Oil & Gas Glossary 1.0

A device run on cable-tool drilling line, a service machine, or sand line of a rotary rig to drill up tools, remove downhole debris, and so on.

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. See gravel pack, sand consolidation, screen liner.

A short length of pipe (a nipple) installed on top of the blowout preventer. The top end of the nipple is flared, or belled, to guide drill tools into the hole and usually has side connections for the fill line and mud return line.

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 (15 millimeters) in diameter and several thousand feet or meters long

1. an abrasive material composed of small quartz grains formed from the disintegration of preexisting rocks. Sand consists of particles less than 2 millimeters and greater than 1/16 millimeter in diameter.

2. to recover bottomhole fluids, samples, mud, sand, or drill cuttings by lowering a cylindrical vessel called a bailer to the bottom of a well, filling it, and retrieving it.

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 to permit it to produce oil and gas.

A small-diameter metal line used in wireline operations. Also called slick line. Compare conductor line.

A screen joint placed opposite perforations in sand control

A length of drill or line pipe, tubing, or casing considerably shorter than 30 feet.

1. a scraping tool that is forced through a pipeline or flow line to clean out accumulations of wax, scale, and debris from the walls of the pipe. It travels with the flow of product in the line, cleaning the pipe walls by means of blades or brushes affixed to it. Also called a line scraper or a go-devil.

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. Wire rope is used as drilling line (in rotary and cable-tool rigs), coring line, servicing line, winch line, and so on. It is often called cable or wireline; however, wireline is a single, slender metal rod, usually very flexible. Compare wireline.

A small plug that is run through a flow line by pressure to clean the line or test for obstructions (see pig).

A wireline attached to a mast, derrick, or offshore platform to stabilize it. See wind guy line.

The smaller of the side fittings on a bell nipple, used to fill the hole when drill pipe is being removed from the well.

To string a wire rope drilling line through the sheaves of the traveling and crown blocks to the hoisting drum.

A small hydraulic line used to communicate fluid from the surface to a downhole tool, such as a subsurface safety valve.

The hoisting mechanism on a drilling rig. It is essentially a large winch that spools off or takes in the drilling line and thus raises or lowers the drill stem and bit.

A long, hollow cylinder, usually steel, through which fluids are conducted. Oilfield tubular goods are casing (including liners), drill pipe, tubing, or line pipe

The valve on the choke and flow line that is nearest to the preventer assembly. Its purpose is to stop the flow through the choke and flow line.

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 bit. Often, especially in the oil patch, the term is loosely applied to both drill pipe and drill collars. Compare drill stem.

The column, or string, of drill pipe with attached tool joints that transmits fluid and rotational power form the kelly to the drill collars and bit. Often, especially in the oil patch, the term is loosely applied to both drill pipe and drill collars. Compare drill stem.

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 derrick substructure.

The discharge pipe from a well being drilled by air drilling. The blooey line is used to conduct the air or gas used for circulation away from the rig to reduce the fire hazard as well as to transport the cuttings a suitable distance from the well.

A wire rope used to support the drilling tools. Also called the rotary line.

All members in the assembly used for rotary drilling from the swivel to the bit, including the kelly, drill pipe and tool joints, drill collars, stabilizers, and various specialty items. Compare drill string.

A buried weight or anchor to which a guy line is attached. See deadman.

All members in the assembly used for rotary cutting from the swivel to the ball, including the kelly, drill pipe and tool joints, drill collars, stabilizers, and various specialty items. Compare drill string.

The equipment included in the drilling fluid circulating system of a rotary rig. Basically, the components consist of the mud pump, rotary hose, swivel, drill stem, bit, and mud return line.

A trough or pipe that is placed between the surface connections at the wellbore and the shale shaker and through which drilling mud flows upon its return to the surface from the hole. Also called flow line.

A small-diameter conductive line used in electric wireline operations, such as electric well logging and perforating, in which the transmission of electrical current is required. Compare wireline.

A heavy, thick-walled tube, usually steel, used between the drill pipe and the bit in the drill stem to provide a pendulum effect to the drill stem and weight to the bit.

Any kind of pipe. Oilfield tubular goods include tubing, casing, drill pipe, and line pipe. Also called tubulars.

The insoluble abrasive solids content of a drilling fluid rejected by a 200-mesh screen. usually expressed as the percentage bulk volume of sand in a drilling fluid. This test is an elementary type in that the retained solids are not necessarily silica and may not be altogether abrasive. For additional information concerning the kids of solids retained on the 200-mesh screen, more specific tests would be required. See mesh.

An assembly of pulleys on a common framework; in mechanics, one or more pulleys, or sheaves, mounted to rotate on a common axis. The crown block is an assembly of sheaves mounted on beams at the top of the derrick. The drilling line is reeved over the sheaves of the crown block alternately which the sheaves of the traveling block, which is raised and lowered in the derrick by the drilling line. When elevators are attached to a hook on the traveling block and drill pipe latched in the elevators, the pipe can be raised or lowered. See crown block and traveling block.

See pay sand.

2. sandstone.

See pay sand

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.

