to detect the presence of oil or
gas. Mud logging is often carried out in a portable
laboratory set up at the well site.
mud motor
n: see downhole motor.

mud pit
n: originally, an open pit dug in the ground to hold
drilling fluid or waste materials discarded after the
treatment of drilling mud. For some drilling
operations, mud pits are used for suction to the mud
pumps, settling of mud sediments, and storage of
reserve mud. Steel tanks are much more commonly
used for these purposes now, but they are still usually
referred to as pits.
mud pump
n: a large, high-pressure reciprocating pump used to
circulate the mud on a drilling rig. A typical mud pump
is a two or three-cylinder piston pump whose
replaceable pistons travel in replaceable liners and
are driven by a crankshaft actuated by an engine or a
motor.

mud return line

n: a trough or pipe that is placed between the surface

connections at the wellbore and the shale shaker.
mud tank
n: one of a series of open tanks, usually made of steel
plate, through which the drilling mud is cycled to
remove sand and fine sediments.
mud weight
n: a measure of the density of a drilling fluid
expressed as pounds per gallon, pounds per cubic
foot, or kilograms per cubic metre. Mud weight is
directly related to the amount of pressure the column
of drilling mud exerts at the bottom of the hole.
multiple completion

n: an arrangement for producing a well in which one

wellbore penetrates two or more petroleum-bearing
formations. In one type, multiple tubing strings are
suspended side by side in the production casing
string, each a different length and each packed to
prevent the commingling of different reservoir fluids.
Each reservoir is then produced through its own
tubing string. Alternatively, a small diameter
production casing string may be provided for each
reservoir, as in multiple miniaturized or multiple
tubingless completions. See dual completion.
natural gas
n: a highly compressible, highly expansible mixture of
hydrocarbons with a low specific gravity and occurring
naturally in a gaseous form.
neutron log
n: a radioactivity well log used to determine
formation porosity. The logging tool bombards the
formation with neutrons. When the neutrons strike
hydrogen atoms in water or oil, gamma rays are
released. Since water or oil exists only in pore spaces,
a measurement of the gamma rays indicates
formation porosity. See radioactivity well logging.
night toolpusher
n: an assistant toolpusher whose duty hours are
typically during nighttime hours. Also known as a
tourpusher.
nipple

n: a tubular pipe fitting threaded on both ends used

for making connections between pipe joints and other
tools.
nipple up
v: in drilling, to assemble the blowout preventer stack
on the wellhead at the surface.
nitro shooting
n: a formation-stimulation process first used about
100 years ago in Pennsylvania. Nitroglycerine is placed
in a well and exploded to fracture.
normal circulation
n: the smooth, uninterrupted circulation of drilling
fluid down the drill stem, out the bit, up the annular
space between the pipe and the hole, and back to the
surface.
nozzle
n: 1. a passageway through jet bits that causes the
drilling fluid to be ejected from the bit at high
velocity.
nuclear log
n: see radioactivity log.
nuclear tracer
n: a gas, liquid, or solid material that emits gamma
rays.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
n: a U.S. government enforcement agency that
conducts worksite inspections and incident
investigations, research into the causes of
occupational diseases and accidents. Address:
Department of Labor; 200 Constitution Avenue, NW;
Washington, DC 20210; (800) 321-OSHA.
oil
n: a simple or complex liquid mixture of hydrocarbons
that can be refined to yield gasoline, kerosene, diesel
fuel, and various other products.
oil-base mud
n: a drilling or workover fluid in which oil is the
continuous phase and which contains from less than 2
percent and up to 5 percent water. This water is
spread out, or dispersed, in the oil as small droplets.
See oil mud.
oil-emulsion mud
n: a water-base mud in which water is the continuous
phase and oil is the dispersed phase.
oilfield

n: the surface area overlying an oil reservoir or

reservoirs. The term usually includes not only the
surface area, but also the reservoir, the wells, and the
production equipment.
oil mud
n: a drilling mud, such as, oil-base mud and invertemulsion mud, in which oil is the continuous phase. It
is useful in drilling certain formations that may be
difficult or costly to drill with waterbase mud.
Compare oil-emulsion mud.
oil sand
n: 1. a sandstone that yields oil. 2. (by extension) any
reservoir that yields oil, whether or not it is
sandstone.
oil saver
n: a gland arrangement that mechanically or
hydraulically seals by pressure. It is used to prevent
leakage and waste of gas, oil, or water around a
wireline (as when swabbing a well).
oil spotting
n: pumping oil, or a mixture of oil and chemicals, to a
specific depth in the well to lubricate stuck drill
collars.
oil string
n: the final string of casing set in a well after the
productive capacity of the formation has been
determined to be sufficient. Also called the long string
or production casing.
oilwell
n: a well from which oil is obtained.
oil zone
n: a formation or horizon of a well from which oil may
be produced. The oil zone is usually immediately
under the gas zone and on top of the water zone if all
three fluids are present and segregated.
open formation
n: a petroleum-bearing rock with good porosity and
permeability.
open hole
n: 1. any wellbore in which casing has not been set. 2.
open or cased hole in which no drill pipe or tubing is
suspended. 3. the portion of the wellbore that has no
casing.
open-hole completion

n: a method of preparing a well for production in

which no production casing or liner is set opposite the
producing formation. Reservoir fluids flow
unrestricted into the open wellbore.
open-hole fishing
n: the procedure of recovering lost or stuck
equipment in an uncased wellbore.
open-hole log
n: any log made in uncased, or open hole.
operator
n: the person or company, either proprietor or lessee,
actually operating a well or lease, generally the oil or
gas company that engages the drilling, service, and
workover contractors.
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
n: an organization of the countries of the Middle East,
Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America that
produce oil and export it. Update - members as of
1997 are Algeria, Ecuador, Gabon, Indonesia, Iran,
Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the
United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. The
organizations purpose is to negotiate and regulate
production and oil prices.
out-of-gauge bit
n: a bit that is no longer of the proper diameter.
out-of-gauge hole
n: a hole that is not in gauge; that is, it is smaller or
larger than the diameter of the bit used to drill it.
overshot
n: a fishing tool that is attached to tubing or drill pipe
and lowered over the outside wall of pipe or sucker
rods lost or stuck in the wellbore. A friction device in
the overshot, usually either a basket or a spiral
grapple, firmly grips the pipe, allowing the fish to be
pulled from the hole.
overthrust fault
n: a low-dip angle (nearly horizontal) reverse fault
along which a large displacement has occurred. Some
overthrusts, such as many of those in the Rocky
Mountain Overthrust Belt, represent slippages of
many miles.
O-ring
n: a circular seal common in the oil field. O-rings may
be made of elastomer, rubber, plastic, or stainless
steel. To seal properly, they all require enough

pressure to make them deform against a sealing

surface.
packer
n: a piece of downhole equipment that consists of a
sealing device, a holding or setting device, and an
inside passage for fluids.
packer fluid
n: a liquid, usually salt water or oil, but sometimes
mud, used in a well when a packer is between the
tubing and the casing. Packer fluid must be heavy
enough to shut off the pressure of the formation
being produced, and should not stiffen or settle out of
suspension over long periods of time, and must be
non-corrosive.
packer squeeze method
n: a squeeze cementing method in which a packer is
set to form a seal between the working string (the
pipe down which cement is pumped) and the casing.
Another packer or a cement plug is set below the
point to be squeeze-cemented. By setting packers, the
squeeze point is isolated from the rest of the well.
packing
n: 1. a material used in a cylinder on rotating shafts of
an engine or pump in the stuffing box of a valve, or
between flange joints to maintain a leak proof seal. 2.
the specially fabricated filling in packed fractionation
columns and absorbers.
packing assembly
n: the arrangement of the downhole tools used in
running and setting a packer.
packing elements
n pl: the set of dense rubber, washer-shaped pieces
encircling a packer, which are designed to expand
against casing or formation face to seal off the
annulus.
pack-off
n: a device with an elastomer packing element that
depends on pressure below the packing to effect a
seal in the annulus. Used primarily to run or pull pipe
under low or moderate pressures. Also called a
stripper.
pack off
v: to place a packer in the wellbore and activate it so
that it forms a seal between the tubing and the
casing.

