Glossary of Drilling Terms

8/6/2019 Glossary of Drilling Terms

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GLOSSARY OF DRILLING TERMS

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GLOSSARY OF DRILLING TERMS

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A:top:

Abandonment -

converting a drilled well to a condition thatcan be left indefinitely without further

attention and will not damage freshwatersupplies, potential petroleum reservoirs orthe environment.

abiogenic theory -

a theory that maintains petroleumoriginated from hydrocarbons that weretrapped inside the Earth during theplanet's formation and are slowly moving


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upwards.

acidizing -

the injection of acids under pressure intothe rock formation to create channels thatallow the hydrocarbons to flow moreeasily into the wellbore.

air drilling -

the use of compressed air instead of mudas a drilling fluid to remove the cuttings;air drilling increases penetration rates butoffers no control over water in thesubsurface formations or downhole gaspressure.

Annulus -the space between two concentric lengthsof pipe or between pipe and the hole inwhich it is located.

associated gas -gas that is produced from the samereservoir along with crude oil, either asfree gas or in solution.

B:top:

Benzene -

a volatile organic compound that occursnaturally in petroleum and is alsoproduced by the combustion of petroleumproducts.

biogenic theory -

the most widely accepted theoryexplaining the origins of petroleum: asorganic materials become deeply buriedover time, heat and pressure transformthem into hydrocarbons.

bitumen -petroleum that exists in the semisolid orsolid phase in natural deposits

blowout -an uncontrolled flow of gas, oil or otherfluids from a well.

C

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CAODC -

Canadian Association of Oilwell DrillingContractors - The CAODC is a tradeassociation representing upstreamCanadian petroleum drilling contractors --land-based and offshore, service rigcontractors and associate companies. Its


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member companies work together toensure that this sector is the world's mostefficient, well trained and best-equipped.

cable-tool rig -

a type of drilling device used from the1850s to the 1930s that employed aheavy chisel-like bit which wassuspended on a cable and droppedrepeatedly into the rock at the bottom ofthe hole.

carbon dioxide (CO2) -

a non-toxic gas produced from decayingmaterials, respiration of plant and animallife, and combustion of organic matter,including fossil fuels; carbon dioxide is themost common greenhouse gas producedby human activities.

carbonate -rock formed from the hard parts of marineorganisms mainly consisting of calcite,aragonite and dolomite.

casing-head gasoline (naphtha) -a highly volatile liquid which is separatedfrom natural gas at the wellhead and wasonce used as unrefined gasoline.

cat cracking (catalytic cracking) -

a refinery process that uses catalysts inaddition to pressure and heat to convertheavier fuel oil into lighter products suchas gasoline and diesel fuel.

catalysts - materials that assist chemical reactions.

cathodic protection -

a technique for preventing corrosion inmetal pipelines and tanks that uses weakelectric currents to offset the currentassociated with metal corrosion.

centrifugal pump -

a rotating pump, commonly used forlarge-volume oil and natural gaspipelines, that takes in fluids near thecentre and accelerates them as they

move to the outlet on the outer rim.

clastic -made up of pieces (clasts) of older rock;rock derived from mechanical process;generally sandstone, siltstone or shale.

coal bed methane (CBM) -natural gas generated and trapped in coalseams.


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coal gas -

a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxideand methane, produced by distilling coal,that was once used for heating andlighting.

co-generation -

the production of steam to drive turbinesproducing electrical energy for plant useor sale and for the provision of heat forbuildings and industrial processes.

coiled tubing -

a continuous, jointless hollow steelcylinder that is stored on a reel and canbe uncoiled or coiled repeatedly asrequired; coiled tubing is increasinglybeing used in well completion andservicing instead of traditional tubing,which is made up of joined sections of

pipe.

coke -solid carbon that remains in the refiningprocess after cracking of hydrocarbons.

coking -

a process used to break down heavy oilmolecules into lighter ones by removingthe carbon which remains as a cokeresidue.

common depth point method -

a method of recording and processingseismic signals so that signals belongingto the same subsurface point are broughttogether

completion -the process of finishing a well so that it isready to produce oil or gas.