A short cylindrical device installed in the drill stem between the bottom-most drill collar and a downhole motor. Its purpose is to deflect the downhole motor off vertical to drill a directional hole. See drill stem.

4. in hydrostatic testing of a pipeline, a scraper used inside the line to push air out ahead of the test water and to push water out after the test. v: to force a device called a pig through a pipeline or a flow line for the purpose of cleaning the interior walls of the pipe, separating different products, or displacing fluids.

Any porous stratum bearing oil.

Clogged by sand entering the well bore with the oil.

(2) to control the quality of the natural gas to be marketed.

A device to salvage casing on a P&A job.

A stratum of sand or porous sandstone from which natural gas is obtained.

Seamless steel or aluminum pipe made up in the drill stem between the kelly or top drive on the surface and the drill collars on the bottom. During drilling, it is usually rotated while drilling fluid is circulated through it. Drill pipe joints are available in three ranges of length: 18 to 22 feet, 27 to 30 feet, and 38 to 45 feet. The most popular length is 27 to 30 feet. It is available with outside diameters ranging from 2 7/8 to 5 1/2 inches. Several joints are made up (screwed together) to form the drill string.

Proppants, beads, sand used in hydraulic fracturing operations.

1. to collect a mass of sticky consolidated material, usually drill cuttings, on drill pipe, drill collars, bits, and so forth. A bit with such material attached to it is called a balled-up bit. Balling up is frequently the result of inadequate pump pressure or insufficient drilling fluid.

To remove sand, scale, and other deposits from the producing section of the well to restore or increase production.

The act of ensuring that a pipe ram preventer will not close on a drill pipe tool joint when the drill stem is stationary. A pup joint is made up in the drill string to lengthen it sufficiently.

An indicator, mounted in the mud circulating system, that measures and indicates the amount of pressure in the drill stem. See drill stem.

A phenomenon that sometimes occurs when a well blows out. Rocks, sand, clay, and other debris clog the hole and stop the blowout.

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 (i.e., 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.

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.

A map that shows the thickness of subsurface sands. See isopach map.

(1) to achieve the recovery of natural gas liquids from the stream of natural gas which may or may not have been processed through lease separators and field facilities, and

The zone or formation from which oil or gas is produced. See pay sand.

To use a whipstock, turbodrill, or other mud motor to drill around broken drill pipe or casing that has become lodged permanently in the hole.

1. to recover from a well any equipment left there during drilling operations, such as a lost bit or drill collar or part of the drill string.

2. To remove the settlings and cavings that are plugged inside a hollow fish (such as drill pipe) during a fishing operation.

A special valve installed below the kelly. Usually, the valve is open so that drilling fluid can flow out of the kelly and down the drill stem. It can, however, be manually closed with a special wrench when necessary. In one case, the valve is closed and broken out, still attached to the kelly to prevent drilling mud in the kelly from draining onto the rig floor. In another case, when kick pressure inside the drill stem exists, the drill stem safety valve is close to prevent the pressure from escaping up the drill stem.

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.

A method of stimulating production by opening new flow channels in the rock surrounding a production well. Often call a frac job. Under extremely high hydraulic pressure, a fluid (such as distillate, diesel fuel, crude oil, dilute hydrochloric acid, water, or kerosene) is 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. The cracks partially close on the pellets, leaving channels for oil to flow around them to the well. See explosive fracturing, hydraulic fracturing.

A drilling mud that contains a minimum amount of solid material (sand, silt, and so on) and that is used in rotary drilling when possible because it can provide fast drilling rates.

A drilling mud that contains a minimum amount of solid material (sand, silt, and so on) and that is used in rotary drilling when possible because it can provide fast drilling rates.

A dart-shaped drill pipe inside blowout preventer installed on top of the drill stem when the well is kicking through the drill stem. It is stabbed in open then closed against pressure.

2. to tie up short with a line.

Abbreviation: through-the-flow-line.

To lower a load or ease up on a line.

A pipe that is perforated and often arranged with a wire wrapping to act as a sieve to prevent or minimize the entry of sand particles into the wellbore. Also called a screen pipe.

2. a valve installed at the top of the drill stem to prevent flow out of the drill pipe if a kick occurs during tripping operations.

1. to remove with the drill bit the residual cement that normally remains in the lower section of casing and the wellbore after the casing has been cemented.

1. the process of lowering the drill stem into the wellbore when the well is shut in on a kick and when the weight of the drill stem is sufficient to overcome the force of well pressure.

Abbreviation: choke-line friction pressure.

A hoisting or pulling line operated from a cathead.

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. Compare desilter.

A walled round hole or well in the hull of a drill ship (usually in the center) through which the drilling assembly and other assemblies pass while a well is being drilled, completed, or abandoned from the drill ship.

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.

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.

A single length (30 feet or 9 meters) of drill pipe, drill collar, casing, or tubing that has threaded connections at both ends. Several joints screwed together constitute a stand of pipe.

The producing formation, often one that is not even sandstone. Also called pay, pay zone, and producing zone.