paraffin
n: a saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon having the
formula CnH2n+2 (for example, methane, CH4; ethane,
C2H6). Heavier paraffin hydrocarbons (for example,
C18H38) form a waxlike substance that is called
paraffin. These heavier paraffins often accumulate on
the walls of tubing and other production equipment,
restricting or stopping the flow of the desirable lighter
paraffins.
paraffin scraper
n: a tube with guides around it to keep it centered in
the hole, and a cylindrical piece with blades attached.
Spaces between the blades allow drilling fluid to pass
through and carry away the scrapings.
parallel strings
n pl: in a multiple completion, the arrangement of a
separate tubing string for each zone produced, with
all zones isolated by packers.
parted rods
n pl: sucker rods that have been broken and
separated in a pumping well because of corrosion,
improper loading, damaged rods, and so forth.
PDC bit
n: a special type of diamond drilling bit that does not
use roller cones.
penetration rate
n: see rate of penetration.
perforate
v: to pierce the casing wall and cement of a wellbore
to provide holes through which formation fluids may
enter or to provide holes in the casing so that
materials may be introduced into the annulus
between the casing and the wall of the borehole.
Perforating is accomplished by lowering into the well
a perforating gun, or perforator.
perforated completion
n: 1. a well completion method in which the
producing zone or zones are cased through,
cemented, and perforated to allow fluid flow into the
wellbore. 2. a well completed by this method.
perforated liner
n: a liner that has had holes shot in it by a perforating
gun.
perforated pipe

n: sections of pipe (such as casing, liner, and tail pipe)

in which holes or slots have been cut before it is set.
perforating gun
n: a device fitted with shaped charges or bullets that
is lowered to the desired depth in a well and fired to
create penetrating holes in casing, cement, and
formation.
perforation
n: a hole made in the casing, cement, and formation
through which formation fluids enter a wellbore.
Usually several perforations are made at a time.
perforation depth control log (PDC log)
n: a special type of nuclear log that measures the
depth of each casing collar. Knowing the depth of the
collars makes it easy to determine the exact depth of
the formation to be perforated by correlating casingcollar depth with formation depth.
perforator
n: see perforating gun.
permanent packer
n: a nonretrievable type of packer that must be drilled
or milled out for removal.
permeability
n: 1. a measure of the ease with which a fluid flows
through the connecting pore spaces of a formation or
cement. The unit of measurement is the millidarcy. 2.
fluid conductivity of a porous medium. 3. ability of a
fluid to flow within the interconnected pore network
of a porous medium.
petroleum
n: a substance occurring naturally in the earth in solid,
liquid, or gaseous state and composed mainly of
mixtures of chemical compounds of carbon and
hydrogen, with or without other nonmetallic
elements such as sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. In
some cases, especially in the measurement of oil and
gas, petroleum refers only to oila liquid
hydrocarbonand does not include natural gas or gas
liquids such as propane and butane.
pilot
n: a rodlike or tubelike extension below a downhole
tool, such as a mill, that serves to guide the tool into
or over another downhole tool or fish.
pilot bit

n: a bit placed on a special device that serves to guide

the device into an already existing hole that is to be
opened (made larger in diameter). The pilot bit
merely guides, or pilots, the cutters on the hole
opener into the existing hole so that the hole-opening
cutters can enlarge the hole to the desired size.
pilot mill
n: a special mill that has a heavy tubular extension
below it called a pilot or stinger. The pilot, smaller in
diameter than the mill, is designed to go inside drill
pipe or tubing that is lost in the hole. It guides the mill
to the top of the pipe and centers it, thus preventing
the mill from by-passing the pipe. Also called a piloted
mill.
pinch points
n: the sections where body parts or other materials
may be pinched.

pipe ramp and pipe on rack

n: an angled ramp for dragging drill pipe, casing and
other materials up to the drilling floor or bringing such
equipment down.
pick up
v: 1. to use the drawworks to lift the bit (or other tool)
off bottom by raising the drill stem. 2. to use an air
hoist to lift a tool, a joint of drill pipe, or other piece
of equipment.
pin
n: 1. the male threaded section of a tool joint. 2. on a
bit, the threaded bit shank.
pipe
n: a long, hollow cylinder, usually steel, through which
fluids are conducted. Oilfield tubular goods are casing
(including liners), drill pipe, tubing, or line pipe.

pipe racks
n pl: horizontal supports for tubular goods.
pipe racker

n: 1. (obsolete) a worker who places pipe to one side

in the derrick. 2. a pneumatic or hydraulic device used
to mechanize the rig floor.
pipe ram
n: a sealing component for a blowout preventer that
closes the annular space between the pipe and the
blowout preventer or wellhead.
pipe ram preventer
n: a blowout preventer that uses pipe rams as the
closing elements. See pipe ram.
pipe tongs
n pl: see tongs.
pipe upset
n: that part of the pipe that has an abrupt increase of
dimension.
pipe wiper
n: a flexible disk-shaped device, usually made of
rubber, with a hole in the center through which drill
pipe or tubing passes. It is used to wipe off mud, oil,
or other liquid from the pipe as it is pulled from the
hole.
pit level
n: height of drilling mud in the mud tanks, or pits.
pit-level indicator
n: one of a series of devices that continuously monitor
the level of the drilling mud in the mud tanks. The
indicator usually consists of float devices in the mud
tanks that sense the mud level and transmit data to a
recording and alarm device (a pit-volume recorder)
mounted near the drillers position on the rig floor. If
the mud level drops too low or rises too high, the
alarm may sound to warn the driller of lost circulation
or a kick.
pitman
n: the arm that connects the crank to the walking
beam on a pumping unit by means of which rotary
motion is converted to reciprocating motion.
plug
n: any object or device that blocks a hole or
passageway (such as a cement plug in a borehole).
plug and abandon (P&A)
v: to place cement plugs into a dry hole and abandon
it.
plug back

v: to place cement in or near the bottom of a well to

exclude bottom water, to sidetrack, or to produce
from a formation higher in the well. Plugging back can
also be accomplished with a mechanical plug set by
wireline, tubing, or drill pipe.
plug-back cementing
n: a secondary cementing operation in which a plug of
cement is positioned at a specific point in the well and
allowed to set.
plunger
n: 1. a basic component of the sucker rod pump that
serves to draw well fluids into the pump. 2. the rod
that serves as a piston in a reciprocating pump. 3. the
device in a fuel-injection unit that regulates the
amount of fuel pumped on each stroke.
pole mast
n: a portable mast constructed of tubular members. A
pole mast may be a single pole, usually of two
different sizes of pipe telescoped together to be
moved or extended and locked to obtain maximum
height above a well. Double-pole masts give added
strength and stability. See mast.
polished rod
n: the topmost portion of a string of sucker rods. It is
used for lifting fluid by the rod-pumping method. It
has a uniform diameter and is smoothly polished to
seal pressure effectively in the stuffing box attached
to the top of the well.
polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC)
n: a disk (a compact) of very small synthetic
diamonds, metal powder, and tungsten carbide
powder that are used as cutters on PDC bits.
porosity
n: 1. the condition of being porous (such as a rock
formation). 2. the ratio of the volume of empty space
to the volume of solid rock in a formation, indicating
how much fluid a rock can hold.
portable mast
n: a mast mounted on a truck and capable of being
erected as a single unit. See telescoping mast.
possum belly
n: 1. a receiving tank situated at the end of the mud
return line. The flow of mud comes into the bottom of
the device and travels to control mud flow over the

shale shaker. 2. a metal box under a truck bed that

holds pipeline repair tools.

power generating system
n: a diesel, LPG, natural gas, or gasoline engine along
with a mechanical transmission or generator for
producing power for the drilling rig.
power wrench
n: a wrench that is used to make up or break out drill
pipe, tubing, or casing on which the torque is
provided by air or fluid pressure. Conventional tongs
are operated by a mechanical pull provided by a jerk
line connected to a cathead.
preflush
n: 1. an injection of water prior to chemical flooding
that is used to induce reservoir conditions favorable
to the surfactant solution by adjusting reservoir
salinity and reducing ion concentrations. A preflush
may also be used to obtain advance information on
reservoir flow patterns. 2. fluid injected prior to the
acid solution pumped into a well in an acidstimulation treatment; sometimes called a spearhead.
Compare overflush.
pressure depletion
n: the method of producing a gas reservoir that is not
associated with a water drive. Gas is removed and
reservoir pressure declines until all the recoverable
gas has been expelled.
preventer
n: shortened form of blowout preventer. See blowout
preventer.
preventive maintenance
n: a system of conducting regular checks, routine
maintenance and testing of equipment to lengthen
the service life and to potentially permit replacement
or repair of weakened or faulty parts before
equipment failure results.
primary recovery
n: the first stage of oil production in which natural
reservoir drives are used to recover oil, although
some form of artificial lift may be required to exploit
declining reservoir drives.