compressor -a machine used to boost natural gaspressure to move it through pipelines orother facilities.

condensate -hydrocarbons, usually produced withnatural gas, that are liquid at normalpressure and temperature.

conventional crude oil -petroleum found in liquid form, flowingnaturally or capable of being pumpedwithout further processing or dilution.

core -a continuous cylinder of rock, usually fromfive to 10 centimetres in diameter, cutfrom the bottom of a wellbore as a sample


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of an underground formation.

cracking -

a refining process for increasing the yieldof gasoline from crude oil; crackinginvolves breaking down the larger,heavier and more complex hydrocarbonmolecules into simpler and lightermolecules through the use of heat andpressure, and sometimes a catalyst.

critical sour gas wells -

a sour gas well that has the potential torelease unsafe levels of hydrogensulphicle, which might affect nearbyresidents.

critical zone -the zone in a well where sour gas willlikely be encountered

Crown rights - government-owned surface or mineralrights.

cuttings -chips and small fragments of rock cut bythe drill bit and brought to the surface bythe flow of drilling mud.

D:top:

Density -

the heaviness of crude oil, indicating theproportion of large, carbon-rich

molecules, generally measured inkilograms per cubic metre (kg/M3) ordegrees on the American PetroleumInstitute (API) gravity scale; in WesternCanada oil up to 900 kg/m3 is consideredlight to medium crude - oil above thisdensity is deemed as heavy oil orbitumen.

development well -a well drilled in or adjacent to a provenpart of a pool to optimize petroleumproduction

dolomite -calcium carbonate-rich sedimentary rockin which oil or gas reservoirs are oftenfound

downstream -the refining and marketing sector of thepetroleum industry.

drilling mud - fluid circulated down the drill pipe and up


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the annulus during drilling to removecuttings, cool and lubricate the bit, andmaintain desired pressure in the well

dry gas -natural gas from the well that is free ofliquid hydrocarbons, or gas that has beentreated to remove all liquids; pipeline gas

dry hole -an unsuccessful well; a well not capableof producing commercial quantities of oilor gas

E:top:

enhanced recovery -the increased recovery from a poolachieved by artificial means, includinginjection of fluids, chemicals or heat.

established reserves -those reserves recoverable under currenttechnology and present and anticipatedeconomic conditions.

F:top:

field -

the geographical area encompassing agroup of one or more undergroundpetroleum pools sharing the same orrelated infrastructure.

field price -the amount received by petroleumproducers after deducting transportationand distribution costs.

formation -a designated subsurface layer that iscomposed throughout of substantially thesame kind of rock or rock types.

fracturing (or fracing) -

the practice of pumping special fluidsdown the well under high pressure;fracturing causes the formation to crackopen, creating passages for the reservoir

fluids to more easily flow into thewellbore.

G:top:

gas transmission systems -pipelines that carry natural gas at highpressure from producing areas to


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consuming areas.

gathering lines -pipelines that move raw petroleum fromwellheads to processing plants andtransmission facilities.

geochemistry -

the science of chemistry applied to rocksand minerals; geochemists analyze thecontents of subsurface rocks for thepresence of organic matter associatedwith oil deposits.

geophones (or jugs) -

sensitive vibration-detecting instrumentsused in conducting seismic surveys;marine versions are known ashydrophones.

geophysics -

the science that deals with the relations

between the physical features of the Earthand forces that produce them; geophysicsincludes the study of seismology andmagnetism.

greenhouse effect -

the warming of the Earth's surface causedby the presence of carbon dioxide andother gases in the atmosphere that trapthe heat of the sun.

greenhouse gases -

a wide variety of gases that trap heat nearthe Earth's surface, preventing its escape

into space; greenhouse gases, such ascarbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxideand water vapour, occur naturally or resultfrom human activities such as the burningof fossil fuels ground-level ozone - seevolatile organic compounds.

gusher -

a well that comes in with such greatpressure that the oil or gas blows out ofthe wellhead like a geyser; gushers arerare today because of improved drillingtechnology, especially the use of drillingmud to control downhole pressure.