A drilling rig that is used exclusively to drill offshore exploration and development wells and that floats upon the surface of the water when being moved from one drill site to another. It may or may not float once drilling begins. Two basic types of mobile offshore drilling units are used to drill most offshore wildcat wells: bottom-supported drilling rigs and floating drilling rigs.

The surface pipe through which oil travels from a well to processing equipment or to storage.

A device to monitor rate of fluid from the annulus.

To loosen a tight joint as in line pipe or sucker rods.

Connection of treating line during well servicing, from pump trucks to tree/well

A condition in which the drill stem becomes stuck against the wall of the wellbore because part of the drill stem (usually the drill collars) has become embedded in the filter cake. necessary conditions for differential-pressure sticking, or wall sticking, are a permeable formation and a pressure differential across a nearly impermeable filter cake and drill stem. Also called wall sticking. See differential pressure, filter cake.

A check valve in the drill string that will allow fluid to be pumped into the well but will prevent flow from entering the string.

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.

1. a device that is inserted into a pipeline for the purpose of cleaning; a line scraper. Also called a pig.

2. a hole or opening in a line or vessel into which a gauge or valve may be inserted and screwed tight.

A drilling structure consisting of a barge upon which the drilling equipment is constructed. When moved from one location to another, the barge floats. When stationed on the drill site, the barge can be anchored in the floating mode or submerged to rest on the bottom. Typically, inland barge rigs are used to drill wells in marshes, shallow inland bays, and areas where the water covering the drill site in not too deep. Also called swamp barge. See floating offshore drilling rig.

A device attached to pipeline to permit continuous sampling of the oil, gas, or product flowing in the line.

A threaded nipple with a rounded, closed end used to stop up a hole or close off the end of a line.

To hoist the drill stem out of the wellbore to perform one of a number of operations such as changing bits, taking a core, and so forth, and then to return the drill stem to the wellbore.

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.

To attach a joint of drill pipe onto the drill stem suspended in the wellbore to permit deepening the wellbore by the length of the joint added (about 30 feet, or 9 meters).

A piece of wood or concrete, usually buried, to which a wire guy line is attached for bracing a mast or tower.

The wireline attached to ground anchors to provide lateral support for a mast or derrick.

Trade name for a downhole motor driven by drilling fluid that imparts rotary motion to a drilling bit connected to the tool, thus eliminating the need to turn the entire drill stem to make hole. Used in straight and directional drilling.

The percentage that the volume of the pore space bears to the total bulk volume. The pore space determines the amount of space available for storage of fluids.

Material that exhibits little or no swelling and whose particle size generally falls between 2 microns and API sand size, or 74 microns (200-mesh) A certain portion of dispersed clays and barite for the most part also fall into this same particle-size range.

A formation that absorbs drilling fluid as it is circulated in the well. Lost circulation is caused by a thief formation. Also called a thief sand or a thief zone.

A surface device used in slickline operations to keep the line lubricated and provide grease for pressure control

A surface device used in slickline operations to keep the line lubricated and provide grease for pressure control

A formation-stimulation process first used about a hundred years ago in Pennsylvania. Nitroglycerine is placed in a well and exploded to fracture the rock. Sand and gravel or cement is usually placed above the explosive charge to improve the efficiency of the shot. Nitro shooting has been largely replaced by formation fracturing.

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.

The heavy steel member, three-, four-, six-, or eight-sided, 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. It has a bored passageway that permits fluid

A small mud tank with a capacity of 10 to 15 barrels, usually with 1-barrel or H-barrel divisions, used to ascertain the amount of mud necessary to keep the wellbore full with the exact amount of mud that is displaced by drill pipe. When the bit comes out of the hole, a volume of mud equal to that which the drill pipe occupied while in the hole must be pumped into the hole to replace the pipe. When the bit goes back in the hole, the drill pipe displaces a certain amount of mud, and a trip tank can be used again to keep track of this volume.

A special drill stem valve that, when in open position, allows fluid to flow through it, thus allowing the valve to be stabbed into the drill stem.

A rotary tool that is hung from the rotary hook and traveling block to suspend the drill stem and to permit it to rotate freely. it also provides a connection fore the rotary hose and a passageway of the flow of drilling fluid into the drill stem.

The component in a blowout preventer that cuts, or shears, through drill pipe and forms a seal against well pressure. Shear rams are used in floating offshore drilling operations to provide a quick method of moving the rig away from the hole when there is no time to trip the drill stem out of the hole.

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.

The cutting or boring element used in drilling oil and gas wells. This bit consists of a cutting element and a circulating element. The circulating element permits the passage of drilling fluid and utilized the hydraulic force of the fluid stream to improve drilling rates. In rotary drilling, several drill collars are joined to the bottom end of the drill pipe column, and the bit is attached to the end of the string of drill collars. Most bits used in rotary drilling are roller cone bits, but diamond bits are also used extensively.

A heavy coupling element for drill pipe. It is made of special ahoy steel and has coarse, tapered threads and seating shoulders designed to sustain the weight of the drill stem, withstand the strain of frequent coupling and uncoupling, and provide a leakproof seal. The male section of the joint, or the pin, is attached to one end of a length of drill pipe, and the female section, or box, is attached to the other end. The tool joint may be welded to the end of the pipe, screwed on, or both. A hard-metal facing is often applied in a band around the outside of the tool joint to enable it to resist abrasion from the walls of the borehole.