production
n: 1. the phase of the petroleum industry that deals
with bringing the well fluids to the surface and
separating them and storing, gauging, and otherwise
preparing the product for delivery. 2. the amount of
oil or gas produced in a given period.
production casing
n: the last string of casing set in a well, inside of which
is usually suspended a tubing string.
production maintenance
n: the efforts made to minimize the decline in a wells
production. It includes, for example, acid-washing of
casing perforations to dissolve mineral deposits,
scraping or chemical injection to prevent paraffin
buildup, and various measures taken to control
corrosion and erosion damage.
production packer
n: any packer designed to make a seal between the
tubing and the casing during production.
production rig
n: a portable servicing or workover unit, usually
mounted on wheels and self-propelled. A
wellservicing unit consists of a hoist and engine
mounted on a wheeled chassis with a self-erecting
mast. A workover rig is basically the same, with the
addition of a substructure with rotary, pump, pits, and
auxiliaries to permit handling and working a drill
string.
production test
n: a test of the wells producing potential usually done
during the initial completion phase.
production tubing
n: a string of tubing used to produce the well.
production well
n: in fields in which improved recovery techniques are
being applied, the well through which oil is produced.
productivity test
n: a combination of a potential test and a bottomhole
pressure test the purpose of which is to determine
the effects of different flow rates on the pressure
within the producing zone of the well to establish
physical characteristics of the reservoir and to
determine the maximum potential rate of flow.
propping agent

n: a granular substance (sand grains, aluminum

pellets, or other material) that is carried in suspension
by the fracturing fluid and that serves to keep the
cracks open when fracturing fluid is withdrawn after a
fracture treatment.
pulling unit
n: a well-servicing outfit used in pulling rods and
tubing from the well. See production rig.
pulsed neutron logging device
n: a measuring instrument run inside casing to obtain
an indication of the presence or absence of
hydrocarbons outside the casing, to determine water
saturation in a reservoir behind casing, to detect
water movement in the reservoir, to estimate
porosity, and to estimate water salinity.
pulsed-neutron survey
n: a special cased hole logging method that uses
radioactivity reaction time to obtain measurements of
water saturation, residual oil saturation, and fluid
contacts in the formation outside the casing of an oil
well.
pump
n: a device that increases the pressure on a fluid or
raises it to a higher level. Various types of pumps
include the bottom hole pump, centrifugal pump,
hydraulic pump, jet pump, mud pump, reciprocating
pump, rotary pump, sucker rod pump, and
submersible pump.
pump barrel
n: the cylinder or liner in which the plunger of a
sucker rod pump reciprocates.
pump-down
adj: descriptive of any tool or device that can be
pumped down a wellbore. Pump-down tools are not
lowered into the well on wireline; instead, they are
pumped down the well with the drilling fluid.
pumping unit
n: the machine that imparts reciprocating motion to a
string of sucker rods extending to the positive
displacement pump at the bottom of a well. It is
usually a beam arrangement driven by a crank
attached to a speed reducer, coupled to a motor.
pump jack
n: a surface unit similar to a pumping unit but having
no individual power plant. Usually, several pump jacks

are operated by pull rods or cables from one central

power source.
pump rate
n: the speed, or velocity, at which a pump is run. In
drilling, the pump rate is usually measured in strokes
per minute.
pup joint
n: a length of drill or line pipe, tubing, or casing
shorter than range 1 (18 feet or 6.26 meters for drill
pipe) in length.
pusher
n: shortened form of toolpusher.
rack
n: 1. framework for supporting or containing a
number of loose objects, such as pipe. See pipe rack.
2. a bar with teeth on one face for gearing with a
pinion or worm gear. 3. a notched bar used as a
ratchet. v: 1. to place on a rack. 2. to use as a rack.
radiation logging
n: see radioactivity well logging.
radioactivity log
n: a record of the natural or induced radioactive
characteristics of subsurface formations. Also called
nuclear log. See radioactivity well logging.
radioactivity well logging
n: the recording of the natural or induced radioactive
characteristics of subsurface formations. A
radioactivity log, also known as a radiation log or a
nuclear log, normally consists of two recorded curves:
a gamma ray curve and a neutron curve. Both help to
determine the types of rocks in the formation and the
types of fluids contained in the rocks.
ram
n: the closing and sealing component on a blowout
preventer. One of three typesblind, pipe, or shear
may be installed in several preventers mounted in a
stack on top of the wellbore. Blind rams, when closed,
form a seal on a hole that has no drill pipe in it; pipe
rams, when closed, seal around the pipe; shear rams
cut through drill pipe and then form a seal.

ram blowout preventer

n: a blowout preventer that uses rams to seal off
pressure on a hole that is with or without pipe. It is
also called a ram preventer. Ram-type preventers
have interchangeable ram blocks to accommodate
different O.D. drill pipe, casing, or tubing.
range of load
n: in sucker rod pumping, the difference between the
polished rod peak load on the upstroke and the
minimum load on the downstroke.
rate of penetration (ROP)
n: a measure of the speed at which the bit drills into
formations, usually expressed in feet (meters) per
hour or minutes per foot (meter).

rathole
n: 1. a hole in the rig floor, some 30 to 40 feet (9 to 12
meters) deep, which is lined with casing that projects
above the floor, into which the kelly and the swivel
are placed when hoisting operations are in progress.
2. a hole of a diameter smaller than the main hole and
drilled in the bottom of the main hole. v: to reduce
the size of the wellbore and drill ahead.
rathole connection
n: the addition of a length of drill pipe or tubing to the
active string using the rathole instead of the
mousehole, which is the more common connection.
Compare mousehole connection.
rathole rig
n: a small, usually truck-mounted rig, the purpose of
which is to drill ratholes for regular drilling rigs that
will be moved in later. A rathole rig may also drill the
top part of the hole, the conductor hole, before the
main rig arrives on location.
ream
v: to enlarge the wellbore by drilling it again with a
special bit.
reamer
n: a tool used in drilling to smooth the wall of a well,
enlarge the hole to the specified size, help stabilize

the bit, straighten the wellbore if kinks or doglegs are

encountered, and drill directionally.
reciprocating motion
n: back-and-forth or up-and-down movement, such as
that of a piston in a cylinder.
reciprocating pump
n: a pump consisting of a piston that moves back and
forth or up and down in a cylinder. The cylinder is
equipped with inlet (suction) and outlet (discharge)
valves. On the intake stroke, the suction valves are
opened, and fluid is drawn into the cylinder. On the
discharge stroke, the suction valves close, the
discharge valves open, and fluid is forced out of the
cylinder.
recompletion
n: after the initial completion of a well, the action and
techniques of reentering the well and redoing or
repairing the original completion to restore the wells
productivity.
reeve (the line)
v: to string a wire rope drilling line through the
sheaves of the traveling and crown blocks to the
hoisting drum.
refracturing
n: fracturing a formation again.
remote BOP control panel
n: a device placed on the rig floor that can be
operated by the driller to direct air pressure to
actuating cylinders that turn the control valves on the
main BOP control unit, located a safe distance from
the rig.
remote choke panel
n: a set of controls, usually placed on the rig floor, or
elsewhere on location, that is manipulated to control
the amount of drilling fluid being circulated through
the choke manifold. This procedure is necessary when
a kick is being circulated out of a well. See choke
manifold.

reserve pit
n: 1. (obsolete) a mud pit in which a supply of drilling
fluid is stored.