H:top:

heavy oil -dense, viscous oil, with a high proportionof bitumen, that is difficult to extract withconventional techniques and is more


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costly to refine.

horizontal drilling -drilling a well which deviates from thevertical and travels horizontally through aproducing layer.

horizontal laterals - a series of drainage wells branching offfrom a horizontal wellbore.

hot water process -

a method for separating bitumen from oilsand using hot water and caustic soda,developed by Karl Clark of the AlbertaResearch Council.

hydrocarbons -

a large class of liquid, solid or gaseousorganic compounds, containing onlycarbon and hydrogen, that are the basisof almost all petroleum products.

hydrocracking -

a refining process which adds hydrogento the carbon rich molecules of heavieroil, in the presence of a catalyst, toproduce high-octane gasoline.

hydrogen sulphide (H2S) -a naturally occurring, highly toxic gas withthe odour of rotten eggs.

hydro-transport -a process that uses hot water to transportoil sand through a pipeline to aprocessing plant.

hydrotreating -the process of adding hydrogen to heavyoil or bitumen molecules during theupgrading process.

I:top:

infill drilling -wells drilled between establishedproducing wells on a lease in order toincrease production from the reservoir.

injection well -a well used for injecting air, steam or

fluids into an underground formationJ

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jarmout -

an agreement between oil companieswhereby the owner of a lease who is notinterested in drilling at the time agrees toassign the lease or a portion of it to


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another company that will earn a share ofproduction by under-taking exploration.

joint implementation -

a means of reducing global greenhousegas emissions whereby a countryreceives credit for supporting emissionsreductions elsewhere - for example,planting trees or replacing inefficientpower generation facilities in developingcountries.

K:top:

kerosene -a mixture of hydrocarbons produced bydistilling petroleum, that is used as a lampoil or jet fuel.

kick -

when fluids with a higher pressure thanthat exerted by the drilling mud enter thewellbore; this creates the potential for awell to blow out of control.

L:top:

landman -

a member of the exploration team whoseprimary duties are formulating andcarrying out exploration strategies andmanaging an oil company's relations with

its landowners and partners, includingsecuring and administering oil and gasleases and other agreements.

light crude oil -liquid petroleum which has freely at roomtemperature.

limestone -calcium carbonate-rich sedimentary rocksin which oil or gas reservoirs are oftenfound.

liquefled natural gas (LNG) -

supercooled natural gas that is

maintained as a liquid at - 160' Celsius;LNG occupies 1/640th of its originalvolume and is therefore easier totransport if pipelines cannot be used.

logs -detailed depth-related records of certainsignificant details of an oil or gas well;usually obtained by lowering


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measurement instruments into a well.

M:top:

measurement-while-drilling (MWD) tool -

technology that transmits information from

downhole measuring devices to thesurface while drilling is ongoing.

medium crude oil -liquid petroleum with a density betweenthat of light and heavy crude oil.

methane (CH4) -

the simplest hydrocarbon and the maincomponent of natural gas; methane isalso produced when organic matterdecomposes.

midstream -

the processing, storage and

transportation sector of the petroleumindustry.

mineral rights -the rights to explore for and produce theresources below the surface.

miscible flooding -

an oil-recovery process in which a fluid,capable of mixing completely with the oil itcontacts, is injected into an oil reservoir toincrease recovery.

mousehole -

a hole drilled to the side of the wellbore tohold the next joint of drill pipe to be used;

when this joint is pulled out and screwedonto the drill string, another joint of pipe isreadied and slipped into the mousehole toawait its turn

mud motor -

a downhole drilling motor that is poweredby the force of the drilling mud pushedthrough the motor by the mud pumps atthe surface.

multiple entry -

a technique for drilling several horizontalwells from a single vertical, directional or

horizontal wellbore naphtha - a lightfraction of crude oil used to makegasoline.

N:top:

natural gas liquids (NGLs) - liquids obtained during natural gas


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production and processing; they includeethane, propane, butane and condensate.

nitrous oxide (N20) -

a very potent greenhouse gas which hasa large number of natural sources and isa secondary product of the burning oforganic material and fossil fuels.