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.

A sheave or pulley that can be opened up for putting a line over the roller or sheave.

A pipe through which pressure is bled, as from a pressurized tank, vessel, or other pipe.

A device inserted in a flow line to regulate the rate of flow.

A device placed on a piece of equipment that is lowered into a wellbore so that the equipment may be retrieved by wire line.

A device for maintaining pressure in a line, downstream from the value.

The amount of pressure exerted inside the drill pipe as a result of circulating pressure, entry of formation pressure into the well, or both.

An assembly of sheaves, mounted on beams at the tope of the derrick, over which the drilling line is reeved. See block.

An arrangement of pulleys, or sheaves, through which drilling line is reeved and which moves up and down in the derrick or mast. See block.

A loss of pressure that results from friction sustained by a fluid passing through a line, valve, fitting, or other device.

A plug in the flow line at the well head which has a small hole drilled through it through which oil flows, and which keeps a well from flowing at too high a rate.

1. a pipe connection around a valve or other control mechanism that is installed to permit passage of fluid through the line while adjustments or repairs are being made on the control.

A self-propelled floating offshore drilling unit that is a ship constructed to permit a well to e drilled from it. Although not as stable as semisubmersible, drill ships are capable of drilling exploratory wells in deep, remote waters. See floating offshore drilling rig.

The conventional method of formation testing. The basic drill stem test tool consists of a packer or packers, valve 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. The valves or ports are then opened to allow for formation flow while the recorders chart static pressures. A sampling chamber traps dean formation fluids at the end of the test. Analysis of the pressure charts is an important part of formation testing.

In a well-control operation, closing the BOP without first opening an alternate flow path up the choke line. When the BOP is closed, pressure in the annulus cannot be read on the casing pressure gauge.

A cast-iron or magnesium drillable tool consisting of a packing assembly and a back-pressure valve. It is used to close off the annular space between tubing or drill pipe and casing to allow the placement of cement or fluid through the tubing or drill pipe at any predetermined point behind the casing or liner, around the shoe, or into the open hole around the shoe.

A device used to direct fluid flowing from a well away from the drilling rig. When a kick is encountered at shallow depths, the well often cannot be shut in safely; therefore, a diverter is used to allow the well to flow through a side outlet (a diverter line).

A downhole tool with rough, sharp, extremely hard cutting surfaces for removing metal by grinding or cutting. Mills are run on drill pipe or tubing to grind up debris in the hole, remove stuck portions of drill stem or sections of casing for sidetracking, and ream out tight spots in the casing. They are also called junk mills, reaming mills, and so forth, depending on what use they have.

An extension from the blowout preventer assembly used to direct control the flow of well fluids from the annulus to the choke.

A device that reduces the pressure or volume of a fluid flowing in a line and maintains the pressure or volume at a specified level.

Any equipment designed to be pumped down a completed well to effect a repair, modify the well's flow, or for other reasons.

A break in subsurface strata. Often strata on one side of the fault line have been displaced (upward, downward, or laterally) relative to their original positions.

A cylindrical or spherical device that is affixed to the end of a wireline just above the hook to keep the line straight and to provide weight. v: to soak metal pieces in a chemical solution to remove dirt and scale from the metal's surface.

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. Sand grains, aluminum pellets, glass beads, or similar materials are carried in suspension into the fractures. When the pressure is released at the surface, the fractures partially close on the proppants, leaving channels for oil to flow through to the well. Compare explosive fracturing.

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. Also referred to as "circulating the short way," since returns from bottom can be obtained more quickly than in normal circulation.

A self-propelled floating offshore drilling unit that is a ship constructed to permit a well to be drilled from it. While not as stable as Semisubmersible, drill ships are capable of drilling exploratory wells in deep, remote waters. They may have a ship hull, a catamaran hull, or a trimaran hull. See floating offshore drilling rig.

One of several valves installed at the wellhead to prevent the escape of pressure either in the annular space between the casing and drill pipe or in open hole (i.e., hole with no drill pipe) during drilling completion operations. Blowout preventers on land rigs are located beneath the rig at the land's surface; on jackup or platform rigs, at the water's surface; and on floating offshore rigs, on the seafloor.

A device that continually measures and may record the flow rate of mud returning from the annulus and flowing out of the mud return line. If the mud does not flow at a fairly constant rate, a kick or lost circulation may have occurred.

A hollow, rubber-faced cylinder mounted on a hollow mandrel with a pin joint on the upper end to connect to the swab line. A check valve that opens upward on the lower end provides a way to remove the fluid from the well when pressure is insufrficien5t to support flow.

To pump a quantity of heavy mud into the drill pipe. Before hoisting drill pipe, it is desirable (if possible) to pump into its top section a quantity of heavy mud (a slug) that causes the level of the fluid to remain below the rig floor so that the crew members and the rig floor are not contaminated with the fluid when stands are broken out.