reserves
n pl: the unproduced but recoverable oil or gas in a
formation that has been proved by production.
reserve tank
n: a special mud tank that holds mud that is not being
actively circulated. A reserve tank usually contains a
different type of mud from that which the pump is
currently circulating. For example, it may store heavy
mud for emergency well-control operations.
reservoir
n: a subsurface, porous, permeable or naturally
fractured rock body in which oil or gas are stored.
Most reservoir rocks are limestones, dolomites,
sandstones, or a combination of these. The four basic
types of hydrocarbon reservoirs are oil, volatile oil,
dry gas, and gas condensate. An oil reservoir generally
contains three fluidsgas, oil, and waterwith oil the
dominant product. In the typical oil reservoir, these
fluids become vertically segregated because of their
different densities. Gas, the lightest, occupies the
upper part of the reservoir rocks; water, the lower
part; and oil, the intermediate section. In addition to
its occurrence as a cap or in solution, gas may
accumulate independently of the oil; if so, the
reservoir is called a gas reservoir. Associated with the
gas, in most instances, are salt water and some oil.
Volatile oil reservoirs are exceptional in that during
early production they are mostly productive of light
oil plus gas, but, as depletion occurs, production can
become almost totally completely gas. Volatile oils are
usually good candidates for pressure maintenance,
which can result in increased reserves. In the typical
dry gas reservoir natural gas exists only as a gas and
production is only gas plus fresh water that condenses
from the flow stream reservoir. In a gas condensate
reservoir, the hydrocarbons may exist as a gas, but,
when brought to the surface, some of the heavier
hydrocarbons condense and become a liquid.
reservoir drive
n: see reservoir drive mechanism.
reservoir drive mechanism
n: the process in which reservoir fluids are caused to
flow out of the reservoir rock and into a wellbore by
natural energy. Gas drive depends on the fact that, as
the reservoir is produced, pressure is reduced,

allowing the gas to expand and provide the principal

driving energy. Water drive reservoirs depend on
water and rock expansion to force the hydrocarbons
out of the reservoir and into the wellbore. Also called
natural drive energy.
reservoir oil
n: oil in place in the reservoir; retained in a reservoir
as residual gas saturation is an inverse function of the
pressure, due to the physics of gas.
reservoir pressure
n: the average pressure within the reservoir at any
given time. Determination of this value is best made
by bottomhole pressure measurements with
adequate shut-in time. If a shut-in period long enough
for the reservoir pressure to stabilize is impractical,
then various techniques of analysis by pressure
buildup or drawdown tests are available to determine
static reservoir pressure.
reservoir rock
n: a permeable rock that may contain oil or gas in
appreciable quantity and through which petroleum
may migrate.
resistivity
n: the electrical resistance offered to the passage of
current; the opposite of conductivity.
resistivity log
n: a record of the resistivity of a formation. Usually
obtained when an electric log is run. See resistivity
well logging.
resistivity well logging
n: the recording of the resistance of formation water
to natural or induced electrical current. The mineral
content of subsurface water allows it to conduct
electricity. Rock, oil, and gas are poor conductors.
Resistivity measurements can be correlated to
formation lithology, porosity, permeability, and
saturation and are very useful in formation
evaluation.
retrievable packer
n: a packer that can be pulled out of the well to be
repaired or replaced.
reverse circulation
n: the course of drilling fluid downward through the
annulus and upward through the drill stem, in
contrast to normal circulation in which the course is

downward through the drill stem and upward through

the annulus. Seldom used in open hole, but frequently
used in workover operations.
rework
v: to restore production from an existing formation
when it has fallen off substantially or ceased
altogether.
rig
n: the derrick or mast, drawworks, and attendant
surface equipment of a drilling or workover unit.
rig down
v: to dismantle a drilling rig and auxiliary equipment
following the completion of drilling operations. Also
called tear down.
rig floor
n: the area immediately around the rotary table and
extending to each corner of the derrick or mastthat
is, the area immediately above the substructure on
which the rotary table, and so forth rest.
rig up
v: to prepare the drilling rig for making hole, for
example, to install tools and machinery before drilling
is started.
rod blowout preventer
n: a ram device used to close the annular space
around the polished rod or sucker rod in a pumping
well.
rod hanger
n: a device used to hang sucker rods on the mast or in
the derrick.
rod pump
n: see sucker rod pump.
rod string
n: a sucker rod string, that is, the entire length of
sucker rods, which usually consists of several single
rods screwed together. The rod string serves as a
mechanical link from the beam pumping unit on the
surface to the sucker rod pump near the bottom of
the well.
roller chain
n: a type of chain that is used to transmit power by
fitting over sprockets attached to shafts, causing
rotation of one shaft by the rotation of another.
Transmission roller chain consists of offset links, pin
links, and roller links.

rotary
n: the machine used to impart rotational power to the
drill stem while permitting vertical movement of the
pipe for rotary drilling. Modern rotary machines have
a special component, the rotary or master bushing, to
turn the kelly bushing, which permits vertical
movement of the kelly while the stem is turning.
rotary bushing
n: see master bushing.
rotary drilling
n: a drilling method in which a hole is drilled by a
rotating bit to which a downward force is applied. The
bit is fastened to and rotated by the drill stem, which
also provides a passageway through which the drilling
fluid is circulated. Additional joints of drill pipe are
added as drilling progresses.
rotary helper
n: a worker on a drilling or workover rig, subordinate
to the driller, whose primary work station is on the rig
floor. Sometimes called floorhand, floorman, rig crew
member, or roughneck.

rotary hose
n: the hose on a rotary drilling rig that conducts the
drilling fluid from the mud pump and standpipe to the
swivel and kelly; also called the mud hose or the kelly
hose. It is a steel-reinforced, flexible hose that is
installed between the standpipe and the swivel or top
drive.
rotary shoe
n: a length of pipe whose bottom edge is serrated or
dressed with a hard cutting material and that is run
into the wellbore around the outside of stuck casing,
pipe, or tubing to mill away the obstruction.
rotary speed
n: the speed, measured in revolutions per minute, at
which the rotary table is operated.
rotary support table
n: a strong but relatively lightweight device used on
some rigs that employ a top drive to rotate the bit.

Although a conventional rotary table is not required

to rotate the bit on such rigs, crew members must still
have a place to set the slips to suspend the drill string
in the hole when tripping or making a connection. A
rotary support table provides such a place but does
not include all the rotary machinery required in a

regular rotary table.

rotary table
n: The principal component of a rotary, or rotary
machine, used to turn the drill stem and support the
drilling assembly. It has a beveled gear arrangement
to create the rotational motion and an opening into
which bushings are fitted to drive and support the
drilling assembly.
roughneck
n: see rotary helper.
round trip
n: the procedure of pulling out and subsequently
running back into the hole a string of drill pipe or
tubing. Also called tripping.
run casing
v: to lower a string of casing into the hole. Also called
to run pipe.
run in
v: to go into the hole with tubing, drill pipe, and so
forth.
run pipe
v: to lower a string of casing into the hole. Also called
to run casing.
safety clamp
n: a clamp placed tightly around a drill collar that is
suspended in the rotary table by drill collar slips.
safety joint
n: an accessory to a fishing tool, placed above it. If the
tool cannot be disengaged from the fish, the safety
joint permits easy disengagement of the string of pipe
above the safety joint. Thus, part of the safety joint
and the tool attached to the fish remain in the hole
and become part of the fish.
safety slide

n: a device normally mounted near the monkey board

to afford the derrickhand a means of quick exit to the
surface in case of emergency. It is usually affixed to a
wireline, one end of which is attached to the derrick
or mast and the other end to the surface. To exit by
the safety slide, the derrickhand grasps a handle on it
and rides it down to the ground. Also called a
Geronimo.
salinity log
n: a special nuclear well log that produces an estimate
of the relative amounts of oil, gas, or salt water in a
formation. This log is electronically adjusted to reflect
gamma ray emissions resulting from the collision of
neutrons with chlorine atoms in the formations.
samples
n pl: 1. the well cuttings obtained at designated
footage intervals during drilling. From an examination
of these cuttings, the geologist determines the type of
rock and formations being drilled and estimates oil
and gas content. 2. small quantities of well fluids
obtained for analysis.
sand
n: 1. an abrasive material composed of small quartz
grains formed from the disintegration of pre-existing
rocks.
sand consolidation
n: any one of several methods by which the loose,
unconsolidated grains of a producing formation are
made to adhere to prevent a well from producing
sand but permit it to produce oil and gas.
sand control
n: any method by which large amounts of sand in a
sandy formation are prevented from entering the
wellbore. Sand in the wellbore can cause plugging and
premature wear of well equipment.
sandfrac
n: method of fracturing subsurface rock formations by
injecting fluid and sand under high pressure to
increase permeability. Fractures are kept open by the
grains of sand.
sandline
n: a wireline used on drilling rigs and well-servicing
rigs to operate a swab or bailer, to retrieve cores or to
run logging devices. It is usually 9/16 of an inch (14