O:top:

octane -a performance rating of gasoline; thehigher the octane number, the greater theanti-knock quality of the gasoline.

oil sands - a deposit of sand saturated with bitumen.

operator -

the company or individual responsible for

managing an exploration, development orproduction operation.

P:top:

PVT -Pit Volume Totalizer - equipment used tomeasure the volume of drilling mud in themud tanks/pits.

packer -

an expanding plug used in a well to sealoff certain sections of the tubing or casingwhen cementing and acidizing or when a

production formation is to be isolated

perforate -make holes through the casing oppositethe producing formation to allow the oil orgas to flow into the well.

perforating gun -a special tool used downhole for shootingholes in the well's casing opposite theproducing formation.

permeability -the capacity of a reservoir rock to transmitfluids; how easily fluids can pass through

rock.

petrochemicals -

chemicals derived from petroleum that areused as feedstocks for the manufacture ofa variety of plastics and other productssuch as synthetic rubber.

petroleum -a naturally occurring mixture composedpredominantly of hydrocarbons in the


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gaseous, liquid or solid phase.

pig -

a cylindrical device inserted into a pipelineto inspect the pipe or to sweep the lineclean of water, rust or other foreignmatter; pipeline inspection and cleaningdevices are called pigs because earlymodels squealed as they moved throughthe pipe.

pinnacle reef -a conical formation, higher than it is wide,usually composed of limestone, in whichhydrocarbons might be trapped.

pool -a natural underground reservoircontaining an accumulation of petroleum.

porosity -

the volume of spaces within rock that

might contain oil and gas (like the amountof water a sponge can hold); the open orvoid space within rock

Precambrian -formed prior to the Cambrian eraapproximately 600 million years ago.

primary recovery -

the production of oil and gas fromreservoirs using the natural energyavailable in the reservoirs and pumpingtechniques.

probable reserves - hydrocarbon deposits believed to existwith reasonable certainty on the basis ofgeological information

production casing -

the last string of casing set in a well;production casing is tubular steel pipeconnected by threads and couplings thatlines the total length of the wellbore toensure safe control of production, preventwater from entering the wellbore and keeprock formations from "sloughing" into thewellbore.

production tubing -steel pipe inside the casing used to flowthe petroleum from the producing zone tothe surface.

productive capacity -the estimated maximum volume whichcan be produced from known reservesbased on reservoir characteristics,


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economic considerations, regulatorylimitations and the feasibility of infilldrilling or additional production facilities;also known as available supply.

proved reserves -

hydrocarbons in known reservoirs thatcan be recovered with a great degree ofcertainty under existing technological andeconomic conditions.

public consultation -

the process of involving all affectedparties in the design, planning andoperation of a seismic program, an oil andgas well, pipeline, processing plant orother facility.

R:top:

rathole -

a slanted hole drilled near the wellbore tohold the kelly joint when not in use; thekelly is unscrewed from the drill string andlowered into the rathole.

recoverable resources -

hydrocarbon reserves that can beproduced with current technologyincluding those not economical to produceat present.

reservoir (pool) -

a porous and permeable underground

rock formation containing a naturalaccumulation of crude oil or natural gasthat is confined by impermeable rock orwater barriers, and is separate from otherreservoirs.

residuum -

a heavy, black, tar-like substance thatremains after crude oil has been fullyrefined to distil all usable fractions orcomponents.

rod string -

a string of steel rods used to provide up

and down motion for a bottom-hole pumpto lift oil to the surface.

rotary rig -a modern drilling unit capable of drilling awell with a bit attached to a rotatingcolumn of steel pipe.

rotary table - a heavy, circular casting mounted on a


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steel platform just above the rig floorwhich rotates the drill string and thusturns the bit

S:top:

sandstone -

a compacted sedimentary rock composedmainly of quartz or feldspar; a commonrock in which oil, natural gas and/or wateraccumulate

secondary recovery -

the extraction of additional crude oil,natural gas and related substances fromreservoirs through pressure maintenancetechniques such as water flooding andgas injection.