A device made up in the drill string that, when actuated, delivers a heavy downward blow to the string. A bumper jar has a hollow body that moves upward when the drill string is picked up. When the string is dropped quickly, the jar body produces a sharp downward blow on the tubing or pipe made up below the jar. If downward blows can free a fish, a bumper jar can be very effective.

See electric well log

A flange equipped with plastic pieces to separate its metal parts, thus preventing the flow of electric current. Insulating flanges are often used in cathodic protection systems to prevent electrolytic corrosion and are sometimes installed when a flow line is being attached to a wellhead.

A pipe attached to the blowout preventer stack out of which kick fluids and mud can be pumped to the choke manifold when a blowout preventer is closed in on a kick.

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. See acoustic log, core analysis, driller's log, drill stem test, electric well log, mud analysis, and radioactivity well logging.

The closing and sealing component on a blowout preventer. One of three types--blind, 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.

A variation of squeeze cementing for wells with two producing zones in which (1) the upper fluid sand is perforated; (2) tubing is run with a packer, and the packer is set between the two perforated intervals; (3) water is circulated between the two zones to remove as much mud as possible from the channel; (4) cement is pumped through the channel and circulated; (5) the packer is released and picked up above the upper perforation, a low squeeze pressure is applied, and the excess cement is circulated out. The process is applicable where there is communication behind the pipe between the two producing zones because of channeling of the primary cement or where there is essentially no cement in the annulus.

Process of separating, or breaking down, an emulsion into oil and water in a vessel or tank on a continuous basis (i.e., no interruption of flow of emulsion into the tank or vessel). Compare batch treating.

1. an automatic valve that opens or closes when an abnormal condition occurs (e.g., a pressure relief valve on a separator that opens if the pressure exceeds the set point, or the shutdown valve at the wellhead that closes if the line pressure becomes too high or too low).

Drill stem test

The ability of a rock to transmit fluid through the pore spaces. - A key influence on the rate of flow, movement and drainage of the fluids. There is no necessary relation between porosity and permeability. A rock may be highly porous and yet impermeable if there is no communication between pores. A highly porous sand is usually highly permeable. A measure of the ease with which a fluid flows through the connecting pore spaces of rock or cement. The unit of measurement is the millidarcy. Fluid conductivity of a porous medium. Ability of a fluid to flow within the interconnected pore network of a porous medium.

A device placed in a choke line that regulates the flow through the choke. Flow depends on the size of the opening in the bean; the larger the opening, the greater the flow.

The cutting or boring element used for drilling. See bit.

V: to reduce the size of the wellbore and drill ahead.

2. of a hole, having no drill pipe or tubing suspended in it.

A floating offshore drilling unit that has pontoons and columns that when flooded cause the unit to submerge in the water to a predetermined depth. Living quarters, storage space, and so forth a reassembled on the deck. Semisubmersible rigs are either self-propelled or towed to a drilling site and either anchored or dynamically positioned over the site, or both. In shallow water, some semisubmersibles can be ballasted to rest on the seabed. Semisubmersibles are more stable than drill ships and ship-shaped barges and are used extensively to drill wildcat wells in rough waters such as the North Sea. Two types of semisubmersible rigs are the bottle-type semisubmersible and the column-stabilized semisubmersible. See floating offshore drilling rig.

A valve that opens at a preset pressure to relieve excessive pressures within a vessel or line. Also called a relief valve, safety valve, or safety relief valve.

Oil-well, casing, tubing, or drill pipe.

Abbreviation: shut-in drill pipe pressure, used in drilling reports.

A joint of drill pipe. Compare double, thribble, and fourable.

1. the process of raising the drill stem out of the wellbore when the well is shut in on a kick.

The depth in the hole at which the tubing, casing, or drill pipe is stuck.

A record of information derived from examination of drilling fluid and drill bit cuttings. See mud logging.

The operation of hoisting the drill stem out of and returning it to the wellbore. See make a trip.

To lower the drill stem, tubing, casing, or sucker rods in to the wellbore.

To bore a hole in the earth, usually to find and remove subsurface formation fluids such as oil and gas.

A sub part of which is formed in the shape of a horseshoe and used to orient the drill stem downhole.

To obtain an accurate measurement of the depth reached in a well by measuring the drill pipe or tubing as it is run into the well.

A device in a rotary table or other tool into which tubing, drill pipe, or slips can be inserted.

A hydraulically powered device used in lieu of a rotary to turn the drill pipe, tubing, or casing in a well.

2. to remove the settlings and cavings that are plugged inside a hollow fish (such as drill pipe) during a fishing operation.

A drillable tool configuration allowing the opening of formation pressure, during drillout, prior to cutting through the tools slips.

A section of drill pipe, casing, or tubing consisting of four joints screwed together. Compare double, single, thribble.

2. to pull formation fluids into a wellbore by raising the drill stem at a rate that reduces the hydrostatic pressure of the drilling mud below the bit.

Equipment operated hydraulically or by compressed air for making up and breaking out drill pipe, casing, tubing, and rods.

A spherical object used to pump down the drill string or tubing to trip, release, or otherwise operate certain hydraulic-type tools.