millimeters) in diameter and several thousand feet or

meters long.
sandstone
n: a sedimentary rock composed of individual mineral
grains of rock fragments between 0.06 and 2
millimeters (0.002 and 0.079 inches) in diameter and
cemented together by silica, calcite, iron oxide, and so
forth.
saver sub
n: an expendable substitute device made up in the
drill stem to absorb much of the wear between the
frequently broken joints (such as between the kelly or
top drive and the drill pipe).
scale
n: 1. a mineral deposit (for example, calcium
carbonate) that precipitates out of water and adheres
to the inside of pipes, heaters, and other equipment.
2. an ordered set of gauge marks together with their
defining figures, words, or symbols with relation to
which position of the index is observed when reading
an instrument.
scraper
n: any device that is used to remove deposits (such as
scale or paraffin) from tubing, casing, rods, flow lines,
or pipelines.
scratcher
n: a device that is fastened to the outside of casing to
remove mud cake from the wall of a hole to condition
the hole for cementing.
screening effect
n: the tendency of proppants to separate from
fracture fluid when the speed, or velocity, of the fluid
is low.
secondary recovery
n: 1. the use of water-flooding or gas injection to
maintain formation pressure during primary
production and to reduce the rate of decline of the
original reservoir drive. 2. water-flooding of a
depleted reservoir. 3. the first improved recovery
method of any type applied to a reservoir to produce
oil not recoverable by primary recovery methods. See
primary recovery.
self-potential (SP)
n: see spontaneous potential.
self-propelled unit

n: see carrier rig.

service company
n: a company that provides a specialized service, such
as a well-logging service or a directional drilling
service.
service rig
n: see production rig.
service well
n: 1. a nonproducing well used for injecting liquid or
gas into the reservoir for enhanced recovery. 2. a
saltwater disposal well or a water supply well.
set back
v: to place stands of drill pipe and drill collars in a
vertical position to one side of the rotary table in the
derrick or mast of a drilling or workover rig. Compare
lay down pipe.
set casing
v: to run and cement casing at a certain depth in the
wellbore. Sometimes called set pipe.
set pipe
v: see set casing.
set up
v: to harden (as cement).
shaker
n: shortened form of shale shaker. See shale shaker.
shale
n: a fine-grained sedimentary rock composed mostly
of consolidated clay or mud. Shale is the most
frequently occurring sedimentary rock.

shale shaker
n: a vibrating screen used to remove cuttings from the
circulating fluid in rotary drilling operations. Also
called a shaker.
shear ram
n: the component in a blowout preventer that cuts, or
shears, through drill pipe and forms a seal against well
pressure.
shear ram preventer
n: a blowout preventer that uses shear rams as closing
elements.
sheave

(pronounced "shiv") n: 1. a grooved pulley. 2. support

wheel over which tape, wire, or cable rides.
shoulder
n: 1. the flat portion machined on the base of the bit
shank that meets the shoulder of the drill collar and
serves to form a pressure-tight seal between the bit
and the drill collar. 2. the portion of the box end or
the pin end of a tool joint; the two shoulders meet
when the tool joint is connected and form a pressuretight seal.
shut in
v: 1. to close the valves on a well so that it stops
producing. 2. to close in a well in which a kick has
occurred.
shut-in bottomhole pressure (SIBHP)
n: the pressure at the bottom of a well when the
surface valves on the well are completely closed. It is
caused by formation fluids at the bottom of the well.
sidetrack
v: to use a whipstock, turbodrill, or other mud motor
to drill around the original planned path of the well.
single
n: a joint of drill pipe. Compare double.
single-pole rig
n: a well-servicing unit whose mast consists of but one
steel tube, usually about 65 feet (19.8 meters) long.
sinker bar
n: a heavy weight or bar placed on or near a
lightweight wireline tool. The bar provides weight so
that the tool will lower properly into the well.
slack off
v: to lower a load or ease up on a line. A driller will
slack off on the brake to put additional weight on the
bit.
sleeve
n: a tubular part designed to fit over another part.
slick line
n: see wireline.
slip-and-cutoff program
n: a procedure to ensure that the drilling line wears
evenly throughout its life. After a specified number of
ton-miles (megajoules) of use, the line is slipped-for
example, the traveling block is suspended in the
derrick or propped on the rig floor so that it cannot
move, the deadline anchor bolts are loosened, and

the drilling line is spooled onto the drawworks drum.

Enough line is slipped to change the major points of
wear on the line, such as where it passes through the
sheaves. To prevent excess line from accumulating on
the drawworks drum, the worn line is cut off and
discarded.
slip bowl
n: a device in a rotary table or other tool into which
tubing or drill pipe it is wrapped with specially shaped
wire that is designed to prevent the entry of loose
sand into the well as it is produced. It is also often
used with a gravel pack.

slips
n: wedge-shaped pieces of metal with teeth or other
gripping elements that are used to prevent pipe from
slipping down into the hole. Rotary slips fit around the
drill pipe and wedge against the master bushing to
support the pipe. Power slips are pneumatically or
hydraulically actuated devices. Packers and other
down hole equipment are secured in position by slips
that engage the pipe by action directed at the surface.
sloughing hole
n: a condition wherein shale that has absorbed water
from the drilling fluid expands, sloughs off, and falls
downhole. A sloughing hole can jam the drill string
and block circulation.
slug
n: a quantity of fluid injected into a reservoir to
accomplish a specific purpose, such as chemical
displacement of oil.
slurry
n: 1. in drilling, a plastic mixture of cement and water
that is pumped into a well to harden. There it
supports the casing and provides a seal in the
wellbore to prevent migration of underground fluids.
2. a mixture in which solids are suspended in a liquid.
solution gas

n: lighter hydrocarbons that exist as a liquid under

reservoir conditions but that effervesce as gas when
pressure is released during production.
sonic log
n: a type of acoustic log that records the travel time of
sounds through objects, cement, or formation rocks.
Often used to determine whether voids exist in the
cement behind the casing in a wellbore.
sour corrosion
n: embrittlement and subsequent wearing away of
metal caused by contact of the metal with hydrogen
sulfide.
sour crude oil
n: oil containing hydrogen sulfide or another acid gas.
SP
abbr: spontaneous potential or self potential.
spear
n: a fishing tool used to retrieve pipe lost in a well.
The spear is lowered down the hole and into the pipe
being fished.
speed reducer
n: a set of gears installed between a prime mover and
the equipment it drives to reduce the running speed.
For example, on a beam pumping unit, the engine
may run at a speed of 600 revolutions per minute, but
the pumping unit it drives may need to operate at 20
strokes per minute. The speed reducer makes it
possible to obtain the correct pump speed.
spent
adj: descriptive of a substance whose strength or
merit has been exhausted in a process. For example,
after a well has been acidized, any acid that remains
in the well is said to be a spent acid because its
strength has been used up in the acidizing process.
spinning cathead
n: see makeup cathead, spinning chain.

