Glossary of Common Terms
An API number is a unique, permanent, numeric identifier assigned to each well drilled for oil and gas in the United States. The API number is one of many industry standards established by the American Petroleum Institute.
Barrels of Condensate [liquid hydrocarbons separated from gas]
Barrels per Thousand Cubic Feet of Gas
Barrels per Million Cubic Feet of Gas
Barrel, 42 U.S. gallons
Barrels, 42 U.S. gallons each
Billion Cubic Feet of Gas
Barrels of Condensate per Day [Condensate is a high gravity crude oil generally associated with gas wells]
Bottom hole assembly
Bottom Hole Pressure
Bottom Hole Shut-In Pressure
Barrels of Oil per Day
British Thermal Unit: The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water on degree Fahrenheit under standard conditions of pressure and temperature.
Pipe cemented in the well to seal off formation fluids or keep the hole from caving in
Gas found naturally in oil and produced with the oil.
Cubic Foot of Gas - As a unit of volume, 1.728 cubic inches; As applied to water, 7.48 gallons; As applied to natural gas, the volume of gas which, when saturated with water vapor at 60° F and at a pressure of 30 inches of mercury occupies one cubic
The system of pipes, valves, gauges and related equipment that is located on the well at ground level and that controls the flow of gas and other petroleum products produced from the well.
Cast Iron Bridge Plug
A well drilled to a known producing formation in a previously discovered field.
The first oil or gas well drilled in a new field to reveal the actual presence of a petroleum-bearing reservoir.
Well used for disposal of saltwater into an underground formation.
Any well drilled for the purposes of securing geological or geophysical information to be used in the exploration or development of oil, gas, geothermal, or other mineral resources, except coal and uranium.
Flowing Pressure
Formation Test
Flowing Bottom Hole Pressure
Area of oil and gas production with at least one common reservoir for the entire area.
A separate layer of rock or group of intermingled beds.
High pressure or explosive method of fracturing rock formations.
Flowing Tubing Pressure
Held By Production
Located in Erath, LA, the Henry Hub is a pipeline interchange and the delivery point for the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) active natural gas futures contracts. Natural gas from the Gulf of Mexico moves through the Henry Hub onto interstate pipeli
A well which is not vertically drilled as defined in TRC rules.
Initial Bottom Hole Flowing Pressure
Intangible Drilling Cost (encompasses all costs that are not tangible, i.e. pipe, tanks & other physical equipment)
Initial Shut-in Pressure
Drilling rig equipment that fits inside the rotary table and is also used as a reference point on logs to calculate depth.
Octagonal top 40' of drill pipe that sits on top of the string of drill pipe.
Drilling rig equipment that fits inside the rotary table and is also used as a reference point on logs to calculate depth.
Lease Operating Expense
A well is "logged" just after drilling operations are complete. A log helps well engineers determine the depth of potential oil/gas producing zones.
Thousand Cubic Feet - Gas is sold on an Mcf basis; The price of gas is quoted 'Per Mcf'.
Million Cubic Feet of Gas per Day
Thousand Cubic Feet of Gas Per Day
Thousand Cubic Feet of Gas Per Day
Move In Rig Up
Million Cubic Feet
Million Cubic Feet of Gas - Cumulative production of gas from a well is generally stated MMcf if production is less than a Bcf (Billion Cubic Feet). Sometimes, however, it is stated as a percentage of Billion Cubic Feet. For example: .575 Bcf is the same
Drilling fluid used to lubricate the drill string, line the walls of the well
Measurement While Drilling (MWD) Directional drilling tool used in Horizontal or other Directional drilling.
Natural Gas Liquids
Plugged and Abandoned, in order to seal off formations to isolate fluids.
Proved Undeveloped
Plugged back total depth
Proved Developed Producing
Holes through casing and cement into the productive formation.
Ability of rock to transmit fluids through pore spaces.
Hole dug next to drillsite for temporary storage of fluids during drilling operations.
Pull Out Of Hole (Pull the drill pipe or tools out of the well bore)
Percentage of the rock volume that can be occupies by oil, gas, etc.
Pounds per Square Inch; term measuring pressure on a 1' area.
The moment when a drill bit enters the surface of the ground on an oil or gas well
Abbreviation for stands of pipe.
Outer casing cemented in upper portion of wellbore to protect fresh water formations from contamination.
Total Depth of well
Tanks for oil storage before delivery to a refinery.
The date on which drilling operations cease for a given well. "TD" means "Total Depth."
Trip In Hole (with drill pipe/pipe string/or various tools)
Take Out Of Hole (Pull the drill pipe or tools out of the well bore)
Drilling inclination recording device.
String of pipe set inside the well casing, through which the oil or gas is produced.
TVD means Total Vertical Depth and is used to indicate total dept of the bit or the bottom of the hole from the surface vertically or approximate 90 degree angle. Used in Horizontal Drilling to indicate total depth of the well bore from the surface.
Indicates the total drilled hole from the surface to TD or Total Depth, Vertically & Horizontally.
A well drilled to discover a new field or reservoir.
Interval of subsurface formation.