A device that controls the rate of flow of fluid in a line or opens or shuts off the flow of fluid completely. When open, the sealing surface of the valve is moved away from a seat; when closed, the sealing surface contacts the seat to shut off flow. The direction of movement of the valve is usually perpendicular to the seat. Popper valves are used extensively as pneumatic (air) controls on drilling rigs and as intake and exhausts valves in most internal-combustion engines.

A sudden increase in the drill bit's rate of penetration. it sometimes indicates that the bit has penetrated a high-pressure zone and thus warns of the possibility of a kick.

A rapid increase in n pressure downhole that occurs when the drill stem is lowered too fast or when the mud pump is brought up to speed after starting.

The crew member who handles the upper end of the drill string as it is being hoisted out of or lowered into the hole. He is also responsible for the circulating machinery and the conditioning of the drilling fluid.

The depth in the hole at which the drill stem, tubing, or casing is stuck.

The operation during which stuck drill stem or tubing is freed using washover pipe.

The pressure generated by the mud pumps and exerted on the drill stem

Drill pipe, tubing, sucker rods, and so forth with the diameter near the top of the well larger than the diameter below.

Movement of drilling fluid from mud pits, down drill stem, up annulus, and back to mud pits.

The operation of hoisting the drill stem from and returning it to the wellbore. v: shortened form of "make a trip."

See lost circulation. lower kelly cock n: see drill stem safety valve

See lost circulation. lower kelly cock n: see drill stem safety valve

The weight of the drill stem that is suspended from the hook.

Drill stem test tool; used for formation evaluation.

An integral part of a blowout preventer, which serves as the closing element on an open hole. Its ends do not fit around the drill pipe but seal against each other and shut off the space below completely. See ram

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 tes5t 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 tip in the hole, so they are very useful in formation testing.

Authorization, usually granted by a governmental conservation agency, to drill a well. A permit is sometimes also required for deepening or remedial work.

A tubular device, usually from 10 to 60 feet (3 to 18 meters) long, run at the bottom of the drill pipe in place of a bit and used to cut a core sample.

A bentonite and diesel oil mixture that is pumped down the drill pipe and into the annulus to mix with drilling mud. The stiff, putty-like material is squeezed into lost circulation zones to seal them.

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.

Clamps that grip a stand of casing, tubing, drill pipe, or sucker rods so that the stand can be raised or lowered into the hole.

A device made up in the drill stem and lowered into the well to allow the casing and blowout preventers to b pressure-tested. The sealing device is cup-shaped and is therefore called a cup.

The electrokinetic portion of the spontaneous potential electric-log curve that can be influenced significantly by the characteristics of the filtrate and mud cake or the drilling fluid that was used to drill the well.

Unscrewing the drill stem into single joints and placing them on the pipe rack. The operation takes place on completion of the well, or in changing from one size of pipe to another.

The string of drill pipe tubing suspended in a well to which is attached a special tool or device that is used to carry out a certain task, as squeeze cementing or fishing.

A circular steel device that holds slips supporting a suspended string of drill pipe, casing, or tubing. A spider may be split or solid.

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

An assembly of tools made up on drill pipe that is lowered into the hole to retrieve lost or stuck equipment. Also call a fish assembly.

An accessory attached o the top of the drill pipe or tubing to form a connection with the mud system to permit circulation of the drilling mud. In some cases, it is also a rotating head.

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.

1. to move the drill stem up and down in the hole over a short distance without rotation. Careless execution of this operation creates pressure surges that can cause a formation to break down, resulting in lost circulation.

The joint of drill pipe that is used in hang-off operations so that no tool joint is opposite a set of preventer rams.

A complete break in pipe caused by metal fatigue. v: to break something in two or to break apart, such as the head of a bolt or the drill stem.

An area or point above the point at which a tubular, such as drill pipe, is stuck in the wellbore.

Those parts of the drilling or workover rig that are designed to turn or rotate the drill stem and bit - swivel, kelly, kelly busing, master bushing, and rotary table.

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.

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. Compare reverse circulation.

A training procedure to determine that rig crews are completely familiar with correct operating practices to be followed in the use of blowout prevention equipment. A "dry run" of blowout preventative action.

Preventers installed on top of the well or drill string as a precautionary measure while running wirelines. The preventer packing will close around the wireline.

An instrument near the driller's position on a drilling rig that shows both the weight of the drill stem that is hanging from the hook (hook load)

A drilling mud, e.g., oil-base mud and invertemulsion mud, in which oil is the continuous phase. It is useful in drilling certain formation that may e difficult or costly to drill with water-base mud. Compare oil emulsion mud.

1. a rubber disk surrounding drill pipe or tubing that removes mud as the pipe is brought out of the hole.

Pressure of the annular fluid on the casing at the surface when a well is shut in.

V: to drill wildcat wells.

See slips

The action of pull out and subsequently running back into the hole a string of drill pipe or tubing. Making a round trip is also called tripping.

A device attached to the catshaft of the drawworks that is used as a power source for unscrewing drill pipe; usually located opposite the driller's side of the drawworks. See cathead.