spinning chain
n: a relatively short length of chain attached to the
tong pull chain on the manual tongs used to make up
drill pipe. The spinning chain is attached to the pull

chain so that a crew member can wrap the spinning

chain several times around the tool joint box of a joint
of drill pipe suspended in the rotary table. After crew
members stab the pin of another tool joint into the
box end, one of them then grasps the end of the
spinning chain and with a rapid upward motion of the
wrist "throws the spinning chain"-that is, causes it to
unwrap from the box and coil upward onto the body
of the joint stabbed into the box. The driller then
actuates the makeup cathead to pull the chain off of
the pipe body, which causes the pipe to spin and thus
the pin threads to spin into the box.
spinning wrench
n: air-powered or hydraulically powered wrench used
to spin drill pipe in making or breaking connections.
spontaneous potential (SP)
n: one of the natural electrical characteristics
exhibited by a formation as measured by a logging
tool lowered into the wellbore. Also called selfpotential or SP.
spontaneous potential (SP) curve
n: a measurement of the electrical currents that occur
in the wellbore when fluids of different salinities are
in contact. The SP curve is usually recorded in holes
drilled with freshwater-base drilling fluids. It is one of
the curves on an electric well log. Also called selfpotential curve.
spontaneous potential (SP) log
n: a record of a spontaneous potential curve.
spool
n: the drawworks drum. Also a casing head or drilling
spool. v: to wind around a drum.
spot
v: to pump a designated quantity of a substance (such
as acid or cement) into a specific interval in the well.
For example, 10 barrels (1,590 litres) of diesel oil may
be spotted around an area in the hole in which drill
collars are stuck against the wall of the hole in an
effort to free the collars.
spud
v: 1. to begin drilling a well; such as, to spud in. 2. to
force a wireline tool or tubing down the hole by using
a reciprocating motion.
spud in
v: to begin drilling; to start the hole.

spud mud
n: the fluid used when drilling starts at the surface,
often a thick bentonite-lime slurry.
split master bushing
n: a master bushing that is made in two pieces.
squeeze
n: 1. a cementing operation in which cement is
pumped behind the casing under high pressure to
recement channeled areas or to block off an
uncemented zone.
squeeze cementing
n: the forcing of cement slurry by pressure to
specified points in a well to cause seals at the points
of squeeze. It is a secondary cementing method that is
used to isolate a producing formation, seal off water,
repair casing leaks, and so forth. Compare plug-back
cementing.
squeeze job
n: a remedial activity whereby a cement slurry is
pumped into open perforations, split casing, or a
fractured formation, to effect a blockage.
squeeze packer
n: a downhole permanent, or drillable, packer that is
set by lowering some of the weight of the tubing
string onto the packer. The weight expands the
packer's sealing element to prevent flow between the
tubing string and the casing below the packer.
squeeze point
n: the depth in a wellbore at which cement is to be
squeezed.
squeeze tool
n: a special retrievable packer set at a particular depth
in the wellbore during a squeeze cementing job. See
also squeeze cementing.
stabilizer
n: 1. a tool placed on a drill collar near the bit that is
used, depending on where it is placed, either to
maintain a particular hole angle or to change the
angle by controlling the location of the contact point
between the hole and the collars.
stack
n: 1. a vertical arrangement of blowout prevention
equipment. Also called preventer stack. See blowout
preventer. 2. the vertical chimney-like installation that

is the waste disposal system for unwanted vapor such

as flue gases or tail-gas streams.
stack a rig
v: to store a drilling rig on completion of a job when
the rig is to be withdrawn from operation for a time.

stairways
n: stairs leading from one level to another.
stand
n: the connected joints of pipe racked in the derrick or
mast when making a trip. On a rig, the usual stand is
about 90 feet (about 27 meters) long (three lengths of
drill pipe screwed together).
standard derrick
n: a derrick that is built piece by piece at the drilling
location, as opposed to a jackknife mast, which is
preassembled. Compare mast.
standing valve
n: a fixed ball-and-seat valve at the lower end of the
working barrel of a sucker rod pump. The standing
valve and its cage do not move, as does the traveling
valve. Compare traveling valve.

standpipe
n: a vertical pipe rising along the side of the derrick or
mast, which joins the discharge line leading from the
mud pump to the rotary hose and through which mud
is pumped going into the hole.
steam flooding
n: a thermal recovery method in which steam is
injected into a reservoir through injection wells and
driven toward production wells. The steam reduces
the viscosity of crude oil, causing it to flow more
freely. The heat vaporizes lighter hydrocarbons; as
they move ahead of the steam, they cool and
condense into liquids that dissolve and displace crude
oil. The steam provides additional gas drive. This
method is also used to recover viscous oils. Also called

continuous steam injection or steam drive. Compare

thermal recovery.
steel-tooth bit
n: a roller cone bit in which the surface of each cone is
made up of rows of steel teeth. Also called a milled
bit, although some steel teeth are forged.
stimulation
n: the action of attempting to improve and enhance a
well's performance by the application of horsepower
using pumping equipment, placing sand in artificially
created fractures in rock, or using chemicals such as
acid to dissolve the soluble portion of the rock.
straight hole
n: a hole that is drilled vertically. The total hole angle
is restricted, and the hole does not change direction
rapidly.
string
n: the entire length of casing, tubing, sucker rods, or
drill pipe run into a hole.
string up
v: to thread the drilling line through the sheaves of
the crown block and traveling block. One end of the
line is secured to the hoisting drum and the other to
the drill-line anchor.
structural mast
n: a portable mast constructed of angular as opposed
to tubular steel members.
stuck pipe
n: drill pipe, drill collars, casing, or tubing that has
inadvertently become immovable in the hole. Sticking
may occur when drilling is in progress, when casing is
being run in the hole, or when the drill pipe is being
hoisted.
stuck point
n: the depth in the hole at which the drill stem,
tubing, or casing is stuck. Also called freeze point.
stuffing box
n: a device that prevents leakage along a piston, rod,
propeller shaft, or other moving part that passes
through a hole in a cylinder or vessel. It consists of a
box or chamber made by enlarging the hole and a
gland containing compressed packing. On a well being
artificially lifted by means of a sucker rod pump, the
polished rod operates through a stuffing box,
preventing escape of oil and diverting it into a side

outlet to which is connected the flow line leading to

the oil and gas separator or to the field storage tank.
For a bottomhole pressure test, the wireline goes
through a stuffing box and lubricator, allowing the
gauge to be raised and lowered against well pressure.
The lubricator provides a pressure-tight grease seal in
the stuffing box.
sub
n: a short, threaded piece of pipe used to adapt parts
of the drilling string that cannot otherwise be screwed
together because of differences in thread size or
design. A sub (a substitute) may also perform a special
function. Lifting subs are used with drill collars to
provide a shoulder to fit the drill pipe elevators; a
kelly saver sub is placed between the drill pipe and
the kelly to prevent excessive thread wear of the kelly
and drill pipe threads; a bent sub is used when drilling
a directional hole.
submersible pump
n: a pump that is placed below the level of fluid in a
well. It is usually driven by an electric motor and
consists of a series of rotating blades that impart
centrifugal motion to lift the fluid to the surface.

substructure
n: the foundation on which the derrick or mast and
usually the drawworks sit; contains space for well
control equipment.
sucker rod
n: a special steel pumping rod. Several rods screwed
together make up the mechanical link from the beam
pumping unit on the surface to the sucker rod pump
at the bottom of a well. Sucker rods are threaded on
each end and manufactured to dimension standards
and metal specifications set by the petroleum
industry. Lengths are 25 or 30 feet (7.6 or 9.1 meters);
diameter varies from 1/2 to 1 1/8 inches (12 to 30
millimeters). There is also a continuous sucker rod
(trade name: Corod).
sucker rod pump
n: the downhole assembly used to lift fluid to the
surface by the reciprocating action of the sucker rod

string. Basic components are barrel, plunger, valves,

and hold-down. Two types of sucker rod pumps are
the tubing pump, in which the barrel is attached to
the tubing, and the rod, or insert, pump, which is run
into the well as a complete unit.
sucker rod pumping
n: a method of artificial lift in which a subsurface
pump located at or near the bottom of the well and
connected to a string of sucker rods is used to lift the
well fluid to the surface. The weight of the rod string
and fluid is counterbalanced by weights attached to a
reciprocating beam or to the crank member of a beam
pumping unit or by air pressure in a cylinder attached
to the beam.
surface casing
n: see surface pipe.
surface hole
n: that part of the wellbore that is drilled below the
conductor hole but above the intermediate hole.
surface pipe
n: the first string of casing (after the conductor pipe)
that is set in a well. It varies in length from a few
hundred to several thousand feet (meters).
surface stack
n: a blowout preventer stack mounted on top of the
casing string at or near the surface of the ground or
the water.
suspending agent
n: an additive used to hold the fine clay and silt
particles that sometimes remain after an acidizing
treatment in suspension; for example, it keeps them
from settling out of the spent acid until it is circulated
out.
swab
n. a hollow mandrel fitted with swab cups used for
swabbing. v. to operate a swab on a wireline to lower
the pressure in the well bore and bring well fluids to
the surface when the well does not flow naturally.
Swabbing is a temporary operation to determine
whether the well can be made to flow. If the well
does not flow after being swabbed, a pump is
installed as a permanent lifting device to bring the oil
to the surface.
swab cup

n: a rubber or rubberlike device on a special rod (a

swab), which forms a seal between the swab and the
wall of the tubing or casing.
swage
n: a solid cylindrical tool pointed at the bottom and
equipped with a tool joint at the top for connection
with a jar. It is used to straighten damaged or
collapsed casing or tubing and drive it back to its
original shape. v: to reduce the diameter of a rod, a
tube, or a fitting by forging, hammering, or other
method.
swamper
n: (slang) a helper on a truck, tractor, or other
machine.
sweet crude oil
n: oil containing little or no sulfur, especially little or
no hydrogen sulfide.