sedimentary rocks -rocks formed by the accumulation ofsediment or organic materials andtherefore likely to contain hydrocarbons.

seismic surveys -

refers to studies done to gather andrecord patterns of induced shock wavereflections from underground layers ofrock which are used to create detailedmodels of the underlying geologicalstructure.

service rig -

a truck-mounted rig, usually smaller than

a drilling rig, that is brought in to completea well or to perform maintenance, replaceequipment or improve production

shale - rock formed from clay.

shale shaker -a vibrating screen for sifting out rockcuttings from drilling mud.

sidetrack -a section of a well drilled on a curve tobypass debris or other obstructions

smart pig -

sophisticated instrument packages sent

through pipelines to test for corrosion andbuckling.

sour gas -natural gas containing hydrogen sulphidein measurable concentrations.

sour oil -crude oil containing free sulphur,hydrogen sulphide or other sulphur


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compounds

steam injection -an improved recovery technique in whichsteam is injected into a reservoir toreduce the viscosity of the crude oil

steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) -

a recovery technique for extraction ofheavy oil or bitumen that involves drillinga pair of horizontal wells one above theother, one well is used for steam injectionand the other for production

stimulating the formation -

a technique for improving production froma reservoir; stimulation may involveacidizing, fracturing or simply cleaning outsand.

straddle extraction plant -

a gas processing plant located on or near

a gas transmission line that removesnatural gas liquids from the gas andreturns it to the line

sulphur -a yellow mineral extracted from petroleumfor making fertilizers, pharmaceuticalsand other products.

sulphur dioxide (S02) -a poisonous gas formed by burninghydrogen sulphide.

surface casing -

the first string of casing put into a well; it

is cemented into place and serves to shutout shallow water formations and as afoundation for well control.

surface rights -the rights to work on the surface of theland.

sustainable development -

development that meets the needs of thepresent without compromising the abilityof future generations to meet their ownneeds (as defined by United NationsWorld Commission on Environment and

Development).

sweeten -remove hydrogen sulphide and carbondioxide from sour gas to make itmarketable

synthetic crude oil -a mixture of hydrocarbons, similar tocrude oil, derived by upgrading bitumenfrom oil sands


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T:top:

tertiary recovery -

the third major phase of crude oil recoverywhich involves using more sophisticatedtechniques, such as steam flooding orinjection of chemicals, to increaserecovery

top drives -hydraulic or electric motors that aresuspended in the derrick above the rigfloor to rotate the drill string and bit.

traps -

a mass of porous, permeable rock -sealed on top and both sides by non-porous, impermeable rock that halts themigration of oil and gas, causing them toaccumulate.

tripping -

the process of removing the drill stringfrom the hole to change the bit andrunning the drill string and new bit backinto the hole

trunk lines -

large-diameter pipelines that transportcrude oil, natural gas liquids and refinedpetroleum products to refineries andpetrochemical plants; some trunk linesalso transport refined products toconsuming areas

U:top:

underbalanced drilling -

using mud lightened by the addition ofnitrogen or other gas to minimize damageto the producing reservoir by drillingfluids.

unitization -

process whereby owners of adjoiningproperties pool reserves into a single unitoperated by one of the owners ,

production is divided among the ownersaccording to the unitization agreement.

upgrading -the process of converting heavy oil orbitumen into synthetic crude oil.

upstream -the exploration and production sector ofthe petroleum industry.


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V:top:

Vibroseis -the process of producing seismic shockwaves with "thumpers" or vibratorvehicles

W:top:

wellbore -a hole drilled or bored into the earth,usually cased with metal pipe, for theproduction of gas or oil.

wellhead -the equipment used to maintain surfacecontrol of a well

well-logging instruments -

instruments lowered into a well to provide

specific information on the condition of thewell

Western Canada Sedimentary Basin -Canada's largest region of sedimentaryrocks ' the largest source of current oiland gas production

wireline logging tools -

special tools or equipment, such aslogging tools, packers or measuringdevices, designed to be lowered into thewell on a wireline (small-diameter steelcable)


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