A bottomhole assembly consisting of stabilizers and large-diameter drill collars arranged in a particular configuration to maintain drift angle and direction of a hole.

The connected joints of pipe racked in the derrick or mast during a trip. The usual stand is about 90 feet long (about 27 meters), which is three lengths of drill pipe screwed together (a thribble).

Heavy seamless tubing used to rotate the bit and circulate the drilling fluid. Joints of pipe approximately 30 feet (9 meters) long are coupled together by means of tool joints.

To pump a designated quantity of a substance (such as acid or cement) into a specific interval in the well. For example, 10 barrels 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.

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. See packed-hole assembly.

The initial loss of mud solids by filtration, making formations easier to drill. See filtration loss.

A special nipple made up in the tubing, casing, or drill pipe string the configuration of which is such that a tool contacting it can pass through only if the tool is in the proper position or configuration.

An explosive method utilizing primacord, which is an instantaneous textile-covered fuse with a core of very high explosive. It is used to create an explosive jar inside st5uck drill pipe or tubing so that the pipe may be backed off at the joint immediately above where it is stuck.

A downhole motor that rotates a bit by the action of the drilling mud on turbine blades b built into the tool. When a turbodrill is used, rotary motion is imparted only at the bit; therefore, it is unnecessary to rotate the drill stem. Although straight holes can be drilled with the tool, it is used most often in directional drilling.

An area of reduced diameter in pipe caused by excessive longitudinal strain or by a combination of longitudinal string and the swagging action of a body. A bottleneck may result if the downward motion of the drill pipe is stopped with the slips instead of the brake.

The pressure at which a well is circulated during well-killing procedures after killweight mud has filled the drill stem. This pressure is maintained until the well is completely filled with killweight mud.

The gathering of pressure data and fluid samples from a formation to determine its production potential before choosing a completion method. Testing tools include formation testers and drill stem test tools.

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 as spiral grapple, firmly grips the pipe, allowing the fish to be pulled from the hole.

A compliant offshore drilling platform used to drill development wells. The foundation of the platform is a relatively lightweight jacket upon which all equipment is placed. A system of guy wires anchored by clump weights helps secure the jacket to the seafloor and allows it to move with wind and wave forces. See platform rig.

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. The name comes from the fact that on the old standard derrick, the shape of the opening was an inverted V.

Any valve installed in the drill stem to prevent a blowout through the stem. Mud can be pumped in but flow back up the stem is prevented. Also called an internal blowout preventer.

2. the amount of pressure indicated by a drill pipe pressure gauge when drilling fluid is being circulated by the mud pump. Pressure losses occur as the fluid is circulated.

The liquid circulated through the wellbore during rotary drilling and workover operations. In addition to its function of bringing cuttings to the surface, drilling mud cools and lubricates the bit and drill stem, protects against blowouts by holding back subsurface pressures, and deposits a mud cake on the wall of the borehole to prevent loss of fluids to the formation. See drilling fluid.

A portable servicing or workover outfit, usually mounted on wheels and self-propelled. A well servicing 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.

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 is possible to reach subsurface areas laterally remote from the point where the bit enters the earth. It often involves the use of turbodrills, Dyna-Drills, whipstocks, or other deflecting rods.

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.

A part of the brake mechanism consisting of a flexible steel band lined with a material that grips a drum when tightened. On a drilling rig, the brake band acts on the flanges of the drawworks drum to control the lowering of the traveling block and its load of drill pipe, casing, or tubing.

The pressure in a well between the casing and the tubing or the casing and the drill pipe.

A rigid offshore drilling platform that stands on steel caissons and is used to drill development wells. The caissons are firmly affixed to the seafloor, and the drilling and production decks are laid on top of them. The platform is used in certain arctic waters, where the caissons are needed to protect equipment from moving ice. See platform rig.

A device used in fishing for drill pipe. If the upper end of the lost pipe is leaning against the side of the wellbore, the wall hook centers it in the hole so that it may be recovered with an overshot, which is run on the fishing string and attached to the wall hook.

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 finn grip and permit the fish to be pulled and recovered. See tap. Compare die collar.

A block with lead or another relatively soft material on its bottom. It is made up of 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 and indicates the fish's position in the hole, i.e., whether it is centered or off to one side. From this information, the correct fishing tool can be selected.

The large wrenches used to make up or break out drill pipe, casing, tubing, or other pipe; variously called casing tongs, pipe tongs, and so forth, according to the specific use. Power tongs are pneumatically or hydraulically operated tools that serve to spin the pipe up tight and, in some instances, to apply the final makeup torque.

To measure drill pipe or tubing as it is pulled out of the hole, usually to determine the depth of the well or the depth to which the pipe or tubing was run.

A type of mobile offshore drilling unit that floats and is not secured to the seafloor (except for anchors). Floating units include inland barge rigs, drill ships and ship-shaped barges, and semisubmersibles. See mobile offshore drilling unit.

A mobile submersible drilling structure constructed of several steel cylinders, or bottles. When the bottles are flooded, the rig submerges and rests on bottom; when water is removed from the bottles, the rig floats. The latest designs of this type of rig drill in water depths up to 100 feet (30.5 meters). See submersible drilling rig.