swivel
n: a rotary tool that is hung from the rotary hook and
traveling block to suspend and permit free rotation of
the drill stem. It also provides a connection for the
rotary hose and a passageway for the flow of drilling
fluid into the drill stem.
tally
v: to measure and record the total length of pipe,
casing, or tubing that is to be run in a well.
taper tap
n: a tap with a gradually decreasing diameter from the
top. It is used to retrieve a hollow fish such as a drill
collar and is the male counterpart of a die collar. The
taper tap is run into a hollow fish and rotated to cut
enough threads to provide a firm grip and permit the
fish to be pulled and recovered.
tapered bowl
n: a fitting, usually divided into two halves, that crew
members place inside the master bushing to hold the
slips.
TD
abbr: total depth.

tag
v: to touch an object downhole with the drill stem.
tag line
n: in crane and truck operations, a rope attached to
the bottom of a load suspended by the crane or truck,
which, when grasped by a crew member, allows the
crew member to prevent rotation and to assist in
guiding the load.
tear down
v: see rig down.
telescoping mast
n: a portable mast that can be erected as a unit,
usually by a tackle that hoists the wireline or by a
hydraulic ram. The upper section of a telescoping
mast is generally nested (telescoped) inside the lower
section of the structure and raised to full height either
by the wireline or by a hydraulic system.
temperature log
n: a survey run in cased holes to locate the top of the
cement in the annulus. Since cement generates a
considerable amount of heat when setting, a
temperature increase will be found at the level where
cement is found behind the casing.
temperature survey
n: an operation used to determine temperatures at
various depths in the wellbore. It is also used to
determine the height of cement behind the casing
and to locate the source of water influx into the
wellbore.
tertiary recovery
n: 1. the use of improved recovery methods that not
only restore formation pressure but also improve oil
displacement or fluid flow in the reservoir. 2. the use
of any improved recovery method to remove
additional oil after secondary recovery. Compare
primary recovery, secondary recovery.
thermal recovery
n: a type of improved recovery in which heat is
introduced into a reservoir to lower the viscosity of
heavy oils and to facilitate their flow into producing
wells. The pay zone may be heated by injecting steam
(steam drive) or by injecting air and burning a portion
of the oil in place (in situ combustion).
throw the chain

v: to jump the spinning chain up from a box end tool

joint so that the chain wraps around the pin end tool
joint after it is stabbed into the box. The stand or joint
of drill pipe is turned or spun by a pull on the spinning
chain from the cathead on the drawworks.
tight formation
n: a petroleum- or water-bearing formation of
relatively low porosity and permeability.
tight sand
n: sand or sandstone formation with low permeability.
tight spot
n: a section of a borehole in which excessive wall cake
has built up, reducing the hole diameter and making it
difficult to run the tools in and out. Compare keyseat.

tongs
n pl: the large wrenches used for turning when
making up or breaking out drill pipe, casing, tubing, or
other pipe; variously called casing tongs, rotary tongs,
and so forth according to the specific use. Power
tongs or power wrenches are pneumatically or
hydraulically operated tools that serve to spin the
pipe up and, in some instances, to apply the final
makeup torque.
toolpusher
n: an employee of a drilling contractor who is in
charge of the entire drilling crew and the drilling rig.
Also called a rig superintendent, drilling foreman, or
rig supervisor.

top drive
n: a device similar to a power swivel that is used in
place of the rotary table to turn the drill stem.
top plug

n: a cement wiper plug that follows cement slurry

down the casing. It goes before the drilling mud used
to displace the cement from the casing and separates
the mud from the slurry. See cementing, wiper plug.
torque
n: the turning force that is applied to a shaft or other
rotary mechanism to cause it to rotate or tend to do
so. Torque is measured in foot-pounds, joules,
newton-metres, and so forth.
total depth (TD)
n: the maximum depth reached in a well.
tour
(pronounced "tower") n: a working shift for drilling
crew or other oilfield workers. Some tours are 8
hours; the three daily tours are called daylight,
evening (or afternoon), and graveyard (or morning).
12-hour tours may also be used; they are called
simply day tour and night tour.
tourly
(pronounced "towerly") adv: during each shift. See
tour.
tracer
n: a substance added to reservoir fluids to permit the
movements of the fluid to be followed or traced. Dyes
and radioactive substances are used as tracers in
underground water flows and sometimes helium is
used in gas. When samples of the water or gas taken
some distance from the point of injection reveal signs
of the tracer, the route of the fluids can be mapped.
tracer log
n: a survey that uses a radioactive tracer such as a
gas, liquid, or solid having a high gamma ray emission.
When the material is injected into any portion of the
wellbore, the point of placement or movement can be
recorded by a gamma ray instrument. The tracer log is
used to determine channeling or the travel of
squeezed cement behind a section of perforated
casing.
trailer rig
n: a rig mounted on a wheeled and towed trailer. It
has a mast, a rotary, and one or two engines.
transmission
n: the gear or chain arrangement by which power is
transmitted from the prime mover to the drawworks,
the mud pump, or the rotary table of a drilling rig.

traveling block
n: an arrangement of pulleys, or sheaves, through
which drilling cable is reeved, which moves up or
down in the derrick or mast.
traveling valve
n: one of the two valves in a sucker rod pumping
system. It moves with the movement of the sucker
rod string. On the upstroke, the ball member of the
valve is seated, supporting the fluid load. On the
downstroke, the ball is unseated, allowing fluid to
enter into the production column. Compare standing
valve.
trip
n: the operation of hoisting the drill stem from and
returning it to the wellbore. v: to insert or remove the
drill stem into or out of the hole. Shortened form of
"make a trip."
trip in
v: to go in the hole.
trip out
v: to come out of the hole.
tripping
n: the operation of hoisting the drill stem out of and
returning it into the wellbore.
truck-mounted rig
n: a well-servicing and workover rig that is mounted
on a truck chassis.
tubing

n: relatively small-diameter pipe that is run into a well

to serve as a conduit for the passage of oil and gas to
the surface.
tubing coupling
n: a special connector used to connect lengths of
tubing.
tubing hanger
n: an arrangement of slips and packing rings used to
suspend tubing from the tubing head.
tubing head
n: a flanged fitting that supports the tubing string,
seals off pressure between the casing and the outside
of the tubing, and provides a connection that
supports the Christmas tree.
tubing pump
n: a sucker rod pump in which the barrel is attached
to the tubing. See sucker rod pump.
tubular goods
n pl: any kind of pipe. Oilfield tubular goods include
tubing, casing, drill pipe, drill collars and line pipe.
Also called tubulars.
tungsten carbide
n: a fine, very hard, gray crystalline powder, a
compound of tungsten and carbon. This compound is
bonded with cobalt or nickel in cemented carbide
compositions and used for cutting tools, abrasives,
and dies.
tungsten carbide bit
n: a type of roller cone bit with inserts made of
tungsten carbide. Also called tungsten carbide insert
bit.
turntable
n: see rotary table.
uncased hole
n: see open hole.
unconsolidated formation
n: a loosely arranged, apparently unstratified section
of rock.
unconsolidated sandstone
n: a sand formation in which individual grains do not
adhere to one another. If an unconsolidated
sandstone produces oil or gas, it will produce sand as
well if not controlled or corrected.
undergauge bit

n: a bit whose outside diameter is worn to the point

at which it is smaller than it was when new. A hole
drilled with an undergauge bit is said to be
undergauge.
undergauge hole
n: that portion of a borehole drilled with an
undergauge bit.
unit operator
n: the oil company in charge of development and
production in an oilfield in which several companies
have joined to produce the field.
unloading a well
n: removing fluid from the tubing in a well, often by
means of a swab, to lower the bottomhole pressure in
the wellbore at the perforations and induce the well
to flow.
upper kelly cock
n: a valve installed above the kelly that can be closed
manually to protect the rotary hose from high
pressure that may exist in the drill stem.
waiting on cement (WOC)
adj: pertaining to the time when drilling or completion
operations are suspended so that the cement in a well
can harden sufficiently.

