Hydrostatic pressure Definition

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Hydrostatic pressure:

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 pounds per square inch or kilopascals.

The hydrostatic pressure of fresh water is 0.433 pounds per square inch per foot of depth (9.792 kilopascals per meter).

In drilling, the term refers to the pressure exerted by the drilling fluid in the wellbore.

In a water drive field, the term refers to the pressure that may furnish the primary energy for production.