A large, specially designed, self-propelled workover rig that a person drives directly to the well site. Power from a carrier rig's hoist engine or engines also propels the rig on the road. While a carrier rig is primarily intended to perform workovers, it can also be used to drill relatively shallow wells. A carrier rig may be a back-in type or a drive-in type. See back-in unit, drive-in unit.

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 bypassing the pipe. Also called a piloted mill.

A tool composed of a mandrel on which are mounted several heavy-duty rollers with eccentric roll surfaces. It is used to restore buckled, collapsed, or dented casing in a well to normal diameter and roundness. Made up on tubing or drill pipe and run into the well to the depth of the deformed casing, the tool is rotated slowly, allowing the rollers to contact all sides of the casing and restore it to roughly its original condition.

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.

A sealing device used to close off the annular space around the kelly in drilling with pressure at the surface, usually installed above the main blowout preventers. A rotating head makes it possible to drill ahead even when there is pressure in the annulus that the weight of the drilling fluid is not overcoming; the head prevents the well from blowing out. It is used mainly in the drilling of formations that have low permeability. The rate of penetration through such formations is usually rapid.

A rigid offshore drilling platform built of steel-reinforced concrete and used to drill development wells. The platform is floated to the drilling site in a vertical position, and at the site tall caissons that serve as the foundation of the platform are flooded so that the platform submerges and comes to rest on bottom. Because of the enormous weight of the platform, the force of gravity alone keeps it in place. See platform rig.

To take rams out of a blowout preventer and replace them with rams of a different size or type. When the size of a drill pipe is changed, the size of the pipe rams must be changed to ensure that they seal around the pipe when closed (unless variable-bore pipe rams are in use).

A mobile submersible drilling structure consisting of a barge hull that rests on bottom, steel posts that rise from the top of the barge hull, and a deck that is built on top of the posts, well above the waterline. It is used to drill wells in water no deeper than about 30-35 feet (9-10.7m). Most posted barge submersibles work in inland gulfs and bays. See submersible drilling rig.

A large, hook-shaped device from which the swivel is suspended. It is designed to carry maximum loads ranging from 100 to 650 tons (90 to 590 tonnes) and turns on bearings in its supporting housing. A strong spring within the assembly cushions the weight of a stand (90 feet, about 27 meters) of drill pipe, thus permitting the pipe to be made up and broken out with less damage to the tool join threads. Smaller hooks without the spring are used for handling tubing and sucker rods. See stand and swivel.

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.

N: a collar or coupling of tool steel, threaded internally, that can be used to retrieve pipe from the well on fishing jobs; the female counterpart of a taper tap. The die collar is made up on the drill pipe and lowered into the hole until it contacts the lost pipe. If the lost pipe is stuck so that it cannot rotate, rotation of the die collar on top of the pipe cuts threads on the outside of the pipe, providing a firm attachment. The pipe is then retrieved from the hole. Compare taper tap. It is not often used because it is difficult to release it from the fish should it become necessary.

The pipe and special fittings used on floating offshore drilling rigs to establish a seal between the top of the wellbore, which is on the ocean floor, and the drilling equipment, located above the surface of the water. A riser pipe serves as a guide for the drill stem from the drilling vessel to the wellhead and as a conductor of drilling fluid from the well to the vessel. The riser consists of several sections of pipe and includes special devices to compensate for any movement of the drilling rig caused by waves. It is also called a marine riser.

A type of mobile offshore drilling unit that has a part of its structure in contact with the seafloor when it is on site and drilling a well. The remainder of the rig is supported above the water. The rig can float, however, allowing it to be moved from one drill site to another. Bottom-supported units include submersible rigs and jackup rigs. See mobile offshore drilling unit.

A device made up in the drill stem above the mill to collect bits of junk ground away during a milling operation. During milling, drilling mud under high pressure forces bits of junk up the narrow space between the boot sub and the hole wall. When the junk reaches the wider annulus above the boot sub and pressure drops slightly, the junk falls into the boot sub. A boot sub also can be run above the bit during routine drilling to collect small pieces of junk that may damage the bit or interfere with its operation.

A Y-shaped chain used to spin up (tighten) one joint of drill pipe into another. One end of the chain is attached to the tongs, another end to the spinning cathead, and the third end left free. The free end is wrapped around the tool joint, and the cathead pulls the chain off the joint, causing the joint to spin rapidly and tighten up. After the free end of the chain is pulled off the joint, the tongs are secured in the spot vacated by the chain and continued pull on the chain (and thus on the tongs) by the cathead makes up the joint to final tightness.

A process used to repair a hole in the casing by pumping cement down tubing or drill pipe. First, the casinghead, or bradenhead, is closed to prevent fluids from moving up the casing. Then the rig's pumps are started. Pump pressure moves the cement out of the tubing or pipe and, since the top of the casing is closed, the cement goes into the hole in the casing. The tubing or pipe is pulled from the well and the cement allowed to harden. The hardened cement seals the hole in the casing. Although the term "bradenhead squeezing" is still used, the term "bradenhead" is obsolete. See annular space, casinghead, squeeze.