walkways
n: an area cleared for moving through by personnel.
walking beam
n: the horizontal steel member of a beam pumping
unit that has rocking or reciprocating motion.
wash over
v: to release pipe that is stuck in the hole by running
washover pipe. The washover pipe must have an
outside diameter small enough to fit into the
borehole but an inside diameter large enough to fit
over the outside diameter of the stuck pipe. A rotary
shoe, which cuts away the formation, mud, or
whatever is sticking the pipe, is made up on the
bottom joint of the washover pipe, and the assembly
is lowered into the hole. Rotation of the assembly
frees the stuck pipe. Several washovers may have to
be made if the stuck portion is very long.

washover pipe
n: an accessory used in fishing operations to go over
the outside of tubing or drill pipe stuck in the hole
because of cuttings, mud, and so forth, that have
collected in the annulus. The washover pipe cleans
the annular space and permits recovery of the pipe. It
is sometimes called washpipe.
washover string
n: the assembly of tools run into the hole during
fishing to perform a washover. A typical washover
string consists of a washover back-off connector,
several joints of washover pipe, and a rotary shoe.
water drive
n: the reservoir drive mechanism in which oil is
produced by the expansion of the underlying water
and rock, which forces the oil into the wellbore. In
general, there are two types of water drive: bottomwater drive, in which the oil is totally underlain by
water; and edgewater drive, in which only a portion of
the oil is in contact with the water.
water pump
n: on an engine, a device, powered by the engine, that
moves coolant (water) through openings in the engine
block, through the radiator or heat exchanger, and
back into the block.

water tank
n: the water tank is used to store water that is used
for mud-mixing, cementing, and rig cleaning.
water well
n: a well drilled to obtain a fresh water supply to
support drilling and production operations or to
obtain a water supply to be used in connection with
an enhanced recovery program.
weight indicator
n: an instrument near the drillers position on a
drilling rig that shows both the weight of the drill
stem that is hanging from the hook (hook load) and

the weight that is placed on the bottom of the hole

(weight on bit).
weight indicator
n: a device for measuring the weight of the drill string.
weight on bit (WOB)
n: the amount of downward force placed on the bit.
well
n: the hole made by the drilling bit, which can be
open, cased, or both. Also called borehole, hole, or
wellbore.
wellbore
n: a borehole; the hole drilled by the bit. A wellbore
may have casing in it or it may be open (uncased); or
part of it may be cased, and part of it may be open.
Also called a borehole or hole.
wellbore soak
n: an acidizing treatment in which the acid is placed in
the wellbore and allowed to react by merely soaking.
It is a relatively slow process, because very little of the
acid actually comes in contact with the formation.
Also called wellbore cleanup. Compare acid fracture.
well completion
n: 1. the activities and methods of preparing a well for
the production of oil and gas or for other purposes,
such as injection; the method by which one or more
flow paths for hydrocarbons are established between
the reservoir and the surface. 2. the system of
tubulars, packers, and other tools installed beneath
the wellhead in the production casing; that is, the tool
assembly that provides the hydrocarbon flow path or
paths.
well control
n: the methods used to control a kick and prevent a
well from blowing out. Such techniques include, but
are not limited to, keeping the borehole completely
filled with drilling mud of the proper weight or density
during operations, exercising reasonable care when
tripping pipe out of the hole to prevent swabbing, and
keeping careful track of the amount of mud put into
the hole to replace the volume of pipe removed from
the hole during a trip.

well fluid
n: the fluid, usually a combination of gas, oil, water,
and suspended sediment, that comes out of a
reservoir. Also called well stream.
wellhead
n: the equipment installed at the surface of the
wellbore. A wellhead includes such equipment as the
casinghead and tubing head. adj: pertaining to the
wellhead.
well logging
n: the recording of information about subsurface
geologic formations, including records kept by the
driller and records of mud and cutting analyses, core
analysis, drill stem tests, and electric, acoustic, and
radioactivity procedures.
well servicing
n: the maintenance work performed on an oil or gas
well to improve or maintain the production from a
formation already producing. It usually involves
repairs to the pump, rods, gas-lift valves, tubing,
packers, and so forth.
well-servicing rig
n: a portable rig, truck-mounted, trailer-mounted, or a
carrier rig, consisting of a hoist and engine with a selferecting mast. See carrier rig. Compare workover rig.
well site
n: see location.
well stimulation
n: any of several operations used to increase the
production of a well, such as acidizing or fracturing.
See acidize.
wickers
n pl: broken or frayed strands of the steel wire that
makes up the outer wrapping of wire rope.
wildcat
n: 1. a well drilled in an area where no oil or gas
production exists.
window
n: 1. a slotted opening or a full section removed in the
pipe lining (casing) of a well, usually made to permit
sidetracking.
wireline
n: a slender, rodlike or threadlike piece of metal
usually small in diameter, that is used for lowering

special tools (such as logging sondes, perforating

guns, and so forth) into the well. Also called slick line.
wireline formation tester
n: a formation fluid sampling device, actually run on
conductor line rather than wireline, that also logs flow
and shut-in pressure in rock near the borehole. A
spring mechanism holds a pad firmly against the
sidewall while a piston creates a vacuum in a test
chamber. Formation fluids enter the test chamber
through a valve in the pad. A recorder logs the rate at
which the test chamber is filled. Fluids may also be
drawn to fill a sampling chamber. Wireline formation
tests may be done any number of times during one
trip in the hole, so they are very useful in formation
testing.
wireline log
n: any log that is run on wireline.
wireline logging
n: see well logging.
wireline operations
n pl: the lowering of mechanical tools, such as valves
and fishing tools, into the well for various purposes.
Electric wireline operations, such as electric well
logging and perforating, involve the use of conductor
line.
wireline survey
n: a general term used to refer to any type of log
being run in a well.
wireline tools
n pl: special tools or equipment made to be lowered
into and retrieved from the well on a wireline, for
example, packers, swabs, gas-lift valves, measuring
devices.
wire rope
n: a cable composed of steel wires twisted around a
central core of fiber or steel wire to create a rope of
great strength and considerable flexibility.
WOB
abbr: weight on bit.
WOC
abbr: waiting on cement; used in drilling reports.
workover
n: the performance of one or more of a variety of
remedial operations on a producing well to try to
increase production. Examples of workover jobs are

deepening, plugging back, pulling and resetting liners,

and squeeze cementing. See recompletion.
workover fluid
n: a special drilling mud used to keep a well under
control while it is being worked over. A workover fluid
is compounded carefully so that it will not cause
formation damage.
workover rig
n: a portable rig used for working over a well.
work string
n: 1. in drilling, the string of drill pipe or tubing
suspended in a well to which is attached a special tool
or device that is used to carry out a certain task, such
as squeeze cementing or fishing. 2. in pipeline
construction, the string of washpipe that replaces the
pilot string in a directionally drilled river crossing. The
work string remains in place under the river until the
actual pipeline is made up and is ready to be pulled
back across the river.
valve
n: a device used to control the rate of flow in a line to
open or shut off a line completely, or to serve as an
automatic or semiautomatic safety device. Those used
extensively include the check valve, gate valve, globe
valve, needle valve, plug valve, and pressure relief
valve.
V-belt
n: a belt with a trapezoidal cross section, made to run
in sheaves, or pulleys, with grooves of corresponding
shape.
V-door
n: an opening at floor level in a side of a derrick or
mast. The V-door is opposite the drawworks and is
used as an entry to bring in drill pipe, casing, and
other tools from the pipe rack.